Viparita Karani | Legs Up The Wall

Legs Up The Wall, or Viparita Karani, is usually a restorative pose performed towards the end of a practice, but it can easily be practiced as a pose by itself.  This is a great pose to practice before bed to calm the sympathetic nervous system.

Inversions are plentiful in benefits; they can help reverse the effects of gravity on the whole system, help regulate blood pressure, help move stuck fluids, and even help improve your digestion.  

For some of us, the energetic expressions of inversions like Handstand or Headstand are too much, or even out of the question.  When we need a pose that is equally nourishing without all of the extra effort, Legs Up The Wall is the answer.  You will still experience the benefits of practicing an active inversion, while also fully resting and surrendering.

Props aren’t necessary for this pose, but here’s how a few can enhance your experience:

• Blanket/Bolster: place a folded blanket or a bolster underneath your hips to create extra lift and support.
• Strap: using a yoga strap, necktie or belt, strap your legs together snugly at either the mid thigh or mid calf level.  Strapping your legs together allows you to fully relax and release into the pose without the added effort of holding your legs up.  Don’t knock it until you try it.  
• Block/Blanket: balance a block or folded blanket on the bottoms of your feet (the part facing the ceiling) to increase the gravitational weight and intensify the hamstring stretch
• Eye Pillow: use a silk eye pillow for sweet, sweet relaxation

Step-By-Step

Find an open wall space and begin by lying on your back with your sit-bones as close to the wall as is comfortable for you. From there, extend your legs up the wall, so the backs of your legs are resting fully against it.  Adjust the intensity of the stretch and inversion by experimenting with your proximity to the wall; for an easier stretch, move away from the wall slightly, for a more intense inversion, place your sit-bones closer to the wall.  Close your eyes and breathe; hang out here for at least two and up to fifteen minutes.  

Pose Benefits:

• Calms anxiety
• Regulates blood flow
• Alleviates menstrual cramps
• Relieves swollen ankles and varicose veins
• Improves digestion
• Restores tired feet or legs
• Stretches the back of the neck, front torso, and back of the legs
• Improves problems of the eyes and ears
• Relieves mild backache
• Provides migraine and headache relief, especially when done with a bandage wrapped tightly around the forehead and back of the skull
• Helps testicular, semen, and ovarian problems in men and women respectively
• Relieves symptoms of mild depression and insomnia