Garland Pose - Malasana

Like many yoga poses, the garland pose can be modified.

• Place a folded blanket under your heels for support if it’s difficult to keep them on the ground.
• You can also sit on a couple of blocks if it’s hard to squat.
• For balance, touch your fingertips to your yoga mat or hold the back of a chair.
• If you experience knee pain try using a prop to support the insides of your knees. Roll a blanket, towel, or sticky mat and place it in the crease of both knees. As you lower into the pose, make sure the prop stays behind your knees. If your knees still hurt, try practicing with your lower back resting against a wall. Don’t stay in the pose if your knees continue to hurt, even with the prop or wall.
• If you are stiff in the groins and have trouble bending forward try sitting on a low bench or crate. Make sure it’s stable, bring the chest close to the thighs, then open the knees and extend the chest farther down. This will help you to relax your groins. You can modify the height accordingly for your leg length. Do not sit higher than you need to, but explore your limits. The idea is to remove tension from the groins.

Women who are pregnant and those who need help balancing have a few options:

• Rest both hands on the back of a chair.
• Rest one hand along a wall to the side of the body.
• Do the pose with your back against a wall.

Experienced students may step their feet completely together or drape the torso between the legs:

• Reach both arms forward, then bend the elbows and bring the shins into the armpits.
• Extend the arms behind your body and clasp the heels.
• Drop the forehead to the mat.

Root and ground foot soles into floor. Turn the feet slightly outward. Lift pelvic floor and lower belly. Bend knees and lower the tail towards the ground. When squatting, lean back into the heels. Tuck the chin, bringing tail and head into one line. Use the elbows to open the knees wider and lift upwards from head crown to lengthen the spine and open the chest.

When lifting up from the pelvic floor, imagine the lower belly to be a round bowl of jelly. Cradle the bowl with pelvic and abdominal muscles. To add length to neck, imagine sliding the ears back.

Practicing Garland Pose can be a great way to challenge your balance and loosen tight hips. It might be difficult at first, but with practice, your muscles will lengthen and you will be able to squat. Keep the following in mind when practicing this pose:

• Avoid jerking, pulling, pushing, or forcing any movement in this pose. Let your movements be slow and smooth.
• Do not bounce your hips up and down. Doing so can overstrain your knees and hip flexors.
• Keep shifting your weight back into your heels.
• Lengthen the front of your torso and keep your spine long, not rounded.