Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose)

<h2> Ardha Matsyendrasana (Lord of the Fishes Pose)</h2>

Matsya means «fish», Indra is a god. There is an interesting story connected with this asana. In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Matsyendra is mentioned as one of the founders of Hatha Vidya. The god Shiva was once explaining Yoga Vidya to his wife Parvati on a river bank, where a fish was listening attentively to his account. The god Shiva threw a handful of water at the fish, and it became Matsyendra - the Lord of the Fishes. Ardha Matsyendrasana can also be called the "half spinal twist".
 
 A short description of Ardha Matsyendrasana  
1. Sit in Dandasana.
2. Bend the right leg at the knee and turn it back as in Virasana. Lift the buttocks off the floor and place the right foot under them. The foot should be kept horizontal so that it forms a seat and serves as a «cushion» on which the buttocks can settle. Place the outer part of the right buttock on the heel and the inner part on the sole.
3. Bend the left leg at the knee and place the shin beside the outer side of the right leg, so that the outer side of the left ankle is next to the outer side of the right thigh. The left foot and the right knee should point forward. Keep the palms at the sides of the trunk as in Dandasana. Keep your balance. Take several breaths in and out.
If the buttocks do not rest correctly on the right foot, or if the right foot does not form a good seat, the body tilts. Or if the pelvis is heavy, the leg that should be perpendicular does not form a right angle.. Take one or two breaths in and out.
4. Exhale and turn the trunk 90° to the left with a rotating movement. Place the left palm 10-15 cm behind the left buttock. Turn the spine so that the chest, abdomen and pelvis turn to the left, past the perpendicular left thigh.
5. Bend the right arm at the elbow and move it beyond the outer edge of the left thigh, so that the right armpit and the right side of the trunk come close to the left knee and thigh, then wrap the right arm around the left leg. Inhale.
6. Exhale, lift the left arm off the floor, extend it from the shoulder without losing balance, swing the arm back and place the palm on the right thigh. Grip the fingers of the right hand with the fingers of the left; as the body rotates, gradually take hold further along the arm, catching the palm and then the wrist.
7. Turn the head towards the left shoulder and look to the left.
8. Stay in this final position for 20-30 seconds. At first the rate of breathing increases, but gradually it returns to normal. Note that balance in this position cannot be maintained if the grip of the hands weakens, if the chest is not lifted and broadened while both arms are drawn back, or if the muscles of the waist and hips are not stretched upwards.
9. Release the hands, turn the trunk forward, straighten the left leg and then the right leg - in that order.
10. Now do the asana on the other side, sitting on the left foot and replacing «right» with «left» and vice versa. Stay in the pose for the same length of time.
11. Return to Dandasana.
 
 Special notes:  
(1) Those who are overweight will find sitting on the foot difficult; they should place the heel beside the buttock and put a blanket 5-7 cm thick under the buttock, so that the buttock is raised and the heel rests on the floor.
(2) Anyone who cannot keep the hands behind the back should place the leg that is perpendicular to the floor beside the right knee, so that the abdomen is not compressed. Instead of turning the right arm back, extend it and catch the big toe of the left foot as in Padangusthasana; with further practice the palm can be placed under the foot. The left arm, however, should still be taken back around the waist.
(3) Those for whom the method described above is not workable should practise this asana near a wall in the following way:
     (a) sit in Dandasana and stretch the right leg along the wall;
     (b) bend the left leg and sit on the left foot. The right buttock will still be against the wall;
     (c) bend the right knee and place the right shin at the outer edge of the left thigh - it will now be away from the wall. Take one or two breaths in and out;
     (d) exhale, turn the trunk to the right and bring the left side of the trunk towards the right thigh;
     (e) fix the upper part of the left arm against the outer edge of the right leg, bend the elbow and place the palm on the wall. Do not let the right hand slip;
     (f) raise the right arm and place the palm on the wall. Press both palms into the wall, lift the trunk and twist it. 
 
The organs of the abdominal cavity and the spine are well massaged by these movements.
 
 A detailed description of Ardha Matsyendrasana  
Ardha Matsyendrasana is the «half spinal twist». Performing the pose to the right. Bend the left leg at the knee. Sit comfortably on the side surface of the ankle joint of that leg, which lies flat on the floor (or on a mat or pad - whatever you like, so that it does not hurt). Do not point the toes as in ballet; on the contrary, the foot should be flexed as if it were standing on the floor, and it is in that shape that you sit down on top of it, right on the spot known as the «ankle bone».
This position of the foot allows you to regulate your balance. Bring the right leg over to the outer side of the left knee lying on the floor and place its foot on the floor. This is the result: the left leg, bent at the knee, lies on the floor, I am sitting directly on it (on the ankle, not beside it!), the right leg is bent at the knee in just the same way but stands vertically on the floor, behind the left thigh and outside it, on the whole foot. The right knee is in front of the abdomen and chest.
Turn the trunk further to the right, take the left arm behind the vertically standing right leg (as if pressing it to the left with the arm) and take hold, with the left hand, of the knee of the left leg lying on the floor. As a result the left arm along its whole length rests against the outer side of the right leg, which is bent at the knee and standing vertically; the leg is entirely in contact with the left side of the body, and its knee is behind the left armpit, on the side of the back. In this way the trunk has been twisted to the right.
The right arm can either be put behind the back or used as a support on the floor (if it is difficult to hold the trunk without support, or if balance is poor with the eyes closed). As relaxation deepens and a sense of flow appears, you should (taking up the «slack» of the form) move the right shoulder still further to the right, but without slouching, remembering that the spine must stay straight. There should be practically no gap between the right leg and the left side of the body. The head is turned in the direction of the twist, that is, to the right; the breathing is free, the abdomen relaxed. At the same time, taking up the slack of the form, you can as it were «draw» it out to the right from behind the right leg. The eyes are closed if possible.
Contraindications: acute conditions of the intestines, of the internal organs and of the lower back, pathological instability of the vertebrae. If one of them is in the cervical region, a second in the thoracic and a third in the lumbar, performing Ardha Matsyendrasana is forbidden. (V. Boyko, YIK)
 
A variation of Ardha Matsyendrasana (sitting on the floor) 
This variation of Ardha Matsyendrasana is identical to the previous one, but the spine works differently, since here we sit not on the leg but on the floor beside it. The hip joint of the left leg works much more strongly as a result. This version of the twist is suitable for proportions in which the knee of the right leg, as it were, «slips» under the left armpit and ends up below it, so that holding the pose requires strongly rounding the back.
 
The effects of practising Ardha Matsyendrasana 
Ardha Matsyendrasana gives the back an axial twist that does not occur in everyday life. With systematic bending of the spine forwards and backwards and axial twisting, the connective tissue of the intervertebral discs - the cartilaginous «lenses» - begins to swell, their blood supply improves, degenerative changes subside and the condition of the spine returns to normal. This asana massages the organs of the lower abdominal cavity and strengthens the lower back.
Besides the lumbar region of the spine, Ardha Matsyendrasana acts most powerfully on the abdominal organs, being (together with other asanas) precisely that universal remedy which clears up chronic cholecystitis and its consequences and restores the function of the kidneys and the pancreas.