While performing these two āsanas, it is important to engage the bandhas strongly and press the chest open in order to extend the neck fully so that it does not collapse. In Matsyāsana, place the hands over the top of the feet and straighten the arms as you press into the chest. Try to keep your padmāsana on the floor. In Uttāna Pādāsana, keep the arms and the legs straight and press the palms together. As with Matsyasana, press the chest open as you take the head back. Matsyāsana & Uttāna Pādāsana are counter poses to the preceding five poses and should be practiced directly afterward. Together, these two postures help strengthen the neck and the lower abdomen. They also purify the esophagus and the spleen.

By