Marguerite Agniel was a Broadway actress and dancer, who then became a health and beauty guru in New York in the early 20th century. She is known for her 1931 book The Art of the Body: Rhythmic Exercise for Health and Beauty, one of the first to combine yoga and nudism.
In Halasana, Plough Pose. Photograph by John de Mirjian, c. 1928
In "Buddha position", Muktasana. Photograph by John de Mirjian, c. 1928
In Supta Virasana, demonstrating "A good exercise for the back and abdominal muscles". Photograph by John de Mirjian, c. 1928
"As Mona Lisa" by Robert Henri, c. 1929
Virasana or Hero Pose is a kneeling asana in modern yoga as exercise. Medieval hatha yoga texts describe a cross-legged meditation asana under the same name. Supta Virasana is the reclining form of the pose; it provides a stronger stretch.
Virasana
Virasana in the Mughal illustration to the treatise Bahr al-Hayat, c. 1600-1605. Chester Beatty Library
Early usage: health and beauty guru Marguerite Agniel in Supta Virasana. Studio photograph by John de Mirjian, c. 1928