Pose Breakdown: Wheel Pose

Learning how to do Wheel Pose can be a long journey, but the process is very rewarding. In Wheel Pose, also known as Upward Facing Bow Pose, or traditionally as Urdhva Dhanurasana, you’ll engage your entire body, open your chest, hips, and shoulders, and feel a deep, energizing stretch. While it requires a solid foundation of strength, energy, and flexibility, it can lead to a very freeing expression of your practice.

This beautiful backbend is definitely one to work up to. Before you attempt Wheel Pose, make sure you warm up your spine with backbends like Cobra, Bridge, and the other prep poses listed below. Practice makes progress, but if you find this backbend to be uncomfortable, consider staying with Bridge Pose and Bow Pose until your arms and shoulders feel ready to move to Wheel. And, when you feel solid in Wheel Pose, try exploring one of the many fun Wheel Pose variations!

Benefits of Wheel Pose

  • Strengthens your upper and lower body

  • Tones abdominal muscles

  • Stretches your hip flexors and increases hip flexibility

  • Improves respiratory strength

  • Activates all seven chakras

  • Stimulates the thyroid and pituitary gland

  • Increases energy

  • Opens the chest and shoulders

PREP POSES FOR WHEEL POSE

 
Patrick Beach doing Cobra Pose

COBRA POSE

Laruga Glaser doing Bow Pose

BOW POSE

Patrick Beach doing Downward Dog

DOWNWARD DOG

Ashley Galvin doing Bridge Pose with a block

BRIDGE POSE

Kayla Nielsen doing Camel Pose

CAMEL POSE

Briohny Smyth in Dolphin Pose

DOLPHIN POSE

 

Contraindications of Wheel Pose

Avoid getting into Wheel Pose if you have back pain or injury, blood pressure issues, glaucoma, a hernia, headaches, wrist injury, or diarrhea. 

How to Do wheel Pose

1.

Lie on your back with your head toward the front of your mat. 

2.

Place your feet directly under your bent knees about hip distance apart.

3.

Bring your hands down behind your shoulders with your fingers facing inward. Squeeze your elbows together and press down through your hands.

4.

Lift your hips off the floor by straightening your arms and extending through your legs. 

5.

Walk your feet into a comfortable position, extend your arms, and press your chest forward. Bring your gaze straight back or down between your hands.

Modifications for Wheel Pose

  • To help support your body in Wheel Pose, you may opt to place a bolster, or a bolster on top of blocks underneath your back.

  • If your wrists feel strained or your elbows are bent, try placing angled blocks underneath your hands.

  • Prevent your arms from splaying out by using a yoga strap above your elbows before you push up into the full expression of this pose.

  • Place a block between your thighs and squeeze it to prevent your knees from splaying.

  • When you feel solid in this pose, you can deepen this posture by bringing your hands toward your feet or trying a different Wheel Pose variation.

Try Work Into Wheel, a full-length class that progresses into Wheel as a peak pose, with a free 14-day trial to Alo Moves. 

 
Alo Movespose breakdown, pose library