Matsyasana (Sanskrit: मत्स्यासन; IAST: Matsyāsana) or Fish pose is a reclining back-bending asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise. It is commonly considered a counterasana to Sarvangasana, or shoulder stand, specifically within the context of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Primary Series.MatsyasanaFromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopediaJumptonavigationJumptosearchRecliningback-bendingpostureinhathayogaMatsyasanaThisarticlecontainsIndictext.Withoutproperrenderingsupport,youmayseequestionmarksorboxes,misplacedvowelsormissingconjunctsinsteadofIndictext.Matsyasana(Sanskrit:मत्स्यासन;IAST:Matsyāsana)orFishpose[1]isarecliningback-bendingasanainhathayogaandmodernyogaasexercise.ItiscommonlyconsideredacounterasanatoSarvangasana,orshoulderstand,specificallywithinthecontextoftheAshtangaVinyasaYogaPrimarySeries.[2]Contents1Etymologyandorigins2Description3Variations4References5Furtherreading6ExternallinksEtymologyandorigins[edit]ThenamecomesfromtheSanskritwordsmatsya(मत्स्य)meaning"fish"[3]andasana(आसन)meaning"posture"or"seat".[4]Theasanaismedieval,describedinthe17thcenturyGheraṇḍaSaṃhitā2.21.Description[edit]Theasanaisabackbend,wherethepractitionerliesonhisorherbackandliftstheheart(anahata)chakrabyrisingupontheelbowsanddrawingtheshouldersback.Theneckislengthened,andthecrownoftheheadSahasrarachakrais"pointed"towardthe'wall'behindthepractitioner.Asthearchofthebackdeepenswithpractice,andtheheartandthroatopenfurther,thetopoftheheadmaybrushtheground,butnoweightshouldrestuponit.Variations[edit]variantwithstraightlegsThelegscanbekeptstraightontheground,orwithkneesbentandfeetonthefloor,forpractitionersunabletodoPadmasanawiththelegs.[1]Thelegsagainstraightcanbeliftedofftheground,fora"challengingvariation".[1]ThehandsmaybeplacedbeforetheheartinAñjaliMudrā,makingtheposemoredifficult.[1]Theposecanbesupportedwithabolsterundertheback,andwithacushionundertheknees.[5]References[edit]^abcd"YogaJournal-FishPose".Retrieved2011-04-09.^Maehle,Gregor(2007).AshtangaYoga:PracticeandPhilosophy.NewWorldL