The position of the fish of Yoga or Matsyasana is one of the basic asanas of extension of column backwards and of semi-inversion (the heart is above the head) that we can carry out in the sessions of this discipline. Through this posture we can open the whole chest well, work the mobility of our spine and help us to correct the position of the shoulders thrown forward and neck forward, so common in our day to day.

So that you can do it correctly and without risks, we teach you how to carry it out step by step. This is how you can make (and modify) the position of the Yoga fish.

The technique of Yoga fish pose

We begin lying on our backs, with our legs stretched out and together and our arms stretched out on both sides of the body. In a variant of this position you can place the outstretched hands under the buttocks; we can choose any of the two variants in which we are more comfortable.

From this position we begin to raise the chest towards the ceiling: the sensation must be to push with the sternum upwards. At the same time that we raise the chest, the upper part of our arms and shoulders are also raised, while the forearms are still supported on the floor and the elbows are still attached to the sides, without opening to the sides.

We continue arching the back until our crown rests on the mat : at this moment our lower body (including the buttocks), the forearms and the crown are the parts of the body that are in contact with the ground. We direct our gaze towards the mat above the head and maintain the posture between 30 and 45 seconds.

Modifications in the position of the Yoga fish

Although it is a basic position, many people do not have the necessary mobility in the column to carry it out. In these cases it is ideal to take advantage of the help of foam or wooden blocks for Yoga, which we can place under the back to get more support.

If what we are looking for is to modify the position of the Yoga fish to gain some difficulty, we can make a variant that consists of doing the same asana but with the legs crossed and slightly flexed and supporting only the tip of the feet on the ground. By having a smaller support surface, we are forced to a greater activation of the core musculature to maintain the posture.

The position of the fish is the counterpart of other postures like the one of the sail or the position of the plow, that we can execute next. To rest your back we can also perform Balasana or the child’s posture.