New Moon Yoga – Thread the Needle Pose

Thread the Needle

This time let’s look at another development from a starting place of Table Top pose - Thread the Needle, or Urdhva Mukha Pasasana in Sanskrit. 

This is a pose which is great for a relaxing twist anytime but, particularly when held, suits times around the new moon. It is a pose which helps us focus internally, as we have to consider where different parts of the body go, so we have to let go of other distractions, at least while we get settled in the pose. Twists are also good for calming anxiety and for relieving lethargy, and we get the additional benefits of a slight inversion, as the head becomes lower than the heart. 

Physically, this pose can help strengthen and stretch the back and side muscles, as well as strengthen the upper arm (biceps and triceps) and stretch the glutes in the buttocks. It encourages flexibility in the spine and will massage the internal organs, too. As always, ensure you check with a medical practitioner if you have any serious back, neck, chest or abdominal problems.

How to find Thread the Needle pose

From Table Top pose, on hands and knees, on an exhale, thread one hand (let’s say the
right, like the picture) through the gap between the other (left) hand and knee. Try to keep the back of the right hand on the mat and it slides across, and thread right through so that the right shoulder lowers all the way down to the mat.

Lower the shoulder and head down into Thread the Needle Pose

Remember this is a spinal twist and so thinking about the shoulder sliding towards the centre of the mat helps to find that rotation more than simply lowering it to the ground. Keeping the sliding hand close up to the back of the supporting (left) wrist as you slide it through can also help. The hips stay nice and high over the knees and you twist through the waist and lower the upper body. As the shoulder and head lower to the mat, the gaze is looking out to the side. The shoulders roll down away from the ears and the neck is long, chin away from the chest. You can extend the fingers letting energy spread out from the finger tips. You might find that drawing the tummy muscles in as you breathe out creates a bit more space so you can deepen the twist a little, maybe snuggling the shoulder a little further over too. Once you have settled in this position, you have the option to lift up the supporting hand (left here) and extend the arm straight up to the sky, opening up the chest and potentially deepening the spinal twist, as shown in the main pose picture. However, leaving the hand there to support you is just fine too. 

Other options

As above, it is possible to leave the supporting hand down as you get used to this pose, particularly focusing on finding the twist and settling the head and shoulder round and down. (I have quite wide shoulders so the side of your head may go a little flatter down than mine is shown in the picture.) If you want to explore the extended arm version, try to really rotate through the back to get the openness across the chest, moving the whole shoulder girdle open to the side, rather than just casting the arm wide through the top shoulder.

Another development from here would be to take that extended top (left) arm and wrap it round behind your back waist, and you could even see if your fingers can hold onto the inside of the opposite (right) thigh. As always there are lots of little variations we can take if they feel good.

If the floor seems a long way away from your head as you start to take the pose, remember you can always place a blanket or block (or a thick book) on the floor to reduce the distance, and it’s totally fine if it feels weird to start with having your hips much higher than your head, so use as much support as you like until you get used to the sensation of being head down. 

Chair-based variations of Thread the Needle pose

If you are taking this pose from a sitting position, make sure the heels are under the knees, feet hip-width apart, and lift up through the back. Then hinge forward from the hips as you slide the hand through to the other side across the knees in the same way as already described, rotating through the back and opening the chest out to the side. You can keep the supporting hand on the thigh or open it up towards the sky with the same arm options as already described.

How to breathe in the pose

With either the kneeling or seated version, you can turn this into a short flow sequence, by taking an inhale as you reach the active arm open away from where you are heading, and then exhale as you thread it through a little way, not putting any weight down on the arm. Repeat  - unthreading, coming up, opening up the arm breathing in, and breathe out threading it a little further through this time, starting to lower some weight down, maybe the elbow or shoulder starting to touch down. One final breath in lifts you up again, and a big exhale lets you slide the arm all the way through and settle down into the pose. This is a good way to ease gently into the pose and helps find the twist, the inversion and brings attention to the breath.

Once in the pose, find a steady breath, working on filling the lungs a much as possisble in the twist. As it’s an unusual place to be, you might observe where the breath can be felt in the body – not just in the chest but around the back and the lifted side body. Stay in the pose for 3-6 breaths.

Moving on

To come out of the pose you will need to replace the supporting hand on the mat, under the lifted shoulder. Spread the fingers wide for support then push through the hand and arm to lift the body up, unthreading the threaded arm back to Table Top pose. You can of course, continue the flow theme and extend that unthreaded arm all the way open to the sky before placing that hand down, if that feels good. Either way, taking an in-breath as you come out of the pose helps you find the strength and energy to get back up again.

Before going anywhere else, take it all again on the other side 😊

There are lots of options to follow on after this relaxing twist. We are back in a neutral Table Top, so there are all the other options to go to from here – Cat-Cow, Balancing Table etc, or of course we can tuck the toes under and push back into Downward Facing Dog from here. Another option we will explore soon is to sink the hips forward and down to the mat, lie on our belly and then find Sphinx pose, but, for now, how about letting the hips sink back over the heels and simply slide into Child’s Pose? 

Make sure you always look after yourself when doing yoga.

It’s important to always listen to your body and only work within your personal limitations. You are fully responsible for your own safety and wellbeing. Make sure your surroundings and your practices are safe. Do not attempt to take a physical posture that is outside of the scope of your practice. If you have any specific medical conditions, injuries, surgeries or are pregnant you should check with your GP or appropriate medical professional before starting any exercise. Keep in mind that yoga might be challenging at times, but it should never be painful. You must stop if you experience any pain, and you should consult your GP if you experience anything untoward such as dizziness or feeling faint. Rest or leave anything out that you need to avoid or that does not feel right.