10 Wonder Benefits of Half Spinal Twist Pose (Ardha Matsyendrasana) for Weight Loss, Diabetes

What is the meaning of half spinal twist pose?

• The seated spinal twist yoga pose is also known as Ardha Matsyendrasana in Hindi, which consists of four words Ardha means ‘Half’ Matsya indicates ‘Fish’ Endra means ‘King’ and Asana- denotes ‘yoga pose’. That’s why it is also known as Half Lord of the Fishes Pose.
• Lord of the fishes pose is an effective yoga asana for the health of the pancreas, liver, and kidney. It is helpful in the management of diabetes. In fact, it plays a greater role in the prevention and management of blood sugar in the body. The practice of seated full spinal twist yoga gives remarkable twisting, compressing, and stretching to the entire body, especially the abdominal region.
• In the given content, you will get interacted with what is full spinal twist pose; how to do it; what are its benefits and precautions. All these aspects have been systematically elaborated and mentioned. The easily explained steps, benefits, precautions, images, and videos of half spinal twist pose or Purna  Matsyendrasana will help you to understand the asana technically right thereby extracting maximum benefits of it.

How to do half lord of the fishes pose step by step

After following the given steps, the practicing of Lord of the Fishes Pose will become simple and easy. These simple techniques will also ensure to practice Supta Matsyendrasana at your one’s place. The step by step of technique of performing lord of the fishes is being given below:

• Sit on a flat surface by making your legs straight before you.
• Bend your right legs and put your foot outside the left knee wherein the foot and toes of the right leg are pointed outwards.
• Place the right hand on the right side of the body to make it balance.
• Now, fold the right leg back to the left.
• Place the left heel so that it is in contact with the right buttock.
• Twist yourself towards the right, push so that twisting can also be experienced in the abdominal region.
• One hand on the floor on the right side of the body, making the arms straight.
• Grasp properly the right ankle with the left hand.
• The back should be straight with the help of your right hand.
• Same thing complete with another side.
• Maintain the pose as long as you can.

Explanatory Video

The video will help to understand the pose in a better way. In the video, the steps, benefits and precautions have also been mentioned systematically.

Breathing

If you want to extract maximum benefits of spinal twist pose; it is better to perform with breathing awareness and mechanism. Inhale when your legs are straight. Exhale while your body is in the twisting condition. In the final stage, do inhaling and exhaling slowly. Again inhale, and come to the original position.

Muscular movement

Numerous muscles are involved while practicing Half Lord of the Fishes Pose. The muscles, which experienced maximum twisting, are of the entire abdominal region, thighs, upper arms, hips, and buttocks. The muscles of the pancreas, liver, and kidney are finely massaged due to the practice of this yoga pose.

Half spinal twist pose in different schools of yoga

There are some variations in different schools of yoga while practicing seated spinal twist yoga pose.

• Iyengar yoga: Excess twisting, the arm, which balances the back is lying with the back. The toes are not with the buttock, in fact, it is above the hip.
• Vinyasa yoga: One arm is behind the back and another arm pushes the knee towards the other direction. In fact, the arm is straight from the elbow upwards.
• Ashtanga yoga: It is similar to vinyasa yoga.
• Baba Ramdev yoga: It is similar to Iyengar yoga but here the toes of a leg are touching the buttocks.
• Art of living: The same procedure is followed as of vinyasa yoga but here the body seems to be in a straight line.
• Power yoga: Main focus is given on stretching and rigorousness of the posture.
• Hot yoga: It is similar to power yoga but more strenuous in nature.
• Satyananda yoga: It is similar to Iyengar yoga but with lesser twisting. Here the arm is kept beside the back.
• Bikram yoga: It is similar to Iyengar yoga.

10 surprising health benefits of half spinal twist pose

Some of the important benefits of lord of fishes pose are given below.

1. Diabetes treatment: The practicing of this yoga pose gives great relief to sugar patients. It is just like a panacea for diabetes patients. It activates the pancreas cells, which results in stirring the beta cells to produce the required amount of insulin, which helps to manage and control sugar in the blood.
2. Weight loss: The adequate amount of twisting and compressing to the abdominal region ensures the burning of belly fat. This is one of the important yoga poses, effective to shed abdominal fat because of its twisting and compressing in nature.
3. Spinal health: The practicing of the pose on regular basis is a boon for spinal health. It provides greater flexibility to the entire spinal region thus refresh and rejuvenates the spinal column and prevent the body from many diseases.
4. Backache, Neck ache, and Headache: Since the pose gives adequate massage to the spinal column, thus ensures smooth flow of blood and energizes the muscles and nerves of these regions. Accordingly show beneficial impacts upon headache, backache, and neck ache.
5. Vertebra fusion: Vertebral fusion is quite common among elderly people. Since the asana showing an adequate torsion effect on the spine, thus prevent the adjoining vertebra to fuse together.
6. Constipation: If somebody has the problem of constipation, he should perform it first from the right side so that fecal matter travels up the ascending colon and then downwards in the descending colon before being expelled from the body.
7. Colon health: The practicing of the pose initially provides a twist to the right followed by a left side twist, accordingly compresses the colon and the associated muscles and nerves of this region.
8. Relaxation: If the asana is practiced for a longer period of time, it gives a sense of relaxation to the body thus fruitful to combat stress and anxiety.
9. Sciatica and Slipped disc: It is also beneficial in treating sciatica and slipped disc if it practices under the supervision of a yoga therapist.
10. Stiff body: Though the practice of this asana needs a wider range of flexibility. However, if practices on a regular basis by following the above said technique; it helps to make your body rubber-like elasticity and flexibility thereby reducing stiffness.

Contraindications and precautions

Some of the few contraindications/cautions/limitations of Purna  Matsyendrasana are:

• Peptic ulcer
• Hernia
• Hyperthyroidism
• Pregnancy: It should avoid during pregnancy.
• Heart ailments: People with heart problems should avoid this.
• Brain problems: It also shouldn’t practice in case of brain conditions.
• Spinal problems: People who have such problems should also avoid this asana.
• Cervical spondylosis: Skip of having this problem
• Knee and neck: Do it under the guidance of a therapist.
• Sitting condition: While practicing, don’t sit on the heel.
• Twisting and torsion: Don’t twist unnecessarily.

 Beginner’s tip

The practice of this asana requires a high level of flexibility. To have mastery, initially one should practice Vakrasana from both sides. Don’t push yourself. Do as per your flexibility but try to maintain the regularity to have perfection on it.

 Preparatory pose

• Dandasana
• Vakrasana
• Katichakrasana
• Triangle pose

 Counter pose

• Chakrasana
• Shalbhasana
• Tadasana

 
The science behind Lord of the Fishes Pose

The fishes pose is one of the important yoga asanas that is beneficial for many diseases and disorders. To extract maximum benefits of it, one should be aware of anatomy, physiology, and movement of all the muscles including the science behind it. Various muscles are experiencing viz. Splenius capitis, Rhomboids, Erector spinae, Sternocleidomastoid, etc. experiencing twisting and compressing while performing the yoga pose.

It applies powerful torsion to the trunk of the body wherein the muscles and nerves of the back and spine are contracted on one side, while the muscles and nerves on the other side are simultaneously stretched.

 Top 10 facts of Half Spinal Twist Pose

1. The lord of the fish pose is a boon for the spine and spinal region and acts as a rejuvenator for the spinal nerves and muscles.
2. The yoga pose Ardha Matsyendrasana is named after the great yogi Matsyendranath, the human originator of Yoga.
3. The asana helps to improve the function of the kidney, pancreas, liver, and adrenal glands.
4. To get maximum benefits of the pose, the back should be passive.
5. This is one of the most difficult asanas that require a ‘rubber-like body.
6. It is one of the effective yoga poses used in diabetes treatment.
7. It helps to reduce the enlargement of the prostate and bladder.
8. By the practice of this asana, backache and pains in the hips disappear rapidly.
9. It reduces the size of the abdomen.
10. Lean people prefer not to practice this yoga pose.