For some, the full malasana position is second nature. To others it’s an unfamiliar and torturous posture that hasn’t been visited since childhood. For thousands of years, humans have been squatting, crouching and even crawling in everyday life. But not that long ago in terms of human evolution, in an attempt to become more ‘civilised’, we opted to sit on chairs, wear heeled shoes and live in a world of straight lines and unnatural positions. All of this took away the tradition of squatting comfortably as a resting position.
Garland Posture
There are differing opinions when it comes to translating the meaning of Malasana. The pose seems to have many different variations according to traditional yogic texts. The name Malasana joins the words mala and asana. Mala, meaning ‘garland’, refers to a string or garland of ‘mala’ beads, much like a rosary. Asana means ‘posture’.
Mala bead creator and founder of UK based Chant Malas, Helen Forester says: “A mala is a sacred tool that hails from India. Created by the ancient seers of India in around the 8th century BCE, mala beads were used to aid meditation practice. To help the meditator settle their mind in readiness for transcendence through the repetition of a scared mantra given to them by their guru. More than this though, the mantra that the reciter repeats is a way of accessing a particular deity, or sacred part of yourself, to aid a certain situation or area in your life that is in need of specific support”.
Known as ‘japa’ meditation, the use of a mala usually involves the repetition of a specific mantra or phrase as the practitioner moves the beads one at a time through their hands. Most malas have 108 beads – a number with spiritual significance – plus a ‘guru’ bead.
Elimination Posture
The way we label things tends to have a powerful effect upon how we feel about them, and the spiritual significance we give them. Naming malasana after the garland of beads used for meditation imparts a mystical sense to the asana. When practiced in this sense traditionally, the feet are placed together with either the hands holding the ankles, or arms wrapped around the legs and back whilst the head touches the floor. With the arms wrapped around the body, the posture is also referred to as ‘golden belt’ pose. This is the position from which many arm balances like bhujapidasana or Tittibhasana (firefly pose) are traditionally approached.
Another way to translate Malasana is to recognise that mala also often means ‘impurity’ or ‘excrement’. And it is – as you can probably tell – a common posture adopted for eliminating. It may not sound as poetic, but when it comes to the physical benefits of the asana, this is where malasana can have a profound impact. It can affect the spine, lower back muscles and of course the organs of digestion and elimination. Research into traditional tribes and Eastern cultures shows that the squat has been a regularly adopted position for as long as human history can tell. Issues like lower back pain were a lot less prevalent when we opted to squat regularly.
Squatting Is Our ‘Birthright’
From resting to praying, cooking, giving birth, conversing and sharing a meal, humans around the world have always squatted, and many still do. In the UK, US and Europe, we seem to have been sitting in chairs the longest. This has largely to do with the invention of the seated flushing toilet in the 1800s. Huge swathes of the global population still squat. If you’ve ever visited Asia you’ll know that squatting toilets are totally normal.
If you’ve lost the ability to squat, it’s often down to one simple fact; That you haven’t done it in a long time. Squatting really is a ‘use it or lose it’ position. Osteopath and Author, Phillip Beach, developed the idea of ‘Archetypal Postures’. Positions which he says are “deeply embedded into the way our bodies are built”. These include the squat and a primary position. Beach says that these postures are our ‘birthright’. He wants to help people reconnect with the ability to sit, squat and move in the way their bodies evolved to.
Benefits of Squatting
Beyond the physicality of Malasana, the squatting position is something that can help us reconnect. It can help us find a sense of being grounded and in tune with the earth. Energetically awakening the muladhara chakra (root chakra), the asana can help put us back in touch with our primal human instincts. It can help move us out of the linear world of desks, computers and stress headaches, to the more spontaneous, strong-yet-soft characteristics of natural movement. If you’re already comfortable in Malasana, perhaps try squatting more throughout your day; brushing your teeth, sending an email, waiting for a train or in your yoga practice. If your squatting ability has disappeared, try:
- Stretching the calves and mobilising the ankles
- Holding a chair or desk and lowering down slowly little by little
- Leaning back against the wall and gradually lower your hips
- Sitting on a block to support your hips, and bracing your elbows against your inner knees
- Practicing often, as long as your body is happy with it!