In short: twisted roots is a reclining twist with the thighs crossed. You lie on your back with the knees bent, cross one thigh over the other, let both knees fall to one side and rest there for a few minutes with the shoulders on the floor. The crossed legs add a stretch to the outer hip.
Below: how it relates to the reclining spinal twist, the setup, the hold and the cautions.
The name and the related asana
Twisted roots is an English yin name with no Sanskrit of its own. Paul Grilley describes the same shape in Yoga Journal as the cross-legged reclining spinal twist, a yin variation of Jaṭhara Parivartanāsana, and Bernie Clark mentions it as a reclining twist with the knees crossed as in eagle pose (Garuḍāsana). The yin difference from an ordinary reclining twist: the legs are crossed, gravity does the work, and you stay for minutes.
Setting up
Lie on the back with the knees bent and the feet flat. Cross the right thigh over the left, then lift the hips and shift them a couple of inches to the right, as Yoga Journal’s 12-pose sequence suggests, so that you are centred once you twist. Lower the knees to the left; Grilley draws the crossed legs halfway up toward the chest first and notes that the height of the knees changes where you feel the twist. If the knees do not reach the floor, rest them on a bolster; if the top shoulder floats, slide a blanket under it.
Clark explains the knee height in simple terms: knees drawn higher toward the chest move the twist up into the upper back, and knees lower move it toward the lower back and sacrum. Try a few heights for a breath or two, then choose one and settle. Yoga Journal’s hip sequence adds two more props: a block or cushion under the top knee if it floats high off the mat, and a cushion or bolster between the knees to soften the twist and protect the lower back. Try to stack the top hip over the bottom hip while both shoulders stay on the floor.
The long hold
Keep the shoulder blades heavy and take the top arm out to the side, or rest that hand on the hip and reach the arm out gradually. Yoga Journal’s sequence holds for five minutes; Clark gives three to five minutes for reclining twists; Grilley one to two. For more, wrap the top foot behind the bottom calf; for less, uncross the legs.
Clark’s advice for reclining twists is not to push into the twist: relax and let gravity do the work. Grilley allows the bottom hand to draw the knees gently toward the floor, but in a long hold most people do better leaving the legs to sink on their own. You can turn the head away from the knees to add to the twist, as Yoga Journal’s hip sequence suggests, or keep the gaze up at the ceiling if turning bothers your neck. Clark suggests experimenting with the head to either side and noticing how the feeling changes. Keep the breath slow; many people find a long twist near the end of class calming.
Coming out and the rebound
Bring the knees back to the centre, uncross the legs and lie still. Clark suggests hugging the knees in, or windshield-wiper knees with the feet wide, before the second side. To come out, roll slowly onto your back first, then hug the knees to the chest; Clark says this helps release the sacrum and lower back. You can also rock gently from side to side with the knees hugged in. After the second side, Yoga Journal’s hip sequence hugs the knees to the chest once more before resting in corpse pose.
Precautions in plain words
With shoulder problems or tingling hands, keep the arm lower. Clark is firm about tingling: do not put up with it, because it could be a sign that a nerve is being pressed. Move the arm closer to the body or rest the hand on the ribs until the feeling goes. He also notes that when the knees are drawn up to 90 degrees or closer to the chest, more of the stress falls on the lower back and sacroiliac joints, so keep the knees lower if that area is sensitive. With lower back or sacroiliac pain, keep the twist small and the knees supported. If crossing the legs bothers a knee, uncross them. In pregnancy, twist gently from the upper body or skip it, and keep lying on the back short after the first trimester. This page is general information, not individual advice.
Before, after and where it is taught
It often follows banana near the end of a yin class and comes before corpse pose. Clark calls a reclining twist an excellent final pose, and you can slide straight from it into corpse pose. Because the crossed thighs turn the hips inward, he also recommends twisted roots after a lot of outward-rotating hip work, such as shoelace, swan or square. The active relatives are the reclining spinal twist and revolved abdomen pose. You will meet it in yin yoga classes, which hold mostly floor poses for several minutes with the muscles relaxed, and in some gentle and restorative classes.
