Viparita Karani


Viparita Karani or legs up the wall pose is both an asana and a mudra in hatha yoga. In modern yoga as exercise, it is commonly a fully supported pose using a wall and sometimes a pile of blankets.

Etymology and origins

The name comes from the Sanskrit words विपरीत viparīta, "inverted" or "reversed", and करणी karaṇī, "a particular type of practice".
The pose was practised from the 17th century onwards in hatha yoga, though known by various names such as Narakasana, Kapalasana and Viparitakaranasana; its purpose as a mudra was to reverse the downflow and loss of the life-giving substance through the use of gravity.

Description

Viparita Karani can be any practice where one is upside down. This can include the asanas of shoulder stand, headstand, or handstand. In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, as in most classical texts on haṭha yoga, viparita karani is listed as a mudra, meaning its purpose is for the directing of energy or kundalini upwards within the body, using gravity, as opposed to asanas which are used in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika to create steadiness.
In one popular expression of viparita karani as an asana in modern postural yoga, it resembles Salamba Sarvāngāsana but with extension in the thoracic spine, either against a wall or free.

Variations

Variations include bringing the soles of the feet together as in Baddha Konasana, or letting the legs fall outward into a straddle.
In Urdhva Prasarita Padasana, the back is on the ground, the arms are above the head, and the legs are raised either partly or to the vertical.