Side Body Lengthening: Parighasana & Quadratus Lumborum – Weekly Advanced Class 452

This 35-minute class focuses on lengthening the side body, with particular attention to the quadratus lumborum and surrounding muscles of the waist and lower back. Situated on either side of the lumbar spine, the quadratus lumborum connects the pelvis to the lowest rib and plays an important role in stabilising the lower back and pelvis during everyday activities such as standing, sitting and walking. Prolonged sitting and habitual postural patterns can contribute to stiffness and increased tension through this region, potentially restricting ease of movement and contributing to lower-back discomfort. For yoga practitioners, limited mobility through the side body can also make it more difficult to maintain length and space through the lumbar spine in a variety of standing poses, twists, seated poses and forward bends. Improving mobility in this area can help to create greater freedom between the pelvis and rib cage, encourage more balanced movement through the spine and provide a useful foundation for more advanced asana practice. The class uses wall-supported variations of Trikonasana, Parivrtta Trikonasana and Parsvakonasana to progressively access and lengthen the sides of the torso, culminating in a series of Parighasana variations that bring a more concentrated focus to this often overlooked region.