Viparita Karani / Legs Up the Wall

The heavy is the root of the light. The unmoved is the source of all movement.  ~ Verse 26, Tao Te Ching

The above verse suggests the paradox that remaining grounded in our roots, steady and aligned, allows energy and movement to flow through us and through all things. Such contradictions are true of all asana, perhaps most distinctly in the practice of adaptive yoga students.

Without the same accesses as traditional students, adaptive students become especially insightful in their practice. They learn that anchoring a pose creates space, offering relief and the free flow of energy through the body. This heightened awareness allows them to recognize the subtleties of the outer and especially the inner grounding and activation of asana.

Set up near a wall/stacked pillows/blankets/other support. Carefully roll onto the back and extend the legs upward in a supported position. Extend the arms slightly away from the side body with palms up; or bent at the elbows with hands resting on the abdomen with palms down. Relax neck, arms, shoulders, and low back. Continue relaxing the legs on the support. Stay in the pose for as long as it is comfortable (approximately five to fifteen minutes).

Allow the simultaneous vertical and horizontal extension of the asana to direct inner body awareness through the body, just as the hub of a wheel allows for movement from stability.

Carefully come out of the pose by bending the knees and rolling to one side. Stay and settle for several breaths, then using the arms slowly push up to a seated position.

Teaching & Practice Details

Options:

• Rest calves on seat of a chair or on stacked pillows/blankets.
• Place thin blanket under pelvis or under head. Have partner place sandbags on soles of feet and/or front of shoulders.
• For ease and support, cinch yoga strap/similar around thighs and/or calves.
• Lie flat/face-up, recognize the heaviness of the back body, lightness of the front body.
• Activate by pushing upward through the feet, and/or extending arms overhead and back towards floor.
• Lie flat and ask a partner to carefully lift up the ankles. Allow the legs to be completely heavy. As the weight of legs is supported, feel the buoyancy and expansion of the body and awareness down through the feet/sitting bones and up through the top of the head.

Benefits:

• Calms the nervous system. Is the foundation for subtle body activation.
• Groundedness allows for space, which is the conduit of the inner body.
• Support relaxes the back body, legs, and feet. Improves circulation.
• Changes relationship to gravity and broadens one’s perspective.
• Base variation sets the stage for inner awareness and activation.
• Creates space in abdominal cavity and boosts digestion.

Viparita Karani / Legs Up the Wall Variations