Garland Pose (Malasana)
Mala means garland, like a string of beads, and asana means posture. It is the yoga name for a deep, heels-down squat with the palms pressed together at the chest.
At a glance
- Sanskrit name
- Malasana
- Pronunciation
- mah-LAHS-uh-nuh. Three open a sounds, with the stress on LAHS.
- Family
- Standing
- Practised in
- Yoga for beginners
- In pregnancy
- Adapt
- After birth
- Adapt
Garland Pose is a resting squat as much as a stretch. Many people find it awkward at first, especially with the heels down. With a blanket or a block it becomes an easy place to pause between standing poses.
In your first lessons at home, a rolled blanket under the heels is often all it takes to make the squat comfortable enough to stay in.
On a slower day, the same wide knees can rest on the floor in Frog Pose, the wide-kneed Yin hold.
How to do Garland Pose
Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips, toes turned out slightly.
Bend your knees and lower your hips toward the floor between your heels, keeping your heels down if you can.
Bring your palms together at your chest and press your elbows lightly against the insides of your knees.
Lengthen your spine upward, letting the chest lift away from the thighs rather than rounding forward.
Keep your knees pointing the same way as your toes and your weight spread across both feet.
Stay for five to eight breaths, then place your hands on the floor, lift your hips and roll up slowly to stand.
My cues
- Let the elbows and knees push into each other, gently. That small press is what lifts the chest.
- I would like you to feel heavy through the heels and light through the crown. If the heels lift, we add a blanket under them.
- Stay only as low as your knees are happy. The depth of the squat matters much less than feeling settled in it.
Modifications
- Slide a rolled blanket or folded mat under your heels if they lift.
- Sit on a yoga block, or two stacked, under your hips to take weight off the knees and ankles.
- Hold on to a door frame, a sturdy table leg or the seat of a heavy chair in front of you.
- Take the feet wider apart and turn them out more if the hips feel blocked.
In pregnancy. Adapt. Sit on a block or two so the squat is supported, keep the feet wide, and come up slowly with a hand on something steady. Some people are advised to avoid deep squats in later pregnancy, so check with your OB or midwife about what suits you.
After birth. Adapt. After your OB or midwife has cleared you to exercise, start with a high, supported squat on blocks and a relaxed breath. If you feel heaviness or pressure in the pelvic floor, come out of it, and mention it to your doctor, midwife or a pelvic floor physiotherapist.
Common mistakes
- Letting the knees collapse inward past the big toes.
- Rounding the back and dropping the head toward the floor.
- Forcing the heels down before the ankles are ready, which usually tips you backwards. Use a blanket.
- Bouncing at the bottom of the squat instead of settling.
Pairs well with
- Mountain PoseTadasana
- Chair PoseUtkatasana
- Butterfly PoseBaddha Konasana