A Poem for Triangle Pose

"When we move our bodies into triangle pose we become a sacred shape – a birch leaf, a shamrock, a white trillium perfectly symmetrical and at peace, ." -- from Triangle Pose, by Corie Feiner

When I set out write, Triangle Pose, I took a detour down the research highway. Have you ever done that? Gotten lost in research?

There are some poems, novels and works of art that pour out of us spontaneously and are pretty much done. Then there are some that start with an idea… but no beginning. Nothing felt. More of a journal entry or an essay. But a poem… a poem has to live in the body, too.

And so I looked at photos of pointy leaves, flower petals, bridge trestles, glass buildings and domes, pyramids, sacred religious symbols, alchemist seals, our bodies, and of Triangle Pose, which honors the coming together of the mind, the body, and the breath.

My first draft of Triangle Pose started with this note:

A divine shape, triangles in sacred geometry are thought to symbolize balance and harmony. The three-sided shape can also be related to the body, mind, and spirit, and with an upward-facing point, it indicates raising consciousness.

When pointing downward, it has also been associated with feminine energy and reproduction, as it resembles the womb space.

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My next six drafts were notes to myself… love letters, really, about how much of my life I spent rejecting parts of myself. My stomach, my breasts, my hips, my thighs, my suppressed angers and fears… and how when I look at the body this way, through sacred shapes and through yoga, I can no longer deny that I, too, am made from the blueprints of an intelligent and holy design. And if that is true, then so you are. No matter where you are at today.

So to honor the simple, strong shape and the beautiful strength embodied in Triangle Pose, I am humbled to share my poem—

Triangle Pose

By Corie Feiner


When we move our bodies into triangle pose 
we become a sacred shape –
a birch leaf, a shamrock, a white trillium

perfectly symmetrical and at peace, 
our heavy heads tilted to the side, 
our thoughts dissipating like fog. 

We become the essence of three lines 
coming together into a mountain peak, 
a pyramid, a holy trinity without which 

nothing could be built. Our hips unlock 
like an ancient door, and we are stable, 
for a breath or two, we are grace, holding 

everything together with the terrible 
beauty of fire which can bring us 
out of darkness, destroy everything
in sight and remind us to have faith 
that we can always begin again. 




Sanskrit Name: Trikonasana 

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Audio for Paid Subscribers

For my dear paid subscribers, you can listen to me reading Triangle Pose here.

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If you want to learn more about Triangle Pose, you can watch this video—