Fish Pose: 5 Matsyasana Variations for Flexibility and Strength

In yoga, Matsyasana or Fish Pose involves stretching the front of your body, including the abs, chest and neck. It increases flexibility, reduces abdominal problems like constipation and helps you relax. This yoga pose has many health benefits. But you don’t have to do the same pose every day. You can combine it with other yoga asanas like Easy Pose (Sukhasana) or Lotus Pose (Padmasana). Let us tell you more about the variations of Matsyasana and how to do them.

What is Matsyasana or Fish Pose?

Matsyasana is an asana that resembles the tail of a fish. It invites you to experience the grace of floating in water, says yoga expert Dr Hamsaji Yogendra. Like the surging waves, Matsyasana offers you various physical, therapeutic and psychological benefits.

What are the health benefits of fishing?

Like every yoga asana, it calms your mind. But it has more benefits to offer –

1. Material benefits

• Stretching the abdominal and chest muscles provides an internal massage to the organs, says the expert.
• Strengthens and tones the pelvic floor and sphincter muscles.
• Increases flexibility by stretching the hip flexors.

2. Therapeutic benefits

• Neck muscle stretching helps in regulating thyroid function and thymus gland, improving metabolism and immune systems.
• Reduces abdominal diseases like constipation, inflammation and bleeding piles.
• Relieves disorders of the pelvic organs, especially the reproductive organs, and reduces the chances of vaginal prolapse and stress incontinence.

3. Psychological benefits

• Promotes a sense of well-being.
• Induces calmness and relaxation.
• Builds strength, understanding and harmony.

How to do Matsyasana?

To do Fish Pose, start by lying on a mat with your arms beside your body. Keep your feet together with heels touching and toes pointing up. Dr Yogendra says that when you do this pose you should relax your mind and breathe normally.

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• Gently bend your legs using your hands.
• Bend at your elbows and draw your hands under your head.
• Hold opposite elbows, rest your hands on the mat above your head.
• Hold the position and breathe rhythmically for a minute or two.
• To release, unbend your arms, unbend your legs, and return to the starting position.

What are the variations of fishing?

There isn’t just one way to do a fish pose. Here are some more options you can try –

1. Matsyasana holding the legs

• Lie on your back.
• Fold your legs in Padmasana.
• Hold your thumbs with your fingers.
• Hold for a few seconds as you breathe deeply.

2. Crossed Arms Matsyasana

• Lie on your back and spread your legs.
• Fold your legs in Sukhasana or Padmasana.
• Cross your arms under your head and place hands on opposite shoulders.
• Breathe deeply and hold for a few seconds.

3. Matsyasana in Sukhasana

• Sit cross-legged in Sukhasana (easy pose).
• Place your palms down and place your hands under your hips.
• Bend back, lift chest and tilt your head back.
• Hold this position for a few seconds and take deep breaths.

4. Matsyasana in Padmasana

• Sit in padmasana (lotus posture).
• Place your hands under your hips, and your palms facing down.
• Bend back, lift your chest and tilt your head back.
• Breathe deeply as you hold this position.

5. Matsyasana with extended legs

• Lie on your back with your legs extended.
• Place your hands below the hips, palms facing down.
• Lift your chest, arch your back and tilt your head back.
• Hold the pose for a few seconds while you take deep breaths.

Who Should Avoid Fishing?

While fishing can prevent most of your health problems, some people should avoid it.

• Matsyasana involves extreme stretching, which can aggravate joint pain in people with severe arthritis.
• People with heart disease should avoid the pose, as a severe backbend can damage the cardiovascular system.
• An expert says that pressure on the abdomen during fishing can aggravate conditions like peptic ulcers and hernias.
• People suffering from spinal injuries or chronic back problems should avoid fish because of its potential impact on the spine.

Matsyasana is a powerful yoga pose that needs to be practiced mindfully with steady and deep breathing, says an expert. Whether you study the classics or delve into these fishing variations, the gist remains the same.