Malasana – Garland pose or deep squat

Sanskrit: Mala – prayer beads or waste products, asana – pose

Malasana brings energy to the pelvic region and stretches the hips. This pose is especially recommended for pregnant women as it relaxes the back and opens the hips and prepares for childbirth. You can read more about yoga in pregnancy here.

• Level: Beginner
• Duration: 15 seconds – 3 minutes
• Repetition: none
• Stretches: hips, lower back, calves, ankles
• Strengthens: thighs, hips, shoulders, ankles
• Chakra: Mooladhara Chakra (Root Chakra)

Benefits

♥ Promotes blood circulation in the pelvis

♥ Makes the hips flexible

♥ Prepares the body for childbirth

♥ Strengthens the abdominal muscles

♥ Stimulates metabolism and digestion

♥ Improves balance

♥ Gives peace and serenity

♥ Massages the ovaries and regulates estrogen and progesterone

 

Contraindication of Malasana

♦ pain in the ankles

♦ severe back problems

♦ knee problems

♦ risk of premature birth

 

Instructions for Malasana

1. Stand straight. Your feet are slightly more than shoulder-width apart. The toes are pointed slightly outward. Fold your hands in prayer position.
2. Take a deep breath and as you exhale, bend your knees and go down in a deep squat.
3. Your inner ankle should not fall inward. Lift them up actively.
4. Your palms are pressing against each other. Your elbows will push against your inner knees.
5. Your spine is straight. Relax your shoulders and stretch the behind side of your neck
6. That is the final position. Breathe calmly and deeply. Stay here for 15 seconds to 3 minutes.
7. To get out of the pose, straighten your knees while inhaling and keeping your back straight. Get up completely and only then untie your hands.

 

Science behind Malasana

Malasana is called the garland pose in English, but something went wrong with the translation here. Mālā (with two long a Sanskrit माला) is the garland. However, the pose is called malasana (with two short a Sanskrit मल) and that translates to excrements. Anyone who has been to India and has seen the traditional toilets (hole in the ground), will understand why this pose is called the “excretory pose”. To relieve yourself, you go into a deep squat and relax. In the West, this approach is considered primitive. If you look at it from an anatomical point of view, you will see how clever this way of evacuation is. In the deep squat, the rectum and the bowel exit are in a straight line. So pressing is unnecessary. The deep squat is, therefore, the healthier variant of going to the toilette. As proof, you only have to check the number of hemorrhoid patients in the Western world. ?

Attention: Yoga beginners should first learn all yoga practices from a competent teacher and then practice alone.