Hips, knees, ankles and lower back

Malasana: Wall

A deep squat with the wall there to lean on, opening your hips, knees and ankles, then a slow fold that lets your back hang long.

Ways to adjust it

• Sit on a block or a folded blanket
• Less depth
• Sit on a block
• Hands on the thighs to come up
• Folded blanket under the heels
• Bend the knees in the fold
• Come up slowly

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

• Chair Pose: Wall

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.