Marichyasana
has been a favourite asana of mine, both personally and in class, for many years. It is a simple but very
effective twisting position for the spine which encourages a much straighter alignment for the spine than the better known
Ardhamatsyendrasana – Half Spinal Twist.
Marichy was the son of Brahma – the first named
of the trinity including Vishnu and Shiva. Marichy was in turn the grandfather of the sun deity, Surya.
Sit
on the ground with both legs outstretched. Bend the right leg placing the left foot flat on the ground
as close to the torso as possible. Leave a hand width between the foot and the inner left thigh.
Take
the left hand behind the body and use it to push the body forwards so that the right shoulder or upper arm come into contact
with the inside of the right knee.
In the first version of this exercise keep the right lower arm vertical
with wrist and hand straight and pointing to the sky. Use the pulling power of the left arm to pull the
left shoulder backwards and at the same time push the right knee to the left. Turn the head to look over
the left shoulder.
The effect of the use of the arms is to turn the shoulders through 90 degrees
without the hips moving. It is important to keep the spine and neck erect. Avoid the
tendency to round the back and hump the shoulders to turn the head which causes the neck to be squashed and the pressure on
the vertebral discs to be contorted.
