Marichi's Pose C
मरीच्यासन तृतीय
Marīcyāsana C — an advanced twist that works the obliques, spinal erectors, shoulders.
How to do Marichi's Pose C
Read all of it before starting, and read the cautions further down before starting at all.
Sit with the left leg extended forward, foot flexed and toes pointing up.
Bend the right knee and stand the right foot on the floor beside the right sitting bone.
Turn the trunk to the right and hook the left elbow across the outside of the right thigh.
Press elbow and thigh into each other, bring the right hand to the floor behind you, and lift the chest.
Rotate a little further on each exhale, hold, then unwind and change sides.
Hold: 20–40 seconds each side. Keep the breath moving throughout — if you are holding it, the pose is too much for today.
Muscles worked
Where the effort and the lengthening land. Primary groups do most of the work; secondary groups assist or are stretched.
What Marichi's Pose C does
Described mechanically — what the movement does to muscle and joint. Not a list of conditions it treats, because a pose does not treat conditions.
- Produces a strong thoracic rotation with the bent thigh acting as a fixed lever.
- Anchors the pelvis through the extended leg so the turn stays in the spine.
- Loads the obliques hard against the resistance of the arm and thigh.
Marichi's Pose C is one of 25 twists in this library and one of 61 poses rated advanced. Poses that rotate the spine around its long axis with the pelvis anchored.
Who should skip Marichi's Pose C, or change it
- Pregnancy — a closed twist against the thigh is not appropriate.
- Disc injury, spinal fusion or nerve pain down a leg.
- Sacroiliac irritation, which the elbow leverage can spike.
- Recent abdominal surgery or hernia repair.
- Shoulder injury on the hooking arm.
General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts. If you are pregnant, recovering from surgery or managing any health condition, ask your doctor before starting a practice, and learn the pose itself from a qualified teacher who can see you move.
Common mistakes in Marichi's Pose C
What tends to go wrong, and the specific correction — not "engage your core".
MistakeCranking with the elbow while the ribs never actually turn.
FixRotate the sternum first, then place the elbow where the twist has already reached.
MistakeThe extended leg rolling outward as the trunk turns.
FixKeep that foot flexed with the toes vertical and the thigh muscle firm.
What a practice like this costs in energy
Nobody has measured a single asana in a metabolic cart. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values per style of practice, so Marichi's Pose C is mapped to the nearest published code — 02175, yoga, Power, 4 MET — and the figures below are for a practice of that kind, not for holding this one pose.
| Time practising | 10 min | 20 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 49 | 98 | 147 | 221 | 294 |
Calculated as MET × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200 kcal per minute — the standard ACSM relationship, shown in full on the method page. Scale it to your own weight by multiplying by your weight in kilograms and dividing by 70. The whole activity dataset, including every non-yoga activity, is at BurnLab.
Questions
How do you do Marichi's Pose C?
Sit with the left leg extended forward, foot flexed and toes pointing up. Bend the right knee and stand the right foot on the floor beside the right sitting bone. Turn the trunk to the right and hook the left elbow across the outside of the right thigh. Press elbow and thigh into each other, bring the right hand to the floor behind you, and lift the chest. Rotate a little further on each exhale, hold, then unwind and change sides. Hold for 20–40 seconds each side.
What does Marichi's Pose C work?
Primarily the obliques, spinal erectors, shoulders, with the glutes, abdominals, chest assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: produces a strong thoracic rotation with the bent thigh acting as a fixed lever.
Who should not do Marichi's Pose C?
Pregnancy — a closed twist against the thigh is not appropriate. Disc injury, spinal fusion or nerve pain down a leg. Sacroiliac irritation, which the elbow leverage can spike. Recent abdominal surgery or hernia repair. Shoulder injury on the hooking arm. This is general information, not medical advice — if any of these apply to you, ask your doctor and learn the pose with a qualified teacher rather than from a page.
Is Marichi's Pose C suitable for beginners?
No. Marichi's Pose C is rated advanced. The shape itself is rarely the problem — arriving at it years too early is. Work through the beginner and intermediate twists poses on this site and learn this one in person.
How many calories does Marichi's Pose C burn?
The honest answer is that nobody has measured a single asana. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values for styles of yoga, not for individual poses. Marichi's Pose C sits closest to Compendium code 02175, yoga, Power, at 4 MET — about 147 kcal for 30 minutes of that kind of practice for a 70 kg adult. Holding one pose for a minute is a rounding error either way.
Related poses
More twists — first at the same level, then the rest of the family.
Asana names are traditional. Every step, benefit and caution on this page is written for YogaPath rather than reproduced from any book, studio or other library — see how this site is written. Energy figures derive from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts.