Marichi's Pose D
मरीच्यासन चतुर्थ
Marīcyāsana D — an advanced twist that works the obliques, spinal erectors, hip flexors.
How to do Marichi's Pose D
Read all of it before starting, and read the cautions further down before starting at all.
Sit and place the left foot high on the right thigh in half lotus, only if that is already comfortable.
Bend the right knee and stand the right foot on the floor close to the right sitting bone.
Turn to the right and reach the left arm around the outside of the right shin.
Take the right arm behind the back and clasp the hands or a strap to complete the bind.
Lift the chest, deepen the rotation on an exhale, hold, then release carefully 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 D 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.
- Combines a bound trunk rotation with deep external rotation at the folded hip.
- Locks the pelvis so every degree of the turn has to come from the spine.
- Loads both shoulders in opposition to hold the clasp closed.
Marichi's Pose D 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 D, or change it
- Pregnancy — do not practise this pose.
- Disc injury, spondylolisthesis or any recent spinal surgery.
- Sacroiliac dysfunction, since the pelvis is completely locked.
- Recent abdominal surgery or hernia repair.
- Knee injury: the half lotus is unavoidable here, so work on Marichyasana C instead.
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 D
What tends to go wrong, and the specific correction — not "engage your core".
MistakeForcing the bind by dropping the chest and rounding the upper back.
FixUse a strap between the hands and keep the sternum lifted.
MistakeHolding the breath to stay in the bind.
FixLoosen until the breath moves again — a twist you cannot breathe in is too deep.
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 D 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 D?
Sit and place the left foot high on the right thigh in half lotus, only if that is already comfortable. Bend the right knee and stand the right foot on the floor close to the right sitting bone. Turn to the right and reach the left arm around the outside of the right shin. Take the right arm behind the back and clasp the hands or a strap to complete the bind. Lift the chest, deepen the rotation on an exhale, hold, then release carefully and change sides. Hold for 20–40 seconds each side.
What does Marichi's Pose D work?
Primarily the obliques, spinal erectors, hip flexors, with the shoulders, chest, abdominals assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: combines a bound trunk rotation with deep external rotation at the folded hip.
Who should not do Marichi's Pose D?
Pregnancy — do not practise this pose. Disc injury, spondylolisthesis or any recent spinal surgery. Sacroiliac dysfunction, since the pelvis is completely locked. Recent abdominal surgery or hernia repair. Knee injury: the half lotus is unavoidable here, so work on Marichyasana C instead. 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 D suitable for beginners?
No. Marichi's Pose D 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 D 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 D 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.