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A person practicing supine twist with knees to one side and arms out in a T position

Supine Twist Made Easy: How to + Variations for the Floor or Your Bed

Beginner Yoga • Yoga • Yoga Pose
March 14, 2023

It’s 9pm, you’re already in bed, and your back is doing that thing again. The tight, achy, “I sat at a desk all day” thing. You don’t want to get up to put on Icy Hot (and smell like menthol all night), and you don’t want to spend half an hour stretching on the floor. You just want to feel better and fall asleep. Good news, supine twist is one of the few yoga poses you can actually do in bed.

Lie on your back, bring your knees to one side, breathe. That’s it! A restorative pose, gentle, and safe for almost every spine condition because it’s a closed-chain stretch.

It’s just as effective on the floor or on a yoga mat, with 9 variations for tight backs, sore hips, stiff shoulders, and any leg-length situation you might have.

Keep reading to learn how to set up supine twist (in bed or on the floor), 9 variations to find your personal fave, prop tips and tricks to make it feel like a dream, and an anatomy breakdown for the curious (and for yoga teachers who need a quick reference)

Watch the video for added cues, then explore the pose for yourself and discover new ways to feel the magic of the pose.

What’s the story? Why supine twist

This is where I like to set some ground rules. I like to list the contraindications, or the reasons why, you shouldn’t do the pose. But supine twist is generally safe for almost everyone (I say ‘almost’ cause there’s always someone out there that’s the exception to the rule and can’t reach rainbow unicorn status in this pose). 

So WHY should you do supine twist?

  • Promotes rotational spinal mobility
  • It’s a closed chain stretch which allows it to be safe for every spine condition
  • Can be done in bed, which allows it to be accessible for all levels

Why you shouldn’t do supine twist

  • You can’t (or won’t) lay down on the surfaces present to you
  • If you have a condition that makes it difficult to lay on your back (like pregnancy) – instead check out these seated somatic twists (blog post on flexibility and mobility)

Action: Moving In and Out of supine twist

The journey into and out of supine twist is almost the same, no matter what variation you take. There is so much freedom and ability to change this pose to fit you, but it’s a pose that stands on its own, which makes it difficult to incorporate in a “flow.” 

Moving into supine twist

  • Start supine
  • Draw the knees towards the chest
  • Take the knees to one side of the body
  • Arms go into whatever variation you would like
  • Gaze goes in any direction you would like

Moving out of supine twist

  • Draw the knees back to center
  • Roll the spine and hips back to the floor

Back story: Supta Matsyendrasana 101

Want the same-old-story version of supine lord of the fishes? (yes, that is the English translation) In this section, I keep the description as close to traditional as possible. You may still feel the wonder and awe with this variation, but if you’re ready to explore your options, skip down here.

Lower Body:

  • Legs together 
  • Hips are bent (flexed) at 90 degrees and not fully stacked
  • Knees are bent (flexed) at 90 degrees (or a little more) and stacked on top of one another
  • Ankles are stacked
  • Feet are relaxed and stacked

Upper Body:

  • Spine is long not rounded or arched
  • Arms at a “T”
  • Backs of the shoulders are on the mat

Gaze:

  • Away from the knees

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Supine twist: Choose your own variation

You know those moments when you’re given an assignment and told to do it in a precise way? You start out feeling clumsy, like a fish out of water. Then a voice in the back of your head says, “there’s gotta be another way to do this. What if I did it like THIS instead?” And the next thing you know, you’ve morphed from a floppy fish on land to a glowing unicorn flying.

Supine twist is one of those poses. The traditional way is fine. But it could feel spectacular. Try one variation, try them all, try them in combination, then make your own.

Arm Variations: Arm opposite knees

Cactus Arm:

Reason: You want to add a stretch to the pectoralis muscles (major and/or minor).

How to do it: 

  • Arm reaches out and away from the body
  • Elbow at shoulder height
  • Bend the elbow 90 (back of the arm should make contact with the floor)

Note:

  • If the back of the arm does not make contact with the floor use a blanket, block, or bolster to support the arm.

T:

Reason: You like tradition or want to deepen the stretch into the pectoralis major muscle.

How to do it: 

  • Arm reaches out and away from the body
  • Arm is in line with the shoulder
  • Palm flips up toward the ceiling

Note:

  • If the back of the arm does not make contact with the floor use a blanket, block, or bolster to support the arm.

Arm alongside the ear:

Reason: You want to add a stretch into your lats, or your pectoralis muscles are tight.

How to do it: 

  • Arm reaches up alongside your ear
  • Arm is straight
  • Palm flips up

Note:

  • If it is uncomfortable to straighten the arm try bending the elbow

Hand on hip:

Reason: You don’t want to stretch the arm, shoulder, or lats or have an injury.

How to do it: 

  • Hand goes to the hip
  • Elbow bent
  • Palm on hip

Arm Variations: Arm with knees

You can do cactus, T, or arm alongside the ear with both arms in this pose. If you want to add to your twist try the version below.

Hand on knees:

Reason: You want to add a little help to your twist

How to do it: 

  • Hand goes to the outside of the top knee
  • Elbow bent
  • Palm on knees

Leg Variations

Top knee bent and bottom leg straight:

Reason: You want a deeper twist, or have a leg injury that makes it difficult to bend a knee.

How to do it: 

  • Start supine
  • Hug one knee into the chest
  • Take the hugged knee across the body toward the floor
  • Other leg stays straight and relaxed

Legs crossed:

Reason: You want to stretch into other parts of your hips and legs

How to do it: 

  • Start supine with knees hugged into the twist
  • Cross the legs over above the knee
  • Draw the legs across the body

Tip: Switch the cross of the legs and try the twist in both directions.

Top leg straight:

Reason: You want to move the stretch into the hip and the hamstring.

How to do it: 

  • Start supine with the knees pulled into the chest
  • Take the legs to one side
  • Extend the top leg
  • Use the hand to hold the foot, calf, or knee (or don’t hold the leg)

Move your knees up or down:

Reason: You want to change where you feel the stretch in the back 

How to do it: 

  • Start supine with the knees pulled into the chest
  • Take the legs to one side
  • Draw the knees closer to the shoulder, or allow the knees to move further away from the shoulder

Plot twist: supine twist is uncomfortable! How to prop it up

This supine lord of the fishes pose shouldn’t leave you feeling like a fish out of water. If the pose is uncomfortable or awkward here are a few ways to indulge and feel like you’re at the spa. Try them individually or in combination to make the experience more heavenly.

Support between the knees:

Reason: Your hips feel uncomfortable with your knees together

How to do it: 

  • Start supine with knees bent
  • Grab a blanket, bolster, or block and place it between your knees
  • Move into your favorite variation

Support between the knees and the floor:

Reason: You feel uncomfortable and unable to relax in the twist, or your knees won’t make it to the floor

How to do it: 

Point of view: What you should feel in supine twist

Supine twist is a restorative posture. If you’re a Limber-Laura (yup just made that up) you may not notice much as you explore this pose. With sensation intense or mild, here is what you’ll most likely experience.

  • A stretch along your back
  • A stretch along the sides of your body
  • You may feel a stretch in your hips/glutes
  • You might feel a stretch through your upper chest and shoulders depending on the arm variation you choose
  • You may feel a stretch in your core

Credits: The Anatomical breakdown of Supine Twist

Ready to come back to reality? If you’re waking out of your dreamy state in supine twist and want to know exactly what you were experiencing, this section is here to help you understand the anatomy of the pose.

Muscles worked:

This is a passive stretch, and unless you have to strain to put yourself into a specific position of this pose, no muscles should be engaged. 

Muscles stretched

As you saw above there are a variety of variations of this pose. For the purposes of this section, we’ll stick to the traditional. 

  • Levator scapulae
  • Pectoralis major
  • Pectoralis minor
  • Biceps
  • Anterior Deltoid
  • Obliques
  • Rectus abdominis
  • Quadratus lumborum
  • Erector spinae
  • Gluteus Maximus
  • Gluteus Medius
  • Gluteus Minimus

Did you reach rainbow flying unicorn status through your exploration of Supta Matsyendrasana? I hope you did! And if you didn’t, I hope you found more comfort than the supine-half-lord-of-the-fishes name suggests. If you’re not done wondering through this pose or any others, sign up for my newsletter for more tips and tricks in your adventures through asana and yoga off the mat.

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You might also like

If supine twist is your kind of restorative practice, you’ll probably love Yoga Nidra Made Easy. Yoga nidra (yogic sleep) is a guided meditation practice that pairs beautifully with supine twist, and you can do both right from your bed.

And if you’re looking for another gentle rest pose that works for nearly every body, check out Child’s Pose Made Easy. Between supine twist, yoga nidra, and child’s pose, you’ll have a complete restorative toolkit for tight bodies and busy brains.