Garland Pose
What Is the Garland Pose?
Garland Pose is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the hips and groin and also stretches the calves, the glutes and the back. It is a beginner-level movement done on the floor with no equipment, holding the bottom of a deep squat with the heels down and the knees spread wide.
Known in yoga as Malasana, it is simply the resting position of a full squat. Holding it bends the hips and knees as far as they go, which lengthens the inner thighs and the buttocks, and it asks the ankles to bend far enough for the shins to travel forward while the heels stay on the floor. That combination makes it a common mobility drill for people who sit a lot, for lifters who want a more comfortable bottom position in the squat, and for anyone who simply wants to be able to rest in a squat again.
This page covers the version in the image. You settle into the squat with your hands on the floor in front of your feet, then walk your hands forward and fold your chest down toward your knees with your arms reaching long along the floor. Many classes teach an upright version instead, with the palms pressed together at the chest and the elbows nudging the knees apart, which keeps the stretch on the hips and groin. Folding forward adds a stretch along the back and under the arms, and it moves your weight forward over your feet, which makes it easier to keep your heels down without tipping backward.
Garland Pose suits most people who train and fits well in a warm-up before squatting or at the end of a session. If your heels lift or you tip backward, put a rolled blanket under your heels or sit on a yoga block, and build the position with Bodyweight Squat and Kettlebell Goblet Squat, where the weight held in front acts as a counterbalance while you find depth. Side-to-Side Garland Pose turns the hold into a moving drill, and Cossack Squat takes the same deep hip bend onto one leg at a time.
Muscles Worked
- Adductor Longus
- Primary
- Adductor Magnus
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- High
- Soleus
- High
- Erector Spinae
- Medium
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Medium
- Teres Major
- Low
- Gastrocnemius (Lateral Head)
- Minimal
- Gastrocnemius (Medial Head)
- Minimal
Instructions
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, toes turned out slightly.
- Bend your knees and hips and lower all the way down into a deep squat, keeping your heels on the floor and your knees pointing the same way as your toes.
- Let your arms hang between your knees and rest your hands on the floor just in front of your feet.
- Settle your hips low, spread your weight across the whole of each foot and take a few slow breaths.
- Walk your hands forward along the floor and fold your chest forward and down toward your knees.
- Reach your arms long in front of you with your hands on the floor, and let your head relax between your arms.
- Keep your heels down and hold for 30 to 60 seconds, breathing slowly and letting your hips and back relax a little more with each breath out.
- Walk your hands back toward your feet to lift your chest, then press through your feet to stand up.
Common Mistakes
Heels lifting unsupported
Staying up on the balls of the feet shifts your weight into the knees and takes the stretch off the ankles, so put a rolled blanket under your heels instead.
Knees caving in
Letting the knees drift inward past the toes twists the knees and removes most of the stretch from the inner thighs.
Turning the toes out too far
Splaying the feet wider than the knees can follow lets the arches collapse and the knees point a different way from the toes.
Forcing the depth
Dropping the hips lower than they can comfortably go by bouncing or yanking on the knees jams the front of the hips and the knees instead of stretching them.
Folding forward too soon
Walking the hands out before the squat is settled and the heels are down tips your weight forward onto the toes and can pull you out of the position.
Holding the breath
Bracing and holding the breath keeps the hips and back guarded, while slow breathing lets them relax further over the hold.
Injuries
Garland Pose is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The places it can go wrong are the knees, the ankles and the front of the hips. Holding the knees fully bent keeps them at the very end of their range, so a knee with a meniscus problem, arthritis or a recent injury can feel a pinch behind or inside the joint. Heels that lift without support throw the weight onto the balls of the feet and into the knees, and a hip that runs out of room can pinch at the front of the groin instead of stretching the inner thigh.
To protect those joints, let your feet turn out only as far as your knees can follow, keep your knees pointing the same way as your toes, and support the position rather than forcing it. A rolled blanket or folded mat under your heels takes the strain off the ankles and keeps your weight spread across the whole foot, and sitting on a yoga block keeps the knees and hips out of their very end range. Settle into the squat before you fold forward, and walk your hands out only as far as your heels stay down.
If the floor version is too much, hold a partial squat with your hands on a sturdy chair or doorframe, or use Butterfly Stretch or Lying Adductor Stretch to open the groin with no weight on the knees. To progress, take away the heel support, bring your feet closer together, hold longer or reach further forward in the fold.
Stop if you feel sharp or catching pain in a knee, a pinch in the front of the hip or ankle, or pain in the lower back. Stand up if your lower leg or foot starts to tingle or go numb, since long squats can press on the nerve that runs around the outside of the knee. Anyone recovering from knee or hip surgery, including a joint replacement, should get clearance from their surgeon or physical therapist before holding a full squat.
- Primary Focus
- Hips & groin
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Yoga
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the Garland Pose
The Garland Pose is also known as:
- Malasana
- Yogi Squat
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Why do my heels lift in Garland Pose?
Usually because your ankles cannot bend far enough for your shins to travel forward, though hip mobility and body shape play a part too. In a study of 18 healthy university students, those who could perform a deep squat had more hip flexion and ankle bend, and a lower body weight and waist size, than those who could not. A rolled blanket under your heels lets you hold the pose while your ankles catch up.
- Q: Should my feet point forward or turn out?
Turn them out a little, about as far as your knees can comfortably follow. Most people need some turnout to fit the torso between the thighs, but the knees should always point the same way as the toes.
- Q: Is Garland Pose bad for your knees?
Not for healthy knees, which are built to bend this far. It does hold the knee at its deepest bend, so if you have a meniscus problem, knee arthritis or a recent knee injury, sit on a yoga block to stay out of full flexion, and stop if you feel sharp or catching pain.
- Q: How long should I hold Garland Pose?
Hold for 30 to 60 seconds and repeat two or three times. As the position gets comfortable you can build up to a few minutes, as long as your knees stay pain-free and your feet do not start to tingle.
- Q: Why reach the arms forward instead of pressing the palms together?
Both are Garland Pose. The upright prayer-hands version keeps the stretch on the hips and groin, while folding forward with the arms along the floor adds a stretch through the back and under the arms and shifts your weight forward, which helps you keep your heels down.
- Q: What is the difference between Garland Pose and Side-to-Side Garland Pose?
Garland Pose is a still hold at the bottom of the squat. Side-to-Side Garland Pose starts in the same squat and shifts the weight from one side to the other, which makes it a moving mobility drill rather than a sustained stretch.