Matsyendrasana

[3] The name comes from the Sanskrit words परिपूर्ण Paripurna, perfected; मत्स्येन्द् Matsyendra, one of the founders of hatha yoga, whose name in turn means "lord of the fishes"; and आसन asana, posture or seat;[5] अर्ध ardha means half.

The bottom leg may be bent with the foot outside the opposite hip or extended with toes vertically.

The arms help lever the torso into the twist, and may be bound in a variety of configurations by clutching either a foot or the opposite hand.

The bottom leg moves into Padmasana, and the arms bind by grasping both feet.

[11] For the reclining variant, Supta Matsyendrasana, starting from a supine position, the arms are stretched out at shoulder level, one knee is bent, and it and the hips are rotated across to the opposite side.

Paripurna Matsyendrasana
Historic halftone engraving of the pose from the cover of Yoga Sopana , 1905, the first modern illustrated book on yoga [ 4 ]
Ardha Matsyendrasana I, a commonly practised half form of the pose