Marichyasana II (6* on the 60* scale of difficulty) bears similarities to Marichyasana I in the bind and the bend of the leg caught by the bind, but proves more difficult than its sister pose due to the position of the other leg. The right leg that, in Marichyasana I, extendeds forward, rests in half Padmasana in Marichyasana II. This shift often leads to a sense of unsteadiness or unevenness within the pose.
When practicising Marichyasana II, do your best to try to encourage your right sitbone back down toward the ground. But, don’t fret if this seems impossible! Check out Iyengar’s Marichyasana II – his lright sitbone lifts away from the ground, too.
As you can see, when I practice Marichyasana II, I tend to move my right foot directly under my right knee. Iyengar instructs you to place your heel directly under your right sitbone, but I find that bringing my foot forward gives me a greater sense of stability. It also can help those of you who have less flexibility in your ankles since it minimizes that aspect of the stretch.
If, when practicing this pose, no matter how much you lean your weight onto your left side, you can’t reach your right knee down to the ground, try placing a blanket under the knee and sit upright rather than folding forward. This adjustment will still give you the opportunity to explore the half Padmasana aspect of the pose and may help you regain a sense of evenness and stability.
If Marichyasana II is in your practice, how do you modify the pose to create a greater sense of stability?
Related posts:
- Unifying Contradictions: Yoga, Times Square and Marichyasana I (Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi, I)
- Steady as you go: Vrksasana (Tree Pose)
- Sitting Strong in Dandasana (Staff Pose)
- Small Adjustments for a Sweeter Side Stretch in Janu Sirsasana (Head to Knee Pose)
- Expressed Intention in Krounchasana (Heron Pose)
Tags: alignment, asana, Iyengar, Light on Yoga, Marichyasana I, Marichyasana II, stability
[...] explains that Marichyasana IV (Pose Dedicated to the Sage, Marichi, IV) is a combination of Marichyasana II and Marichyasana III. This yoga pose registers as 11* on Iyengar’s 60* scale of [...]