Malasana: A Complete Guide to Garland Pose

Quick Intro

Malasana (Garland Pose in English) is a yoga exercise performed by squatting deeply with the feet wider than hip-width and turned slightly out, bringing the torso between the knees and pressing the elbows against the inner knees to gently spread them further apart, palms together at the chest.

Equipment Needed

No equipment is needed to perform Malasana. A yoga mat is optional, and a rolled mat or wedge under the heels helps if the ankles can’t keep them flat on the floor.

Why Malasana Matters

This pose is a deep squat, and it asks the ankles, hips and inner thighs to open at end range. The inner thigh (adductors) and hip flexors (iliopsoas) lengthen as the knees spread, and the seat (gluteus maximus) and muscles along the spine (erector spinae) keep the torso from collapsing forward. The calf (soleus) manages the deep ankle bend, and the front of the thigh (quadriceps, rectus femoris) holds the squat from falling into the heels.

Flexibility is the main demand, spread across the ankles, hips and inner thighs.

When to Do It

Malasana works well as a hip opener anywhere in a practice, and it also functions as an ankle and hip mobility drill outside of a seated hold. Most sessions that include standing or seated hip work can add this pose without much extra preparation.

• Tight ankles that lift the heels off the floor in a deep squat. A rolled mat or wedge under the heels removes the strain without giving up the pose.
• Lower back sensitivity when rounding forward into the fold. Keeping the spine long rather than curling forward protects a sensitive back.
• Knee discomfort in a very deep bend. A slightly shallower squat, not going all the way to the floor, still delivers hip opening without pushing through knee pain.

For most people without one of these specific concerns, this is a low-risk pose, and heel support is the main adjustment worth making early on.

Getting Ready

A few slow bodyweight squats and some ankle circles prepare the knees and ankles for a sustained deep bend. Standing with the feet wide and turned out, then simply lowering partway without committing to the full depth, previews the stance this pose needs.

Use the elbows to press the inner knees apart. If the heels lift off the floor, a rolled mat placed under them removes that strain immediately.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. The stance. Stand with the feet wider than hip-width, toes turned out.

2. The squat. Bend both knees and lower the hips into a deep squat.

3. The press. Bring the torso between the knees and press the elbows against the inner knees.

4. The hands. Bring the palms together at the chest, spine reaching long.

5. The hold. Stay in the squat for the target breath count, then press through the feet to stand.

How Many, How Often

Malasana is dosed by breath count, since a steady breath keeps the hips settling deeper into the squat without forcing it.

Keeping the heels grounded matters more here than how low the hips sink, since heels that lift shift the whole squat’s weight forward onto the knees.

Modifications and Variations

Malasana sits in the middle of its own progression, with an easier step below it and a harder step beyond it.

For an easier entry point, Malasana — Heels on Support adds support under both heels, removing the ankle demand while the hips still settle into the same deep position.

For more difficulty, Malasana to Bakasana Transition uses the same deep squat as a launching point into Bakasana, adding an arm-balance transition on top of the hold.

Progression path: Malasana — Heels on Support → Malasana → Malasana to Bakasana Transition

Build a comfortable, flat-heeled hold before adding the arm-balance transition, since the squat itself needs to be stable before it becomes a launching platform for anything else.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Letting the heels lift off the floor. This shifts the squat’s weight forward onto the knees. Placing a rolled mat under the heels for support is the fix while ankle mobility improves.

Letting the knees collapse inward instead of staying pressed open. A narrow knee position removes most of the hip opening this pose is built around. Actively pressing the elbows against the inner knees restores it.

Rounding the spine to bring the torso lower. A rounded back trades hip opening for a shortcut through the lower back. Keeping the spine long, even if that means a shallower squat, protects the back.

Holding the breath while settling into the depth. The unfamiliar demand of a deep squat tempts a held breath. A steady breath helps the hips settle further than holding still does.

After Your Set

Pressing through the feet to stand and rolling slowly up through the spine releases the deep squat before any counter-stretch. A few slow ankle circles in each direction ease the ankles after the sustained deep bend.

Going Deeper

This pose is usually trained as a hip and ankle opener, useful both inside a seated practice and as a standalone mobility drill. The most common way it stalls isn’t hip tightness alone, but heels that keep lifting off the floor session after session without a support added underneath them, which quietly shifts the whole squat’s demand onto the knees instead of the hips. Adding heel support for as long as the ankles need it is what lets the hips do the opening this pose is meant to train.

Someone new to this pose generally holds a steady 5-breath squat within the first one to two weeks, and reaches a settled 8-breath hold with grounded heels somewhere in the four to six week range.

How to Know You’re Improving

1. A 5-breath squat with the heels staying grounded, using support if needed
2. Knees that press open under the elbows without collapsing inward
3. A comfortable 8-breath hold with the spine staying long through the fold
4. Heels that stay flat on the floor without a support underneath them

Grounded heels through the whole hold, not how deep the squat goes, is what progress looks like here.

Muscles Worked

• Adductors (the inner thigh muscles, stretched as the elbows press the knees apart)
• Iliopsoas (the hip flexor group at the front of the hip, deeply folded at the bottom of the squat)
• Gluteus Maximus (the largest glute muscle, lengthened as the hips drop below the knees)
• Erector Spinae (the muscles running along the length of the spine, working to keep the chest up between the thighs)
• Soleus (a deeper calf muscle beneath the gastrocnemius, stretched hard as the ankles bend to keep the heels down)
• Rectus Femoris (a front thigh muscle that crosses both the hip and knee, holding the deep squat position)

FAQ

Is this the same as a regular bodyweight squat? The bent-knee position looks similar, but the wide turned-out stance, the elbows pressing the knees apart and the sustained hold all ask for hip opening a standard squat doesn’t specifically train.

Why can’t I keep my heels on the floor? Limited ankle flexibility is the usual reason, not tight hips. A rolled mat or wedge under the heels removes the ankle demand so the hips can still get the opening this pose is built around.

Is it normal for my lower back to round in this pose? It’s common but worth correcting where possible. Keeping the spine long, even at a shallower squat depth, protects the back and keeps the work in the hips where it belongs.

Can I use this pose to warm up before other hip-opening poses? Yes, a brief hold here is a useful way to open the hips and ankles before deeper seated poses later in a session.

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Next in this series: Malasana — Heels on Support, the supported easier entry, and Malasana to Bakasana Transition, the harder arm-balance transition.