Is Malasana Pose Safe To Do?

(Image above: DepositPhotos: fizkes)

Recently I was asked about whether Malasana (also known as “Garland” pose) is a safe pose to do. My answer to this is – it depends. Here’s an image of it from the front.

If we look at it from the side, you can see varying degrees of spinal alignment. The woman on the left has a more rounded spine than the 2 others. However, I suspect that most people doing this pose wouldn’t be able to do it without rounding their backs quite a bit more.

Here are a couple issues with this:

These women have their heels on the ground. That requires enough flexibility in the calves to do this. One option if that isn’t possible for you is to place your heels on a wedge.

Then there is the issue of knees. This is a very deep knee bend, which is probably fine for younger people, but may not be for people with knee injuries, arthritis, or knee replacements.

Depositphotos_126753396_L-rilueda-Malasana

(Image: DepositPhotos: Rilueda)

Then there is the issue of tight inner thigh muscles and muscles around the hips. If they are tight, the pelvis will likely get pulled into more of a posterior tilt, rounding the back. This can cause irritation and injury to the low back.

In the past, I’ve attended classes where we were encouraged to round forward and put our heads down toward the floor. As you can see from the photo below, the back is quite rounded. This could lead to injury to the discs in the low back, and for those with osteoporosis it is a risk for a spinal fracture.

(Image: DepositPhotos: fizkes)

This pose is a great stretch for the inner thighs, hips, and calves. It can help us maintain mobility in the hip & knee joints. In Light on Yoga, BKS Iyengar says that the pose “tones the abdominal organs and relieves backaches.”* However, I have found that rounding my lower back forward as in the last image has CAUSED backaches.

So I would avoid rounding the back in this pose. In the upright position, you can put a hand on your back to check if the bones are poking out, which is a warning sign.

I would recommend putting your heels on a wedge if they don’t easily reach the floor. It’s more important that the back stay elongated than to get the heels to touch the floor.

I’d recommend warming up with other poses before doing Malasana.

And for people with osteoporosis and existing back or knee problems, I would be cautious, or just avoid this pose and choose another that would be healthier for you (Side Angle, Warrior 2 and Triangle all give you great inner thigh stretches).

* Iyengar, BKS. Light on Yoga. New York, Schocken Books, 1966.