Garland Pose

Garland Pose, or Malasana in Sanskrit, is a deep, wide-kneed squat — feet planted, hips sinking toward the floor, palms together at the heart and elbows resting against the inner knees. August's Warrior III balanced the whole body on one foot and asked you to hold a long line in the air. Garland Pose puts both feet back on the ground and takes you as low as you can comfortably go. This month, we come back down.

How to Perform

1. Set Your Feet: Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips and turn your toes out slightly.
2. Lower Slowly: Bend your knees and lower your hips toward the floor, keeping your weight in your heels for as long as you can.
3. Find Your Depth: Sink only as far as your ankles and knees allow. If your heels lift off the floor, slide a folded blanket under them before going on.
4. Bring Your Palms Together: Press your palms together at your heart.
5. Use Your Elbows: Tuck your elbows just inside your knees and press them gently outward, letting your knees press back in against them.
6. Lengthen Your Spine: Draw your chest forward and up between your thighs, lengthening from your tailbone to the crown of your head.
7. Soften What You Can: Spread your toes, relax your jaw, and let your shoulders drop away from your ears.
8. Hold and Breathe: Stay for 5 to 10 slow breaths, or up to a minute.
9. Come Out With Care: Bring your hands to the floor in front of you, then either sit down onto the mat or straighten your legs into a standing forward fold and roll up slowly to stand.

Benefits

• Opens the hips, groin, and inner thighs
• Stretches the ankles, Achilles tendons, and lower back
• Strengthens the feet and ankles and keeps the everyday ability to squat, which fades when it goes unused
• Encourages a long, upright spine, with the knees and elbows as support
• Brings gentle pressure to the belly, which many people find settling
• Leaves you feeling grounded, low to the floor with your weight spread across both feet

Modifications & Tips

• Support your heels: A folded blanket or rolled mat under your heels lets you sink without tipping backward.
• Sit on a block: Place a block, or two stacked, under your hips and let it take your weight. The shape stays the same, and the pose becomes one you can rest in for minutes.
• Widen your stance: If your knees or hips complain, step your feet wider and turn your toes out further.
• Hold on to something: A doorframe, a sturdy chair, or a table leg lets you lower down and rise back up with control.
• Keep your hands down: If lifting your chest feels like a strain, rest your fingertips on the floor in front of you instead.
• Visit it often: A minute here while the kettle boils, a few times a week, builds more mobility than one long session a month.

Caution

Skip this pose or sit on a block if you have a knee injury or knee pain that worsens in deep bending, or a recent ankle injury. Move carefully if you have low back pain, and come up slowly if you feel lightheaded when you stand. If you are pregnant, a supported squat on a block can feel good, but check with your healthcare provider or a prenatal teacher before squatting deeply, especially in the third trimester. As always, come out slowly and stop if anything sharpens.

Why Garland Pose for September

September turns the year toward autumn, with the equinox and the first cool mornings. After a summer spent moving outward, the season asks us to come back to the ground and to the routines that keep us steady. In many parts of the world, people still rest, cook, and talk in a squat like this one. Garland Pose gives you that same low, stable place to land. Spend a minute in it each day this season and notice what your hips feel like a few weeks from now.

Namaste,
Andrea Borghi
Green Yoga Inc