Marichasana is named after the great sage of India’s past, Marichi I. There are many versions of this pose, but today we’ll look at Marichasana A.
The first component of Marichasana A is a forward bend. The second component of the pose is a deep hip flexion. The third component is an internal rotation of the shoulder joints. Now let’s look at how to combine all of these components to do the pose.
Sit on your mat with your legs stretched out straight in front of you. Bend your right knee up into your chest with the sole of your foot on the ground to get a good deep hip flexion. There should be about one hand’s width distance between your right foot and your left thigh.
Engage your left leg and press down into the left heel. Move your left sitting bones slightly back.
Align your right knee with your right armpit.
Put your left hand on the ground next to you. Suck your belly in and slide your torso away from your right thigh, allowing your right sitting bones to come up off the ground.
Bring your right shoulder to the inside of your right knee.
Bring your right hand forward so your shoulder slides down to the inside of her right shin.
Pull your belly in. Keep yourself oriented toward the centerline and reach your right arm out to the side interiorly rotating your shoulder.
Wrap your shoulder around so you wrap your armpit around your shin. Wrap your arm around behind your leg. Now reach around with your left arm around your back and catch your hands behind your back. Clasp your hands together.
Exhale and pivot the pubic bone back to fold forward.
Align your sternum with your left knee. Allow your right hip to come up the ground. If possible go all the way down making contact with your chin to your shin.
Hold for five breaths.
This pose can be intense for the lower back and shoulders, so be mindful of how you feel in the pose.
If you can’t clasp your hands use a yoga strap instead.
Be sure to activate your leg and keep your knee in.
This very important seated posture combines a lot of different elements into one pose. Remember to never push yourself too hard to soon.
Watch this video with Kino to see the pose in more detail.
By Omstars
