Trikonasana (triangle pose)

Trikonasana (triangle pose)

To do this pose:

Come to a downward facing dog. Extend one leg up behind you and take a step forward with it between your two hands, grounding that foot with your toes facing forward. Ground through your back foot with your toes pointing to the side, or the long edge of your mat. Cartwheel your arms up overhead, reaching the same arm as the front leg forward and the same arm as the back leg back, bending through your front knee into a Warrior II position. From there, straighten your front knee as you push your hips back and reach forward with your upper body toward your front fingertips. When you are as stretched as you can be, release your front hand down to either a block, to rest on your shin, or even the floor as your back arm comes up to reach toward the sky. Your upper body now more parallel with the floor with your side body on both sides long and open. Repeat on the other side. 

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It increases and improves stability, balance and endurance. As we’ve discussed frequently, poses where you are holding a part of your body up, as with triangle pose and your upper body, your muscles engage, your balance is activated, and all these start to improve. You’ll notice when you’re precariously balancing behind a patient while helping another nurse transfer their patient or when running to a code because you won’t be as winded or sore! 
• It strengthens and lengthens the spine. This position is slightly different from most poses in that it lengthens to the side, opens the side body, and opens the shoulders out to the side. Focusing on lengthening your side body, especially that bottom side body, helps to really pull your vertebrae apart and provide decompression. 
• It opens your hips and your shoulders. Poses that do both are rare, but when you’re short on time, this pose helps open up your hips so you can release stress, anxiety, and tension, but also helps open up your chest and your heart.