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Marichyasana (Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi I) is the first of 4 poses dedicated to the sage all through the Ashtanga main sequence. “Marichi” means ray of sunshine (photo voltaic or moon) in Sanskrit and is no doubt one of many distinctive seers (rishis) or lords of creation (Prajapatis) that Brahma created.
This deep forward fold stretches your once more, shoulders, and legs whereas extending your spine and giving your organs a cleansing squeeze. Like all forward folds, Marichyasana calms the ideas and reduces stress. Add it in in course of the tip of your observe after you’ve already warmed up your hips, hamstrings, and shoulders. Stay away from rounding your once more as you fold and above all else, deliberate to breathe.
Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi I fundamentals
Sanskrit: Marichyasana I (mar-ee-chee-AHS-anna)
Pose kind: Forward fold
Targets: Lower physique
Why we like it: “I confess that there have been quite a few years of my life after I might actually really feel tremendous support on the end of each class that did not embrace this pose,” says Yoga Journal senior editor Renee Marie Schettler. “My shoulders and hips have been pretty tight and seemingly refused to be contorted in that methodology. It might actually really feel horrible and mistaken in my physique when my teacher would crouch subsequent to me and create the bind between my hand and wrist. I spotted instead to take care of my arms at my side and quietly shake my head at any time when that teacher wandered close to my mat all through that pose. In its place, I let myself merely do what I inexpertly might. My arms will be in a careless attempt at a bind spherical my once more, my arms not lower than the dimensions of a ruler from touching, my knee splaying out to the side, and my chest might lean forward an immeasurably small amount. It wasn’t one thing identical to the meant alignment of the pose. However, it was what I could do. Most importantly, I was not straining, holding my breath, and muttering curses beneath my breath.
Slowly, with time and with revenue from totally different poses that opened the shoulders and hips, I was able to come into one factor further fastidiously resembling the pose. It nonetheless doesn’t actually really feel intuitive to me. I can, though, experience what I understand to be the takeaways of the pose. Lastly. Even once I’m nonetheless inching in the direction of trying to grasp that.”
Be part of Exterior+ at current to access distinctive pose knowledge, along with our full data to Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi I, that features video instruction, anatomy know-how, and further pose variations.
Pose benefits
Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi I stretches your once more, shoulders, and chest. For some yogis, it could presumably moreover help relieve low once more tightness and low once more ache.
Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi I: Step-by-step instructions
- Begin in Staff Pose. Press forward alongside along with your giant toe mounds, spin your inside thighs down, and root down alongside along with your thigh bones.
- Remember to are sitting instantly on excessive of your sitting bones (pretty than falling behind them).
- Switch your sacrum in and up in the direction of your navel, whereas extending your sternum away out of your navel to elongate your entrance physique.
- Bend your correct knee to draw your foot once more. Your heel must be merely in entrance of your correct sitting bone.
- Isometrically pull your correct heel once more to rock your pelvis barely forward.
- Let your correct knee fall open barely and tilt your torso forward, so that it entails the inside of your correct thigh.
- Attain your correct hand forward and lengthen your torso. Pin your correct knee once more in in the direction of your midline so that your inside correct knee hugs your correct outer shoulder.
- Internally rotate your correct arm, placing your correct armpit in the direction of your correct shin.
- Defending this connection, bend your correct elbow and take your correct arm behind your once more.
- Attain behind your once more alongside along with your left arm to clasp your left wrist alongside along with your correct hand.
- Inhale. Attain your sternum forward to elongate your entrance physique.
- Exhale. Hinge out of your hips and fold forward to elongate your once more physique.
- Intention the crown of your head in the direction of your toes, and launch your shoulders away out of your ears.
- Preserve for 10–12 breaths. Elevate your torso and unwind your arms on an inhalation.
- Return to Staff Pose, then repeat on the alternative side.
Beginner’s tip
Attributable to tightness throughout the groin, freshmen usually have challenge defending their bent-knee thigh close to the side of the torso. This makes it tougher to notch the shin into the armpit and wrap the arm throughout the leg. As you carry the arm forward in preparation for the pose, grip the bent-knee shin with the opposite-side hand and pull the thigh in in the direction of the side torso.
Instructing Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi I
The next ideas will help defend your faculty college students from harm and help them have the perfect experience of the pose:
- Faculty college students can sit on a bolster or thickly folded blanket to help them switch further deeply into the forward bend on this pose. Learners can also use a strap between their arms in the event that they’re having challenge clasping their arms behind their once more.
- As quickly as throughout the full pose, faculty college students can enhance the stretch of their shoulders and chest and extra lengthen their entrance torso by reaching their arms away from their torso and straightening their elbows a bit.
Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi I prep

Put collectively for this pose by working in the direction of sitting tall, with out folding forward or taking the bind: Bend one knee, and gently preserve onto your shin. Use your arms that may help you sit as tall as attainable, pushing your low once more forward. Lean forward if cozy. Preserve for quite a few breaths, then repeat on the alternative side.
Preparatory poses
Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)
Baddha Virabhadrasana (Humble Warrior)
Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose)
Purvottanasana (Upward Plank Pose)
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)
Janu Sirsasana (Head to Knee Pose)
Counter poses
Upavistha Konasana (Giant-angle Seated Forward Bend)