Marichyasana C in Ashtanga — Primary Series

Where it sits

Marichyasana C is the first seated twist of the Ashtanga Primary Series, Yoga Chikitsa. It comes after Marichyasana B and before Marichyasana D. Marichyasana A and Marichyasana B are forward folds with a bind. C keeps a leg shape close to A: one leg stays long, and the other knee bends with the foot near the hip. The spine turns instead of folding. One-sided seated poses are taken on the right and then the left, with a vinyasa between the sides and again before the next pose. The order is listed on the seated sequence page.

What the shape involves

The entry is two breaths. On the inhale you come through to sit and lengthen the spine. On the exhale you bend the knee, turn toward the bent leg, bring the opposite arm around the outside of that shin, and clasp the hands behind the back. The gaze goes over the back shoulder. Each side is held for five breaths.

The exit starts with an inhale that releases the bind and lengthens you up. The exhale takes the vinyasa: back to a low plank, an inhale into upward-facing dog, and an exhale into downward-facing dog. The same count is taken on the left. Another vinyasa comes before Marichyasana D.

Common preparation

Marichyasana A is the preparation for the bind. The arm wraps the bent shin and the hands meet behind the back before a twist is asked for. If that clasp is not there yet, C is practised without it. Hold the bent knee with the wrapping arm and place the other hand on the floor behind you. A strap, the same adaptation used when the hands do not meet in Marichyasana A, can join the hands. Both sitting bones stay down. The earlier forward folds of the seated sequence make the long leg and the upright seat familiar.

Typical difficulties

People turn the head and the shoulder and leave the chest facing forward. The twist then sits in the neck. The sitting bone on the bent-leg side often lifts, and the long leg rolls out. Reaching for the bind too early collapses the chest, so the hands meet and the spine does not turn. The breath gets short if the rotation is forced, which is a reason to turn less. A partial rotation, with both sitting bones down, is a real stage of the pose.

The knee and the lower back

This is general practice guidance, not a medical instruction. The bent knee and the lower back are where a forced twist usually shows up. Lengthen on the inhale and turn on the exhale. Do not lever yourself around with the arm. If the knee or the back feels strained, stay with the hand-behind version and a smaller turn. Strain is a reason to simplify the shape. The rest of the given practice keeps its own order.

Why a teacher helps

The bind is behind the back, where you cannot see whether the hands have met or whether the chest has collapsed to reach them. In a Mysore-style room the teacher shows the version that fits you, and leaves the full clasp out until the turn is steady. Poses are added one at a time, once the earlier part is familiar and the breath stays even. For one-to-one guidance on Primary, private sessions are taught in Dubai or online.

Next in the sequence: Marichyasana D.