Squat pose

Stand with your feet mat distance apart, toes turned out comfortably.
Squat down, making sure your knees are tracking in the same direction as your toes, and bring your arms in front of you, between your knees.
Spread your shoulder blades and use your upper arms to keep your knees over your ankles.
Allow your spine to round and relax your neck.
You are looking for sensations along the spine, all the way up to the neck and in your hips and groins.
Hold for 1 to 3 minutes.
To come out of the pose, either sit back on your buttocks and straighten your legs or come up into Dangling and slowly roll the spine up.

If your heels don’t touch the floor, support them with blocks or a folded blanket.
If your hips are tight, bring the arms into a prayer position and use your elbows to gently press against your shins.
If your neck is sensitive, use a block to support your forehead.

Try it in class

Increases hip mobility and strengthens the ankles.
Decompresses the lower back and offers relief to lower back pain caused by menstruation.
Stimulates Urinary Bladder, Liver and Kidney meridians.

The knees and feet should point in the same direction. Spread your feet wider if they don’t.
Avoid in case of knee injuries.

Adjust the distance of your feet depending on your targeted area: bring your feet closer to target the ankles and wider to target the hips.
Place your hands behind your neck (without pulling) to increase the stretch.
Squat with your hips against the wall, to feel an even deeper decompression in the lower back and hip area.
If you want to hold this pose for longer than 3 minutes, try a few sessions of 2 minutes each, coming into Dangling for a minute in between.
Read Accessing Malasana – the Garland pose for more variations.