Matsyasana is one of the most important asanas for the beginners where the pose of the yoga will be in the form of fish pose where a lot of benefits of health are inbuilt. Basically, this matsyasana has the nick name called fish pose. The main reason for this nick name for matsyasana is based on how the fish will clean the water by eating the dirt in a pond likewise; the matsyasana will purify the blood and keeps the yoga performer healthy. This matsyasana is very easy to perform and also used for the other yoga asana as a counter pose. For the neck, this asana will give good backward stretch and therefore this matsyasana is called as the counter pose for the asana where the neck is in the position of forward bend.

Basic steps to do Matsyasana:

• At first, sit on the floor which is even, neat and clean.
• Then fold your both legs like you have to fold together in the form of padmasana, sukasana or ardha padmasana.
• Now, slowly lie down on the back with holding the elbows on the carpet.
• Raise your head and the trunk by pressing your waist and elbows on to the floor, and then place your crown of the head directly on to the floor.
• After placing your crown of the head directly on to the floor, keep most of the weight on the elbows reducing pressure on your head. If you can, then you can also hold your toes with the fingers.
• At this stage, with your head crown and the lower body on the floor, your body will be in the arc shape.
• Now you have to carefully release your fingers from the toes, push your palms on the floor then raise your head and the shoulder blades and rest them on the floor. Straighten your legs now by unfolding the legs and then do savasana.

Breathing:

You can maintain slow deep breathing while doing matsyasana that helps you to make your lungs stronger.

Duration:

Maintain a count of 50 to 100 in the pose of matsyasana.

Benefits:

• Headache caused by stiffness of the neck can be cured with matsyasana.
• Your back muscles and the spinal cord will get refreshed.
• Matsyasana has the ability to cure asthma and then some respiratory disorders.
• By practicing the matsyasana, the stiffness caused by long practice of halasana and the sarvaganasana will be warded off.
• Drink water early in the morning, and then practice this yoga pose to relieve constipation.
• This matsyasana is especially recommended for the people who are working in the IT field, offices, and for the person that are traveling long in bus or on motorcycle.
• Nowadays everyone is getting insomnia very easily due to work stress, when you perform matsyasana, it will give a deep sleep or normal sleep.

Precautions:

There are certain important points to remember when you are doing matsyasana and keeping those points in your mind you can do the yoga.

• Persons who could not able to fold their legs can practice this asana by stretching the legs.
• You can use pillows by placing them under your back to get in to the pose easily.
• Doing this yoga pose by sitting in the north direction is highly beneficial.

Complimenting asana:

Matsyasana includes several complementing yoga poses such as padmasana, Sarvangasana sukasana, and ardha padmasana.