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Upside Down

Looking for relaxation? Reclining in Viparita Karani can help you find serenity.

By Judith Hanson Lasater

The Oxford English Dictionary committee recently revealed that

the most commonly used noun in English is "time." Probably
when we use this word in daily conversation, it is to express our
belief that we do not have enough time in our lives. We fill our
calendars with tasks and appointments. The consequence of
living this way is that we are stressed and seemingly have no time
to de-stress. Even in yoga classes, the final relaxation pose may
be only five minutes long, sadly not long enough in physiological
terms to provide our bodies with appropriate rest.

Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose) is an elegant solution.

Ten to 15 minutes in the pose quiets the mind, lowers blood pressure, enlivens the
legs, and generally relaxes the body. It can be done at the end of an active practice to
rejuvenate, as part of a restorative series, or by itself during a busy day. Although the
pose requires a few props, its soothing effects are well worth the preparation time.

To set up this pose, place the shorter end of your yoga mat against a wall. Now place a
bolsteror two firm blankets rolled to form a bolsterapproximately 10 inches away
from the wall, with the length of the bolster parallel to the wall. Fold another blanket so
that it is approximately 28 inches long and 5 inches high and put it at a 90-degree
angle to your bolster so your setup looks like the letter T. This blanket will support your
back, neck, and head.

To get into Viparita Karani, sit on your heels next to your bolster and face the center of
the room with your right outer hip in line with the middle of one end of the bolster. Lean
forward as in Child's Pose, place your right arm underneath your chest and parallel to
the wall, and simply roll over onto your back. With a little practice you will find the right
relationship to the bolster to use this technique, and the process of getting into Viparita
Karani will become much simpler.

Once you are there, you should be a sufficient distance from the wall so that your
hamstring length allows your tailbone to drop slightly. When this happens, your navel
and pubic bone will be on the same plane. Make sure that your pubic bone is not
higher than your navel. If that occurs, your pelvis is tilting forward; instead, you want
your belly to remain open. If you are in a forward tilt, your hamstrings may be tight. Roll
out of the pose and move the setup a bit farther from the wall. Remember, this pose is
about opening and relaxing, not about creating a stretch in the hamstrings, so the
backs of your legs do not need to be against the wall.

Make sure the bolster supports your lower back ribs and that your legs are straight and
leaning comfortably against the wall. You may fasten a yoga strap around your legs to

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facilitate your relaxation in the pose. Place your arms out to your sides or overhead,
palms up, so your arms are opened away from your body but resting comfortably. Stay
in the pose for up to 15 minutes, remove the strap, and roll to the side, resting for a few
breaths before slowly sitting up. (Avoid this pose if you are menstruating or pregnant or
if you have gastric reflux or heart disease.)

Hamstring Quartet

For you to fully enjoy this pose and reap its benefits, two areas of the body need your
attention. The four hamstring muscles are the first. Three originate at the back of the
femur (thigh), and one originates at the ischial tuberosity (sitting bone) of the pelvis.
Both heads of the biceps femoris (lateral hamstrings) attach to the outside of the knee
region, while the semitendinosus and semimembranosus attach just below the inner
knee. The four hamstrings work together to flex or bend the knee and to extend the hip
joint, as they do when you're preparing to kick a ball.

To do Viparita Karani with the backs of your legs against the wall, your hamstrings
must be somewhat loose. If you feel your hamstrings stretching in the pose, it will be
more difficult to relax and to drop your tailbone down toward the ground. One way to
overcome tight hamstrings in the pose is to do what was suggested earlier: Set up your
bolster or blankets a bit farther from the wall. The other solution is to do a hamstring
stretch or two before practicing Viparita Karani. If you are very tight, it may be sufficient
to lie on the floor and draw one knee to the chest. But if you are like most students,
you'll need to extend or straighten the knee while flexing the hip. The most effective
hamstring stretches are those that both flex the hip and extend the knee: Adho Mukha
Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose), Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), or
Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). If you want, you can place a second bolster or two firmly
rolled blankets between your legs and the wall to support them in the pose.

The Perfect Arch

The second area of the body to focus on in Viparita Karani is the spine. Some students
complain of discomfort during backbending. This may come not from the backbend
itself but from the unevenness of the backbend along the lumbar spine (lower back). If
you are uncomfortable in backbending, you may not be relying on all five segments of
your lumbar spine to move. Instead, you may be forcing the movement primarily at the
lowest vertebral segments, the L4 and L5 joints.

For many students, Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) creates even backbends (see Posture
Perfecter). To feel this sensation, lie on your belly on a comfortable surface. With an
exhalation, bend your knees and hold your ankles while pressing your thighs into the
floor. With the next exhalation, lift your shoulders and knees up to form the basket-
shaped Dhanurasana. Keep breathing and note the sensation of your lower back
bending evenlythis is the same sensation you're seeking for the lumbar spine in
Viparita Karani.

If there is not enough arch in your spine when you do Viparita Karani, your pubic bone
will be higher than your navel. With the body in this shape, the last one or two lower
back ribs will not be on the bolster; they'll be hanging off so that the spine appears and

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feels flat. Make sure that when you position yourself on the bolster, your last rib or two
are well supported by it. When you do this, your thoracic spine (upper spine) will arch,
your breastbone will be lifted, and your breathing will be free. By supporting the
thoracic spine's arch, you will create a moderate arch in the lumbar spine as well. To
experience this sympathetic action of the thoracic and lumbar arches, sit comfortably
on the edge of a chair with your knees bent and your feet about 14 inches apart; as
you sit with a long spine, lift your breastbone as though you were going to drop back
into Camel Pose. Notice how both your thoracic spine and lumbar spine arch evenly
together. Now try to arch your thoracic spine without arching your lumbar spine. It will
probably feel uncomfortable and unnatural. Apply this knowledge of spinal curvature to
Viparita Karani.

When the lumbar spine is in an even arch in Viparita Karani, you will also feel that your
ribs part to the sides a bit, creating more space for the organs of the belly and for your
inhalations. Remember that this arch is positional. It is not achieved by actively
tightening the erector muscles of the posterior spine, but rather by how you position
yourself over the bolster. With the right arch, your tailbone will drop down,
counterbalancing the weight of the thoracic spine moving in the opposite direction.
When you are lying evenly, the sensation will be one of ease and openness without
effort.

Finally, make sure that your face is parallel to the floor. Tuck your chin slightly, so that
the extension of the thoracic and lumbar spines does not continue in the cervical spine
(neck); this will enable you to enter an introspective state. Keeping the cervical spine in
flexion will help stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, the "rest and heal"
nervous system, and thus create the feelings of calm that we all crave. Ending your
practice or your day with this pose will not only mitigate the effects of stress but will
also create a stronger immune system, a quieter mind, and a peaceful sense of self.

Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., is a physical therapist. She recently completed

writing Yoga Moves, a book about the anatomy and kinesiology of asana, which
will be available in 2007. Her latest book, A Year of Living Your Yoga, has just
been released.

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