How long should a beginner hold Garland Pose?

Start with three rounds of 20 to 30 seconds, breathing slowly and easing a little deeper on each exhale. As the ankles and hips loosen, work up to one continuous hold of one to two minutes, still resetting your feet if the position gets uncomfortable.

How do you make Garland Pose easier or harder?

If the heels won't stay down, rest them on a rolled towel or thin book so the ankle doesn't have to work as hard yet. To go deeper, walk the hands forward onto blocks or the floor in front of the feet, or hold the position longer while letting the hips settle with each breath.

What is Garland Pose good for, and when should you skip it?

It's a mobility hold that opens the hips and ankles and helps you sit into a deeper, more comfortable squat for lifting or daily movement. Skip it, or keep the range shallow, if you have a knee injury that flares in deep flexion or if sitting this low aggravates the lower back.

Beginner

Garland Pose

Garland Pose, or Malasana, is a resting deep squat that restores the natural bottom position so many people have lost to chairs. Sitting low with the elbows pressing the knees open lengthens the adductors and deep hips while the ankles work into dorsiflexion. It is a superb mobility hold for anyone chasing a deeper, more comfortable squat.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Glutes, Thighs
Type: Stretching, Yoga
Browse by muscle: Adductor Longus, Adductor Magnus

How to do it

1
Stand with the feet a little wider than hip-width and the toes turned slightly out.
2
Bend the knees and lower the hips straight down toward the floor.
3
Keep the heels down if you can, or rest them on a rolled towel if they lift.
4
Bring the palms together at the chest and press the elbows against the inner knees.
5
Use the elbows to gently push the knees open while lifting the chest tall.
6
Breathe slowly and hold, letting the hips sink a touch lower with each exhale.

Tips

Prop the heels on a rolled towel or thin book if they pop up off the floor.
Widen the stance to make room for the torso and to keep the spine long.
Press the knees and elbows into each other to deepen the inner-thigh stretch.

Variations

Common mistakes

Once the feet sit closer than hip-width, the hips have nowhere to drop and the low back rounds to compensate.
The heels lift and roll onto the balls of the feet as the hips sink, moving the stretch out of the ankles and onto the knees.
Squeezing the knees inward to fight gravity cancels the opening this pose is for; the elbows should be doing the prying, not the knees doing the resisting.
The chest folds toward the floor as the hold gets long, rounding the spine instead of staying tall through the sit.

Frequently asked

How long should a beginner hold Garland Pose?: Start with three rounds of 20 to 30 seconds, breathing slowly and easing a little deeper on each exhale. As the ankles and hips loosen, work up to one continuous hold of one to two minutes, still resetting your feet if the position gets uncomfortable.
How do you make Garland Pose easier or harder?: If the heels won't stay down, rest them on a rolled towel or thin book so the ankle doesn't have to work as hard yet. To go deeper, walk the hands forward onto blocks or the floor in front of the feet, or hold the position longer while letting the hips settle with each breath.
What is Garland Pose good for, and when should you skip it?: It's a mobility hold that opens the hips and ankles and helps you sit into a deeper, more comfortable squat for lifting or daily movement. Skip it, or keep the range shallow, if you have a knee injury that flares in deep flexion or if sitting this low aggravates the lower back.

Related exercises

Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.

All Glutes exercises