A Poem for Supine Twist

a yogic poem to remind you that we can rise from the shipwreck of our lives, embrace love, and thrive

Have you ever wrung out an old sponge until it feels clean and light again?

That is what my body feels like when I lay down and twist my muscles and bones in the yoga movement known as Supine Twist (or Supta Matsyendrasana).

When writing this poem, I used the metaphor of the sea sponge and speckled the lines with watery and salty language to honor the fishy origins of this asana and to create a feeling of buoyancy, resilience, and hope for you, my dear readers.

Have you ever felt like you were discarded or thrown away?

I know I have… and I work every day to learn to love myself more and more so that I can practice unconditional love with life.

Before I wrote this poem, I read about the legend of Matsyendra, who was considered a bad omen when he was born and was thrown into the ocean where he was swallowed by a fish.

My heart ached when I read about this and I spent some time hugging my teenager self who felt like I belonged to no one and nothing, floating around in the trench coat of my sorrows.

The story turns around when while inside the fish, Matsyendra practices yoga and becomes chosen by Shiva to spread the wisdom of yoga to the world. Talk about a comeback story. Talk about hope. Talk about the ability to realize that we can turn our greatest pain into our greatest power, own every part of ourselves, and thrive.

If you are a yoga teacher, I encourage you to share this poem with your students by reading it in your classes.

If you practice yoga, I hope when you read this poem, that you feel inspired to see Supine Twist in a new way. To connect with it, embody it, and feel your way beyond it, too.

And if you do not practice yoga, then may this poem be an offering to you on your journey to remind you to respect the intelligence of your body, breathe, and give yourself permission to thrive.

Supine Twist

By Corie Feiner


I wring myself out like a sea sponge 
saturated with saltwater tears, twist out 

the regret living in my right hip, 
the old anger living in my left thigh, 

the weight of carrying each day 
in each vertebra of my hard-working spine. 

At times, I have moved through this life 
with skipped steps and quick sprints, 

and at times I have moved with shuffled 
shoes and dragged feet unable to say, 
Oh, Lordy Lord, I need to rest—

As I lay on the ground and twist my knees 
to each side as gently as bay water waves, 

I remember that the sponge is the oldest living 
creature and that it can live just about anywhere—

on hard rocks, on soft sand, and even on a shipwreck
that can be raised to the surface to live again. 



Sanskrit Name: Supta Matsyendrasana 

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In what way can you thrive in the New Year?

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Audio for Paid Subscribers

For my dear paid subscribers, you can listen to me reading Supine Twist here.

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These yoga poems are from my series, A Poem for Every Pose.

They are meant to be integrated into meditation and yoga practices and shared with anyone who wants to feel more inspired, connected, and aligned. Yoga teachers who read these poems in their classes and on retreats often do so before, during, or after their practices.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read my poems and support my work. Please share your thoughts, start a conversation, or just say hello in the comments. I love to hear from you!

Have a Happy New Year!