Things that go wrong:
- turning in and allowing the front hip to move forward, means the spine moves over and does not rotate. Too much weight is then on the front leg and knee. The hips should stay level.
- bending forward too much and imposing on the dorsal spine, which becomes fixed and cannot rotate.
- trying to pull the shoulder back with the arm, instead of the arm floating on top.
Modifications:
- hold shin or put the hand on a block or chair to prevent folding forward too far and affecting spinal rotation.
- for balance problems, put heel into a wall or work alongside a wall.
Affects:
- opens out rib cage and encourages dorsal spine to rotate.
- allows greater freedom of forward movement of hips.
- releases shoulders.
- opens out fascia lata of front leg.
Precautions:
Wide angled Trikonasana practiced as a lateral extension with the back heel turned in, tends to aggravate the knee, sacro iliac joint and hip joint causing strain. When the back foot is turned out, the pelvis also has to turn out, which twists and compresses the lumbar spine. This will affect the sacro iliac ligaments on the opposite side and ligaments of the hip.The job of the medial collateral ligament (inside) and lateral collateral ligament (outside) of knee is to resist sideways strain of the knee joint and these can become strained, especially the medial ligament.
Sideways strain is also experienced by the medial semilunar and lateral semilunar cartilage of the knee, which separates the femur and tibia; these become compressed with rotation of the knee joint.
(published with permission in writing from:http://www.yogawithjackie.co.uk/)
