YOGA POSTURES ASANA YOGA POSES YOGA POSITIONS
Tadasana Downward Dog Cobra pose Headstand Shoulderstand Warrior 1 pose Warrior 2 pose Triangle pose Half Moon pose child pose Cat Pose

Fish Pose – Matsyasana

Translation: Half Fish

Lying on the back place the hands down on the mat beside the hips.

Bend the knees and take the heels quite close to the buttocks. Raise the pelvis and chest remaining grounded with the shoulders, neck, head and feet.

Take the heels off the mat and move the feet back until they are under the tailbone. Rest on the heels.

Place the hands down beside the head and rise up on top of the head. The hands can remain there for support of be placed on the chest in prayer position.
Experiment, there are many other positions for the hands and arms.

Open the knees a little and try to take them all the way down until they are grounded.

Tips When the toes are pulled back to the body the stretch is quite different. The positioning of the feet really effect the tailbone which effects the height of the chest and the curve in the neck. Try different position with the feet or do both options while performing the pose.

Create space around the neck for the elements to flow.

Benefits
Increases the strength and flexibility of the shoulders and neck. Increases the flexibility of the lower back and quadriceps and ankles.

Learn yoga poses and sequences with Fish pose.

Vinyasa Yoga postures to transition from and to:

         

Matsyasana Bridge On The head Setu Bandha Sirsasana Ardha Jathara Parivarttanasana Eka pada Jathara Parivarttanasana Halasana Urdhva Mukha Paschimottasana Yoganidrasana Setubandhasana Eka Pada Setubandhasana

Yoga Teacher Tips
Some students will be so inflexible in the neck that they will not be able to perform this posture. They can do variations with support so that is is just a stretch or just allow them to tilt the head back a little without the chest raise. This way they will get slight strengthening benefits.