Published July 10, 2026 05:07AM
Yoga Journal’s archives series is a curated collection of articles originally published in past issues beginning in 1975. This article about Jathara Parivartanasana first appeared in the July-August 2001 issue of Yoga Journal.
When beginners approach a new yoga pose for the first time, especially one that involves unfamiliar movements, it can be an overwhelming experience of new sensations—physically, mentally, and sometimes even emotionally. Jathara Parivartanasana is one such pose. It involves a strong twisting action of the abdomen and requires unwavering attention in the legs, shoulders, and spine. An inner centeredness and softness in the lower core of the body is necessary to maintain the balance required in the pose and avoid collapsing the legs to the floor.
Fathara means belly. Parivartanasana denotes twisting, revolving, turning through or about. The challenge in Jathara Parivartanasana is to learn from the beginning—even if you are stiff—how to turn and from where the turning movement is anchored.
In most Western cultures, a healthy belly is considered only by its outer appearance—flat, cut, and firm. But the function and location of the abdominal organs and glands are obscure for most of us, and unfortunately this area bears the brunt of many of our dysfunctional attempts at dealing with negative feelings like anger, fear, and low self-esteem. We place more prominence on the head and heart centers, overlooking the profound intelligence of the gut—the lower physical and emotional center of the body.
In the Sanskrit word “jathara,” we find the root word hara. The Japanese word “hara,” simply translated, also means belly. But the roots of its meaning extend far beyond the physical abdomen to every aspect of Japanese life. Hara implies all that is considered essential to a person’s character and spiritual evolvement. In his book Hara—The Vital Centre of Man (Unwin, 1962), Karlfried Graf Von Durkheim describes the expression Hara no aru hito as suggesting not only one who possesses a physical center, as in posture and balance, but one who maintains balance in every way. This person is capable of tranquility in the face of strain, moves in and about the world with serenity, and possesses an inner elasticity that allows quick and decisive responses to any situation that arises.
It is this very quality of hara that we look for in our practice. It is here that we realize our capacity for appropriate response in the practice of asana can only come from the genuine absence of tension, coupled with the correct attitude of mind.
How to Do Jathara Parivartanasana
To begin the practice of Jathara Parivartanasana, lie down on your back with your arms outstretched at right angles to your torso, in line with the shoulders. Turn your palms down. Bring the feet together and with an inhalation slowly lift the legs into a vertical position, without lifting the sacrum off the floor. If your hamstrings and/or hips are tight or your lower back is weak, you may not be able to get your legs into a fully vertical position.
Keep your awareness of the weight of the legs dropping onto the sacrum, not the lumbar region of the spine. This will help maintain the normal curvature and intervertebral space in the lumbar spine, as well as strengthen the abdomen. Keep your legs active and knees straight by extending through the heels. As you continue to work with your legs vertical, observe any unconscious gripping in the anus or hardness in the organs of the lower abdomen and work to let go. Release your shoulders, collarbones, and chin. Soften the throat and keep the neck long by extending the back of your skull along the floor.
With a slow, even breath, feel the sensation of your inhalation moving along the back body and penetrating the floor of your pelvis, without bloating your belly. As you exhale, release the diaphragm. Feel your lungs deflating and the softness of your chest descending. Let your heart sink and your shoulders merge with the mat.
To begin the twist, with your next inhalation lift your hips slightly and slide them as far to the right as you can. Your feet will turn so that your toes are now pointing toward your left hand. With an exhalation, slowly lower your legs, keeping the feet together, extending through the heels and aiming for your left hand.
Pay attention as you lower your legs: Do your shoulders and abdomen begin to harden? Consciously slow the breath and the movement of your legs so that you can release any rise in tension around the shoulders, collarbones, and abdominal organs.
In the beginning, you may find it useful to position yourself near a wall to press your right hand into, which helps keep the shoulder relaxed and the shoulder blade on the floor. As the legs reach the floor, keep extending through the heels but allow the abdomen to completely soften, and with each exhalation, feel the waist twisting to the right even deeper. If your legs don’t reach the floor, position yourself near a doorway and use the door jamb to support your feet at whatever level from the floor you feel is your “edge.” Continue working to soften the abdomen and turn the waist. Stay in the pose for five to 1o breaths. To come out of the pose, lift your legs together with an inhalation and slide your hips back to the center. Then repeat the pose on the right side.
In addition to toning the gastric regions, this pose helps reduce excess fat throughout the body by strengthening the digestive force known as jatharagni. The turning action of the waist promotes better function and circulation of blood in the digestive tract and abdominal organs and improves metabolic function.
Jathara Parivartanasana also provides relief for minor back spasms and helps reduce stiffness in the hips. Working with the pose increases your awareness of your often-neglected center and purifies your body from the core.
