Yoga Position; Marichyasana 3 (Standing version)

Yoga For You
Ray Madigan and Shelley Choy


Marichyasana 3 (Standing version)
This twisting pose is dedicated to the ancient yogi Marichy. The standing version of the asana helps relieve stiff or sore back muscles and energizes the kidneys, spleen and liver.

1. Place a chair close to the wall as shown. Put a height such as yoga blocks on the chair seat. You will also need a rolled yoga mat or a rolled towel. Place this roll on the floor, close to the side of the chair.

2. Now stand facing the chair with your right side close to the wall. Step both heels onto the roll with your feet together. Observe that the pelvis is level and press the thighbones into the back of the legs.

3. Bend the right leg up and place the foot on the block. Check that the left foot is directly under the left buttock and keep the left leg vertical and straight.

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MANOA YOGA CENTER
Nikki Armstrong, a student at Manoa Yoga Center, demonstrates how to use a chair, block and wall in a standing twist.

4. Exhale and bring the left forearm across the right knee. Place the right hand on the wall, at shoulder level and wider than the shoulder. Keep the left thigh back and do not let the left hip and pelvis swing to the right toward the wall. The pelvis should stay even.

5. Now inhale and lift the spine in and up. Exhale and spread the armpits to the elbows to help rotate the spine. Press the left forearm against the right thigh and the right hand into the wall to facilitate the twist. Breathe evenly through the nose, and every so often repeat this sequence of lifting to create space in the spine and turning on the exhalation.

6. Hold for up to a minute, then do to the other side.



Ray Madigan and Shelley Choy are certified Iyengar Yoga teachers and co-direct the Manoa Yoga Center at Manoa Marketplace. Visit www.manoayoga.com or call 382-3910. Manoa Yoga Center, the authors and the Star-Bulletin take no responsibility for any injury arising from the practice of these yoga postures. Readers should seek a doctor's approval before commencing this yoga practice.

For more on this pose click here