Practiced regularly as part of your Yoga practice, Trikonasana or Triangle pose has many benefits. Among them are the following:

1. Strengthens and stretches the muscles of the hips and legs, shoulders and chest
2. Opens the breathing mechanics through that stretch of the side body muscles, and opening of each side of the rib cage.
3. It is also said to help improve digestion: you can support this by focusing on drawing back the belly muscles on the exhales and rotating the lower side of the belly towards the ceiling as you hold the pose.
4. Ayurvedically it is said to be a tri-doshic pose – balancing to Vata, Pitta and Kapha. There are ways in which we can adapt the way we practice this tri-doshic pose to bring more balance to any of the doshas:

i) Practice a steady even breath and steadiness in the pose for Vata. This way the pose can help to calm the nervous system and steady and focus the mind ii) Relax the effort and soften stretch sensation with lengthening exhales can help to relieve some of the heat in body and mind for Pitta, and the effect of the pose on  digestion and metabolism links to it’s pacifying effect on Pitta dosha  iii) The deep stretches in this pose, and the opening of the side body inviting expansion of the sides of the rib cage and inhale can all help to lighten Kapha dosha: open to an increasing duration of inhale, and fill and expand the top side rib cage with breath and the energy it carries whilst holding the pose.

CONTRAINDICATIONS:

High blood pressure, heart problems, headache or migraine.