Malasana (Garland Pose): How to Do the Yogi Squat Step by Step

Malasana (Garland Pose) is a deep yoga squat: feet about hip-width apart, heels down if they reach, knees wide and the torso between the thighs, with the palms pressed together in front of the chest. It stretches the ankles, the inner thighs and the lower back, and it asks the ankles and hips to bend further than they do in daily life. Many teachers call it the yogi squat.

Pose type: squat, hip opener. Level: beginner to intermediate, depending on your ankles. Props: a folded blanket or a rolled mat under the heels, a block to sit on.

What Malasana means

The name joins two Sanskrit words: mala, garland or string of beads, and asana, seat or posture. Say it mah-LAHS-uh-nuh, with the stress on the second syllable.

The name has an odd history. In B.K.S. Iyengar's Light on Yoga (1966), Malasana is a different pose: a squat with the feet together, the torso folded low over the thighs and the arms wrapped around the shins or behind the back, so the arms hang like a garland. The wide squat with the hands at the chest, which most classes teach as Malasana today, took that name later in Western studios. Some teachers call it Upavesasana, the sitting-down pose. Both versions belong to the same family.

How to do Malasana, step by step

1. Start in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) at the front of your mat. Step your feet a little wider than your hips and turn your toes out slightly.
2. Breathe out, bend your knees and lower your hips toward the floor, as far as your ankles allow. Keep your weight spread over the whole foot, not only the balls of the feet.
3. If your heels lift, slide a folded blanket or a rolled mat under them. Heels that rest on something let the rest of the body relax.
4. Let your knees open a little wider than your torso and bring your chest forward between your thighs.
5. Press your palms together in front of your chest in Anjali Mudra, and press your elbows gently against the insides of your knees. Your knees press back into your elbows. It is the same hand position as the namaste greeting.
6. Lengthen your spine up through the crown of your head and let your tailbone drop toward the floor. Gaze forward.
7. Stay for five to ten slow breaths. To come out, place your hands on the floor, lift your hips and fold forward, or sit back onto your buttocks and straighten your legs.

The press between the elbows and the knees does two jobs. It keeps the knees in line over the toes, and it gives you something to lengthen the spine against.

Benefits of Malasana

Malasana gives you range in the ankles and hips. Most of us sit on chairs and never bend the ankles this far, so the deep squat can feel stiff at first and ease with practice.

• Ankles and calves: the squat stretches the calf muscles and the Achilles tendon as the shins move forward over the feet.
• Hips and inner thighs: the wide knees stretch the adductors along the inside of the thighs, and the hips bend fully.
• Lower back: the forward lean lengthens the muscles along the lower spine.
• Legs: holding the squat, and coming up out of it, works the quadriceps and the glutes.

Two other claims come up often. Squatting is a common position for giving birth, and research on birth positions suggests it widens the pelvic outlet a little compared with lying on the back, which is why the pose shows up in prenatal classes. Squatting on the toilet is also said to help with bowel movements; a few small studies support that, and nothing shows that doing Malasana on the mat changes your digestion. The old post said the pose tones the belly and stimulates the metabolism. No evidence supports that, so it is gone.

Who should skip or modify Malasana

• Knee injuries: the deep bend presses the knee joint hard. If you have a meniscus tear, recent knee surgery or pain deep in the knee, sit on a block or skip the pose.
• Ankle injuries: a recent sprain or a stiff, painful ankle needs a blanket under the heels or a higher seat.
• Lower back pain: keep the spine long and the squat higher, with a block under your seat.
• Pregnancy: the squat is common in prenatal yoga, but sit on a block and ask your midwife or doctor if you have pelvic girdle pain or a low-lying placenta. Our prenatal yoga program works with the hips and legs through all three trimesters.
• Balance problems: practise with your back near a wall.

For more on practising without injury, read our 10 tips to avoid yoga injuries.

Common mistakes

• Knees collapsing inward. The knees should point the same way as the toes. Press the elbows out against them.
• Heels hanging in the air. Put something under them. Balancing on the balls of your feet puts the load on the knees.
• Rounded back. Sit on a block until you can lift the chest. A round back in a deep squat pulls on the lower spine.
• Feet too close together. A narrow stance asks for more ankle bend than most bodies have. Widen the feet.
• Forcing the depth. Stop where your hips stop. The ankles and hips open over weeks of practice.

Preparatory poses

• Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose): opens the inner thighs and the hips outward.
• Upavistha Konasana (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend): lengthens the adductors with the legs straight.
• Utkatasana (Chair Pose): builds the leg strength for the squat and bends the ankles.
• Virasana (Hero Pose): stretches the tops of the feet and the front of the ankles.

If your ankles and knees are the limit, the class Knees and Ankles Mobility looks at how the shin and ankle rotate, and it is good preparation for squats and Malasana. Our hip-strengthening yoga exercises build the control around the hip joint.

Follow-up poses

• Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold): lift the hips from the squat and let the torso hang.
• Bakasana (Crow Pose): from Malasana, place your hands on the floor, rest your knees high on your upper arms and lean forward.
• Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog): straightens the legs and lengthens the calves after the deep bend.
• Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose): a gentle backbend after the rounded fold.

Malasana variations

• On a block: sit on a block or two under your seat. The easiest version, and good for long holds.
• Chair squat: lower toward the edge of a chair until your thighs are about level, then lean forward. For people who cannot go all the way down yet.
• Twisted Malasana: place your left hand on the floor, reach your right arm up and turn your chest to the right. Or hook the left elbow outside the right knee with the palms together. Repeat on the other side. This twist leads toward Parsva Bakasana (Side Crow).
• Iyengar's Malasana: feet together, heels down, fold the torso over the thighs and wrap the arms around the shins or behind the back. Much harder on the ankles.

The class Jump into Malasana is 45 minutes of Vinyasa built on the yogi squat, with jumps to Down Dog and a way into Bhujapidasana. Level 2.

Frequently asked questions

What are the benefits of Malasana?

Malasana stretches the ankles, calves, inner thighs and lower back, and it works the legs as you hold the squat and come up from it. Over time it gives you more range in the ankles and hips. Claims that it tones the belly or speeds up the metabolism have no evidence behind them.

How long should I do Malasana?

Five to ten slow breaths is a good start. If you sit on a block, you can stay one to three minutes, or longer in a Yin class. Come out if you feel pain in the knees or if your feet go numb.

Who should avoid Malasana?

People with a knee injury, recent knee surgery or a recent ankle sprain should skip the full squat or sit on a block. With lower back pain, keep the squat higher and the spine long. In pregnancy the pose is common, but check with your midwife or doctor if you have pelvic pain or a low-lying placenta.

What happens when you do Malasana every day?

Most people find the squat gets easier: the heels come closer to the floor and the hips sink lower. That comes from practising a range of motion the ankles and hips rarely use. A daily squat will not change your digestion or your metabolism on its own.

Why can't I keep my heels down in Malasana?

Usually because the calves and ankles do not bend far enough yet. The length of your thigh and shin bones also plays a part. Put a folded blanket under your heels and widen your feet. That is a full version of the pose.

Is Malasana the same as a yogi squat?

Yes. Yogi squat and Garland Pose are the English names for the wide squat most classes call Malasana. In Iyengar's Light on Yoga, Malasana is a harder squat with the feet together and the arms wrapped around the legs.