How to Do Marichi Poses in Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga yoga has many different asanas, but one of the most challenging is Marichi's Pose. This asana is for experienced yoga students. Despite being challenging, the pose has many benefits. It helps with asthma, fatigue and digestive problems, along with working the spine, hips, abs, and lower back muscles.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. 
   Staff Pose

   Position yourself in Staff Pose and bend your left knee. Take your left foot and put it on the floor.

2. Keep your right leg strong and rotated toward the inside of your body. Move your right toe and heel away from the pelvis and press your left foot softly into the ground.

3. Rotate your torso to the left. Position your right arm around your left thigh. Grab your outer thigh with your right hand and pull the thigh up. Release the left hip toward the floor and press your left fingertips on the floor behind your pelvis.

4. Keeping the leg straight, move your inner-left groin deeper into your pelvis. Move your stomach up toward the front, out of your groin. With each breath, continue to lengthen the spine and twist a little deeper. Grasp your thigh to your stomach and lean back against your back into an upper backbend.

5. Turn your head to the left to complete the full twist.

6. Hold the pose for about 1 minute.

7. Release the pose and repeat on the opposite side.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid this pose if you have a headache or insomnia.
• Perform the pose only with an experienced teacher.

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Resources

• For more on yoga