The name for this asana is derived from the Sanskrit, Ardha meanshalf.Matsya meansfish. Indra meansking and Asana meanspose.

• Sit with the legs stretched out in front of the body.
• Bend the right leg and place the right foot flat on the flooron the outside of the left knee.
• The toes of the right foot should face forward.
• Bend the left leg and bring the foot around to the rightbuttock. The outside edge of the foot should be in contactwith the floor.
• Pass the left arm through the space between the chestand the right knee, and place it against the outside of theright leg.
• Hold the right foot or ankle with the left hand so that theright knee is close to the left armpit.
• Sit up as straight as possible.
• Raise the right arm in front of the body and gaze at thefingertips.
• Slowly twist to the right, simultaneously moving the arm,trunk and head.
• Use the left arm as a lever against the right leg to twist thetrunk as far as possible without using the back muscles.
• Follow the tips of the fingers of the right hand with thegaze and look over the right shoulder.
• Do not strain the back.
• Bend the right elbow and place the arm around the backof the waist.
• The back of the right hand should wrap around the leftside of the waist.
• Alternatively, it can be placed as high as possible betweenthe shoulder blades with the fingers pointing up.
• This armposition enforces the straightness of the spine.
• Reverse the movements to come out of the posture andrepeat on the other side.

Breathing: Inhale in the forward position.Exhale while twisting the trunk.Breathe deeply and slowly without strain in the finalposition.Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Duration: Practise once on each side, gradually increasing theholding time to 1 or 2 minutes on each side of the bodyor up to 30 breaths.

Awareness: Physical – on keeping the spine straight, and onthe movement of the abdomen created by the breath inthe final position.
Spiritual – on ajna chakra.

Sequence: This asana should be performed after completinga series of forward and backward bending asanas.

Contra-indications: Pregnant women should avoid thispractice. People suffering from peptic ulcer, hernia orhyperthyroidism should only practise this pose under theguidance of a competent teacher.People with sciatica or slipped disc should not practise it.

Benefits: • This asana simultaneously stretches the muscles onone side of the back and abdomen while contracting themuscles on the other side.
• It tones the nerves of the spine, makes the back musclessupple, relieves lumbago and muscular spasms, and reduces the tendency of adjoining vertebrae to developinflammatory problems and calcium deposits.
• It massagesthe abdominal organs, alleviating digestive ailments.
• Itregulates the secretions of the adrenal gland, liver andpancreas, and is beneficial for the kidneys.