How to Do the Matsyasana Yoga (Fish pose), Its Meaning & Health Benefits

Matsyasana or the Fish pose has an interesting story behind it. The name of this asana comes from the Sanskrit language. The word Matsya means fish and the word asana means yoga asana or yoga posture. It is pronounced as mot see ahs ana. This yoga asana is practiced in the most authentic way in 200 hour yoga teacher training in India.

According to the Hindu mythology, Matsya was actually an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu is known as the preserver or the one who saves the Universe. It is believed that a massive flood was going to wash away all of the Earth because it had become corrupt. This is because Lord Vishnu incarnated as a fish known as Matsya and helped in transporting all the saints and sages to safety. He also ensured that wisdom was preserved through the entire process. This yoga asana is practiced to instil focus and resilience whenever a person feels out of balance similar to the time when Matsya came to restore balance between the Earth and the sea.

Why Matsyasana?

This yoga asana is actually practices to increase focus and resilience in a person. Anytime a person feels unsure or shaken due to any problem, this asana works wonders. Legs are supposed to be grounded till the point your legs feel firmly and deeply fixed on the ground. This helps in lifting the chest area and also helps in the breath to become more deep. This yoga pose will make your back and stomach stronger than ever. Similar to all the back bending yoga postures, this asana helps to lighten up the mood and reduces the anxiety.

This yoga asana is considered to work like a relaxing and refreshing break that helps in grounding you and waking you up. You will weigh more energize and full of life once you practice it regularly. You can do this asana even at work by creating some movements similar to the Matsyasana. Desk job can make your spine round due to sitting all day in one position. You can reverse the imprints of your posture while sitting on your seat.

How to Do Matsyasana?

1. Begin by lying straight and flat on your back while making sure that both your legs are kept close to each other and your arms on the side of your body.
2. Place both of your palms under your buttock in a way that your palms face in the direction of the ground. Now bring both your elbows together so that they comes closer to your waist.
3. Cross both of our legs with each other while making sure that they touch your torso and your thighs. Make sure that your knees are placed flat on the floor.
4. Take a deep breath in and lift up your chest in a way that your head is lifted as well. Make sure that your crown is touching the floor.
5. Remember to ensure that the entire weight of your body rests on your elbows and not on your head. While you lift your chest, pressurize your shoulder blades in a light manner.
6. Stay in this position till the time you feel comfortable while breathing in the right way.
7. Exhale while you let go off this position. Do this by first lifting your head and subsequently dropping your chest on the ground. Separate your legs and bring them in the normal resting position.

Benefits of Matsyasana

Out of the many amazing benefits of the Matsyasana, some of the best are:

1. This yoga asana helps in improving the nutrient absorption. It also helps in stretching the chest area and the neck area while releasing tension in these regions.
2. It helps in getting rid of all the respiratory problems because with its regular practice, a person learns how to breathe properly.
3. It helps in strengthening and toning the pituitary gland, pineal gland or the third eye and the parathyroid.
4. It helps in effectively stretching the back region and also helps in toning of that region. All the strain gets relieved from the back as a result of doing this yoga asana every day.
5. The muscles of the upper back and the neck region get stronger as a result of practicing this yoga asana every day.
6. The hip flexor muscles get a good stretch situated between the ribs with the regular practice of this yoga asana.
7. All the muscles situated in the front of the neck region and abdomen area get activated with the help of this yoga asana. 
8. The digestive tract and the throat of a person get a good massage with everyday practice of this asana.
9. This yoga asana helps greatly in improving the correct posture of a person. 
10. This asana can help in getting rid of all the disease mentioned below: 

• Constipation
• Anxiety
• Tiredness
• Backache
• Menstrual problems
• Respiratory problems

Precautions & Considerations

There are some precautions and contradictions of this yoga asana that must be followed. They are as the following:

1. It is best to stay away from this posture on the off chance that you experience the ill effects of high or low circulatory strain (blood pressure problems). 
2. Likewise, patients with a sleeping disorder and headache are requested to stay away from practicing the Fish Pose. 
3. On the off chance that you have had any kind of back damage, it is emphatically suggested that you keep away from this asana.

Beginner’s Tip

If you are a beginner then it is quite possible that you might feel some kind of strain in your back and your neck when you start practicing this asana. To make sure that this does not happen, bring down your chest region in a marginal direction or you can put a cover on your head till the time you begin to feel comfortable while doing this asana.