The name Malasana is used for various

squatting Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...

asanas An āsana (Sanskrit: wikt:आसन, आसन) is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a meditation seat, sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ra ...

hatha yoga Hatha yoga (; Sanskrit हठयोग, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''haṭhayoga'') is a branch of yoga that uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word ह� ...

and modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of asana, postures, often connected by vinyasa, flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by pranayama, breathing exercises, and frequently ending with savasana, relaxation lying down or ...

. Traditionally, and in

B. K. S. Iyengar Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar (14 December 1918 – 20 August 2014) was an Indian teacher of yoga and author. He is the founder of the style of yoga as exercise, known as " Iyengar Yoga", and was considered one of the foremost yoga ...

's ''

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'', Malasana, or Garland Pose, is used for a squatting pose with the feet together and the back rounded with multiple hand placement variations. When the hands are bound around the back this pose is called ''Kanchyasana'' ("golden belt pose"). In the West, the name Malasana is also used for the regular squat pose, Upaveshasana, in which the hand palms are folded together in

Anjali Mudra Añjali (Devanagari: अञ्जलि) is a Sanskrit word that means "salutation" or "reverence". It is not only a given name, but also the name given to the greeting between Hindus, Buddhists and other religions on the Indian subcontinent: Añj ...

in front of the chest, and the feet are set wider apart.

Etymology

The name Malasana is from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

, a garland, necklace, or rosary; and , "seat" or "posture". According to Iyengar, the name derives from the arms "hanging from the neck like a garland". Under the name Malasana, the 19th-century

Sritattvanidhi The ''Sritattvanidhi'' (, "The Illustrious Treasure of Realities") is a treatise written in the 19th century in the Mysore Palace, Karnataka on the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. One of its sections includes instru ...

illustrates what is now called

Bhujapidasana Tittibhasana () or Firefly pose is an arm-balancing asana with the legs stretched out forwards in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise. Variants include Bhujapidasana, with the legs crossed at the ankle, and Eka Hasta Bhujasana, with one leg str ...

(the shoulder press), a pose in which the body is completely supported on the hands.

Description and variants

The name malasana is used for the following asanas:

Upaveshasana

The name Malasana is sometimes used in the West for the regular squat pose, Upaveshasana (IAST:Upaveśāsana), in which the palms of the hands are folded together in

(prayer posture) in front of the chest, and the feet are set apart. ''

Yoga Journal ''Yoga Journal'' is a website and digital journal, formerly a print magazine, on yoga as exercise founded in California in 1975 with the goal of combining the essence of traditional yoga with scientific understanding. It has produced live events ...

'' states that Malasana stretches the ankles, groins and back, and tones the belly, but cautions about using the asana when there are lower back or knee injuries. A variant of this pose, Prapadasana, has the heels together and the feet on tiptoe.

Malasana I/Kanchyasana

In the first variant, also called Kanchyasana ("golden belt pose"), the feet are together with the arms wrapped around the back, while the chin touches the floor.

Malasana II

In the second variant, the hands wrap around the heels, and the chin touches the floor.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Malasana Standing asanas Forward bend asanas