Family Park is the sunny setting for Karen Watson Reeves to practice Half Lord of the Fishes Pose.
By Karen Watson Reeves
Boy, do I love to twist! From lying on my back, from kneeling or from sitting, the twists just feel good! There are many poses to choose from in the yoga posture category of twists, and these poses are like a reset button. Particularly helpful after forward bends and back bends, they help relieve tension that may have built up in those bending poses.
Like many yoga poses, the name is intriguing. The Sanskrit name helps clear it up a bit. Ardha Matsyendrasana is named after a great yogi, Matsyendranath, who is credited with founding hatha yoga, the style we practice most.
Literally translated, “ardha” means half, “matsya” means fish. So even though no fish were present, the setting for the photo was for fun. The fishing dock at Family Park seemed appropriate. It was a beautiful Saturday for a photo shoot and the park was full of people enjoying the spring-like weather, but the dock was completely absent of people.
So, I enjoyed several versions of the pose. Two are shared, and there are modifications/options for the pose to be more accessible to less bendy people, or more challenging for those who can twist a little more.
At whatever depth one practices this pose, the benefits are realized. The hips, shoulders and neck are stretched; backache and tension are relieved; range of motion in the spine is maintained; the chest is opened, increasing oxygen supply to the lungs.
I like to ask my students, as they come into a twist, to visualize and “wring out” what they do not need or no longer want – mentally, physically or emotionally. Twist it out, let go of it, open to new possibilities. Half Lord of the Fishes is a great seated twist. So, whether you practice it on a fishing dock in front of water, in a studio on your mat, or in your home on the floor, you will see for yourself. . . it just feels good!
Karen Watson Reeves has called Hot Springs home since 2006. She became a registered yoga teacher and a registered children’s yoga teacher in 2011. She has taught children and family yoga in many settings and would welcome an opportunity to help your family stay physically active during this time of quarantine. She owns The Yoga Place, is on the Hot Springs YMCA teaching staff, is an adjunct instructor at National Park College, as well as teaching in several other fabulous venues. www.TheYogaPlaceHS.com.
