Bharadvaja's Twist I
भरद्वाजासन प्रथम
Bharadvājāsana I — a beginner twist that works the obliques, spinal erectors.
How to do Bharadvaja's Twist I
Read all of it before starting, and read the cautions further down before starting at all.
Sit with both legs forward, then swing both shins to the left so the feet rest beside the left hip.
Slide a folded blanket under the right buttock so both sitting bones carry weight.
Turn the trunk to the right, placing the left hand on the outer right thigh and the right hand behind you.
Grow taller on the inhale and turn from the ribs on the exhale.
Look over the right shoulder only if the neck is easy, hold, then swap the legs and repeat.
Hold: 30–60 seconds each side. Keep the breath moving throughout — if you are holding it, the pose is too much for today.
Muscles worked
Where the effort and the lengthening land. Primary groups do most of the work; secondary groups assist or are stretched.
What Bharadvaja's Twist I does
Described mechanically — what the movement does to muscle and joint. Not a list of conditions it treats, because a pose does not treat conditions.
- Rotates the spine from a gentle side-sitting base that most people can hold without strain.
- Stretches the outer hip on the side the legs swing away from.
- Trains the ribcage to turn while the shoulders stay level.
Bharadvaja's Twist I is one of 25 twists in this library and one of 88 poses rated beginner. Poses that rotate the spine around its long axis with the pelvis anchored.
Who should skip Bharadvaja's Twist I, or change it
- Pregnancy — take the turn open, towards the side the legs point, rather than closed.
- Disc injury: keep the rotation small and stop at the first hint of leg symptoms.
- Sacroiliac irritation, which asymmetric sitting can provoke — prop the lifted hip well.
- Recent abdominal surgery.
- Knee or ankle pain in the folded legs — pad generously.
General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts. If you are pregnant, recovering from surgery or managing any health condition, ask your doctor before starting a practice, and learn the pose itself from a qualified teacher who can see you move.
Common mistakes in Bharadvaja's Twist I
What tends to go wrong, and the specific correction — not "engage your core".
MistakeLetting one sitting bone float so the pelvis tilts.
FixProp under the lighter hip until both sides press down evenly.
MistakePushing the twist with the back hand and hitching that shoulder up.
FixKeep both shoulders level and let the hand rest, not shove.
What a practice like this costs in energy
Nobody has measured a single asana in a metabolic cart. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values per style of practice, so Bharadvaja's Twist I is mapped to the nearest published code — 02150, yoga, Hatha, 2.5 MET — and the figures below are for a practice of that kind, not for holding this one pose.
| Time practising | 10 min | 20 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 31 | 61 | 92 | 138 | 184 |
Calculated as MET × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200 kcal per minute — the standard ACSM relationship, shown in full on the method page. Scale it to your own weight by multiplying by your weight in kilograms and dividing by 70. The whole activity dataset, including every non-yoga activity, is at BurnLab.
Questions
How do you do Bharadvaja's Twist I?
Sit with both legs forward, then swing both shins to the left so the feet rest beside the left hip. Slide a folded blanket under the right buttock so both sitting bones carry weight. Turn the trunk to the right, placing the left hand on the outer right thigh and the right hand behind you. Grow taller on the inhale and turn from the ribs on the exhale. Look over the right shoulder only if the neck is easy, hold, then swap the legs and repeat. Hold for 30–60 seconds each side.
What does Bharadvaja's Twist I work?
Primarily the obliques, spinal erectors, with the shoulders, glutes, abdominals assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: rotates the spine from a gentle side-sitting base that most people can hold without strain.
Who should not do Bharadvaja's Twist I?
Pregnancy — take the turn open, towards the side the legs point, rather than closed. Disc injury: keep the rotation small and stop at the first hint of leg symptoms. Sacroiliac irritation, which asymmetric sitting can provoke — prop the lifted hip well. Recent abdominal surgery. Knee or ankle pain in the folded legs — pad generously. This is general information, not medical advice — if any of these apply to you, ask your doctor and learn the pose with a qualified teacher rather than from a page.
Is Bharadvaja's Twist I suitable for beginners?
Yes. Bharadvaja's Twist I is a beginner-level pose on this site, which means it is learnable in a first class and has a version that works for most bodies. The cautions above still apply.
How many calories does Bharadvaja's Twist I burn?
The honest answer is that nobody has measured a single asana. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values for styles of yoga, not for individual poses. Bharadvaja's Twist I sits closest to Compendium code 02150, yoga, Hatha, at 2.5 MET — about 92 kcal for 30 minutes of that kind of practice for a 70 kg adult. Holding one pose for a minute is a rounding error either way.
Related poses
More twists — first at the same level, then the rest of the family.
Asana names are traditional. Every step, benefit and caution on this page is written for YogaPath rather than reproduced from any book, studio or other library — see how this site is written. Energy figures derive from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts.