Asana · Practise on your own
Matsyasana
Fish pose
Fish pose. The counterpose to the shoulderstand group, the chest lifted and the crown resting lightly down.
Awaiting subject reviewWritten from our source material and not yet checked by a teacher of this practice. Read it as reference, and learn the practice from someone who teaches it.
- Meaning
- matsya = fish, asana = seat or posture
- Family
- Backbend
- Level
- Beginner
- Gaze
- Third eye
Take care
Keep the weight on the forearms, not the head. Go gently with neck injury.
How it is done
- 1
Breathe out
Lie on the back with the legs straight, or in lotus if that is already easy for you.
- 2
Breathe in
Press the forearms down and lift the chest, arching the upper back.
- 3
Breathe freely
Let the crown of the head rest lightly on the floor with almost no weight on it. Stay for eight breaths, then lower the back first and the head last.
Holding it
Around eight breaths.
Making it easier
Lie back over a bolster under the shoulder blades, head supported.
What the tradition says it does
- Opens the chest and throat
- Counters the forward flexion of the neck in shoulderstand
Variations
Related
Sources and tradition
- YOG Union App Content Map, 2 November 2026, p. 4