The Fish Pose - Matsya-asana

Posture:		Matsya-asana - The Fish Pose
Translation:		The Sanskrit word matsya means fish, therefore this is the fish posture. Matsya (depicted to the left) is a divine being, found in Hindu mythology, that saved mankind from a universal flood.
Pronunciation:		maht-see-yah-sa-na
Difficulty:		(3-4)

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"Posture should be steady and comfortable. By relaxation of effort and meditation on the "Endless" (ananta) posture is mastered."
Patanjali's Yoga-sutra II.46-47

Fish Pose (Matsya-asana) Instruction:

1		Lie flat on the back in the shava-asana.
2		Keeping the buttocks on the floor, inhale and raise the head, shoulders, back and upper arms off the floor arching the back and raising the chest up. Tilt the head back and place the top of the head flat on the floor.
3		Raise the elbows off the floor bring your hands up just below the chest and join them at the palms with the fingers pointing straight up (form the anjali-mudra or salutation hand gesture). Hold for the duration of the inhale breath or breath gently through the nostrils to remain in the posture longer.
4		Return to the shava-asana.

Comments:

Durations/Repetitions:

Variations:

There is one major variation in the matsya-asana and it is a bit more challenging than the one described above (illustrated above). It calls for beginning the posture in padma-asana or the full lotus seated posture and then lying flat on the back while the legs are still locked. From there on the posture is done the same way as described above.