Trikonasana, or Triangle Pose, is one loved by many as it is both stretching and strengthening to the lower half of the body. In the yoga room I see a lot of people struggle with this pose in the middle of the floor. Tight hamstrings and hips cause us to lean forward in order to reach your hand to your block or the floor, causing a rounding in our upper back. I love taking this pose to the wall and feeling it change dynamically, adding stretching and strengthening to the upper half of the body as well as the lower half. Not only do we continue to stretch the inner thigh muscles of the front leg tremendously, but this version offers a greater opening of the Intercostals, Obliques and Quadratus Lumborum- some of the muscles in the back, waist and core that are targeted as we twist open.

Tips for Wall Triangle:

Line up your yoga mat against the wall, lengthwise
Turn your back to the wall and take a wide stance...only as wide as feels comfortable for your hips
Turn right toes to the right so that foot is parallel to the wall
Take a big breath in and fold down bringing your hand to the thigh, shin or ankle- this depends on how tight your hamstrings and inner thighs are
Lay back into the wall so that both hips, shoulders and the back of your head are supported behind you

*I highly recommend placing a yoga block underneath your right hand if you have one. This is a great tool for people with tight hamstrings and hips and helps bring the floor up to you so you resist the urge to round forward in the back.