A cartoon illustration of a person with dark hair, wearing a teal tank top and green shorts, standing with legs apart and hands together in a prayer pose.

Garland pose

Malasana

symmetrical standing pose

MALA - GARLAND

ASANA - POSE

Garland Pose is a symmetrical standing pose which is a deep squat.

There’s lots of deep flexion going on here - at the hips, the knees and ankles as well as external rotation at the hips and spinal (axial) extension.

How to get into the pose:

  • From Mountain Pose, take your feet a little wider than your hips

  • Turn out your feet a little (but not too much)

  • Exhale as you sit down into a squat position

  • Keep your feet and your knees facing the same direction

  • Lengthen through your spine

  • Lift through your pelvic floor (mula bandha) and draw your navel to spine (uddiyana bandha)

  • You could bring your palms together at the heart centre and use the upper arms against the inner knees to encourage further gentle rotation outward at the hips

  • If you have tight calf muscles or insufficient dorsiflexion at the ankle, your heels might not reach the mat, that is ok … adapt accordingly for your body (see below)

  • Garland Pose is challenging for the lower body if you are not used to sitting in this way - keep practicing and take adjustments

Remember to create balance between effort and ease in your pose

How long to stay in the pose:

  • At least five deep breaths

Gaze (Drishti):

  • Open

Modifications you can take to make this pose more accessible:

  • Decrease the bend in the front knee

  • Shorten the width of your feet

  • Bring your hands to a prayer (Anjali mudra) at heart centre instead of extending the arms

CHALLENGES

  • Keep your feet as close together as possible

Contraindications / Cautions:

  • Practice with caution if you have a hip, knee, ankle or lower back condition or recent surgery.

Helpful videos from our YouTube Channel

Enjoy your practice and get in touch if you have any questions.