MĀLĀSANA II
(muh-LAHS-uhnnna)
Garland Pose
mālā = wreath, garland, rosary. Note the Sanskrit spelling of the rosary-type “mālā” has two long a’s, and shouldn’t be confused with “mala,” with two short a’s, which means “dirt, dust, impurity.” This pose is named for the way the arms are “wreathed” around, or almost around, the torso.
One of the principal schools of the yoga tradition is Mantra Yoga, the central practice of which, no surprise, is the recitation of mantras. The Sanskrit word for this repeated uttering of a mantra is japa (“whispered, muttered”), the practitioner is called a jāpaka or japa yogi. While sometimes the practice calls for just a few repetitions of the mantra, other times the number of repetitions can run into the hundreds, thousands, or in extreme cases, millions. The jāpaka, who’s intently focused on the right pronunciation of the mantra and its meaning, obviously needs some simple way to help her keep track of her repetitions without distracting her attention. And so she uses a mālā, the Hindu equivalent of the Christian rosary.
The word mālā names any wreath or necklace, but it’s mostly associated with a necklace-like string of beads that’s used to help jāpakas keep track of their recitations. Each round of the recitation begins and ends at what’s called the head or guru or Meru bead, an uncounted bead on the string usually distinguished from the others by being slightly larger or tasseled or both. For each repetition the jāpaka moves one bead along the string.
Nowadays 108 is the number of beads most closely associated with the mālā. But through its long thousand year history, we find references to mālās with a range of numbers of beads, from the mid teens to the mid 80s, though some have more than 108. For example, there’s a reference in a 10th century CE text, the Paramārthasāra (Essence of Supreme Truth), to a mālā with 244 beads (v. 78). Some of these numbers are relatable to 108, such as 18 (108 stripped of its middle zero) and 27 (one-fourth of 108), while others have no particular relationship at all (e.g., 15, 30, 50). Remember then that though 108 beads is very common for a mālā, it’s not the only number possible.
B. K. S. Iyengar teaches two versions of Malasana. Usually if there are two or more variations of the same pose, the more challenging version has the higher number (e.g., virabhadrasana II compared to virabhadrasana III). But with Malasana the first is far more challenging for the average than the second. The version described here is closer to what he calls Malasana II, and is suitable for experienced beginning students.
1. Stand in Tadasana with your feet hip width and parallel to each other. Then bend your knees into a full squat, with your buttocks sitting on your heels. If it’s not possible for you to comfortably squat with both heels on the floor, or to squat for more than a few seconds without feeling pain in the legs and hips, raise your heels on a sand bag or thickly-folded blanket.
2. Open your knees wider than hip width and, exhaling, lean your torso between your thighs. Lengthen the sides of your torso by releasing your inner groins deep into your pelvis. Bend and widen your elbows, and lay your hands on the floor so they’re wider than your feet. Squeeze your inner thighs against the sides of your torso, and work your shins into your armpits. Press your arms back against the shins to further lengthen the sides of the torso. Take a few breaths.
3. Then on an exhale round your back and release your head toward the floor. With an another exhale, slide your hands back along the floor and grip your heels or the backs of your ankles. Stretch the entire back of your torso and neck, compressing but not hardening your belly and front throat.
4. Stay for 30 seconds to a minute. With each inhale, expand your back torso; with each exhale, release the inner groins and deepen the pose. Finally let go of your heels/ankles, lift your head and torso with an inhale, and with a last inhale straighten your knees back into standing forward bend (uttanasana).
5. Can’t squat? Take a sturdy chair, secure it on a sticky mat or brace it against a wall, and sit down as close to the front edge of the seat as you can without falling off. Separate your thighs to a right angle, and point your feet in line with the knees. Inhale, lift the top of your sternum straight up, the exhale and lower your torso between your thighs. If your knees collapse inward, join your palms together in front of your chest, and with your elbows against the inner thighs (as close to the groins as is possible for you), press your thighs back to a right angle. To exit the pose, follow the instructions in item (4) above.
Benefits:
Stretches the ankles, calves, thighs, groins, and back spine
Strengthens the muscles of the fronts of the legs
Stimulates the abdominal organs
Improves digestion
Contraindications:
Students with serious ankle, knee, or low back injuries should avoid this pose, or work on a chair as described in (5) above.
Modifications & Props:
Many beginners will have a difficult time gripping the heels with their hands. Before you squat in preparation for this position, lay a strap on the floor just behind your heels. When you’re ready to take the hands back, reach for the strap. Walk your hands along the strap and closely to the heels as possible. Then pull the strap firmly forward against your heels.
Variations:
As mentioned, Malasana I is a more challenging variation of Malasana II, as described here. For Malasana I, perform steps 1 and 2 as described above. Then with an exhale, instead of reaching for your heels, sweep your hands around behind your back and use one hand to clasp the fingers or wrist of the other. Come out of the pose as described above. Good luck.
Beginners’ Tip: Beginners often have difficulty in this pose, both with the squat and bringing the torso through the legs, because of tight groins. Here’s a good exercise to open the groins and improve your squat. Sit on the front edge of a chair seat (make sure the chair is either fixed by a sticky mat or braced against a wall). Separate your legs so that the thighs make a right angle, with your pubis at the apex of the angle, and point your feet in the same direction as your knees. Grip the sides of the chair seat with your hands, inhale your buttocks slightly away from the seat, and slowly with an exhale lower yourself into a squat. Now, with your left hand still gripping the seat, bring your right elbow to the inside of your right thigh. Push the thigh with the elbow as you turn your torso to the left. Sink the right groin deep into the pelvis, and lengthen the right side of your torso. Stay for 30 seconds to a minute, then return your right hand to the seat, and repeat on the left. To come up, push your hands against the seat and, with an inhale, sit back up on the seat.
Advanced Tip: Advanced students can challenge themselves further in this pose by squatting with their inner feet touching.