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Wheel Pose

Wheel is the deep end of backbending: straight arms and legs push you into an upward arch while the glutes and back extensors hold hip and spine extension against gravity. At the same time the chest, abs, and hip flexors get a powerful stretch. Reserve it for when your shoulders and spine are well warmed, and build the strength and mobility in Bridge Pose and Cobra first.

Equipment
Body Weight
Body part
Back, Glutes
Type
Stretching, Yoga
Muscles worked
Target
Erector Spinae, Gluteus Maximus
Secondary
Deltoid Anterior, Triceps Brachii Long Head, Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis
Tertiary
Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, Trapezius Lower, Upper Rectus Abdominals

How to do it

  1. 1

    Lie on your back with knees bent, heels drawn close to your hips and feet hip-width apart.

  2. 2

    Bend the elbows and plant the hands beside your ears, fingers pointing toward the shoulders.

  3. 3

    Press into the feet and lift the hips, then pause with the crown of the head lightly on the floor.

  4. 4

    Straighten the arms to push the head clear and lift the chest through the frame of the arms.

  5. 5

    Reach the tailbone toward the knees and roll the inner thighs down to protect the lower back.

  6. 6

    Breathe steadily, then tuck the chin and lower down slowly, one vertebra at a time.

Tips

  • Keep the feet parallel and knees tracking forward so the arch spreads across the whole spine.
  • Push the floor away until the arms are fully straight, sharing load off the lower back.
  • Come down with control rather than collapsing, and rest in a neutral twist afterward.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The hands get planted wider than the shoulders with the fingers pointing out to the sides, and from there the elbows flare and the press stalls halfway up.
  • The feet slide away from the hips during the push, so the hips never travel over the knees and the arch has to come out of the low back.
  • The crown of the head is left resting on the floor while you gather yourself, and any real weight parked there goes straight into the neck.
  • The heels lift as the chest presses back toward the wall behind you, so the drive comes off the toes and the glutes drop out of the pose.
  • Wrists complain first here, because they are bent hard under your own bodyweight; spread the fingers and press through the base of the index finger rather than sitting on the heels of the hands.

Frequently asked

Wheel Pose: how many breaths, how many attempts, and what should come first?
Hold a Bridge Pose with the hips high for 30 to 45 seconds, and be able to press the head clear of the floor with the arms straightening, before you treat Wheel as your pose. Then three to five breaths, two or three attempts with a rest between, is the dose. This is not a long-hold shape: quality falls off fast and the low back takes what the shoulders cannot give. Come down between attempts rather than staying up, and rest on your back with the knees hugged in afterwards.
How do I work up to Wheel Pose if I cannot push up, and how do I progress it?
Easier: work Bridge and supported Bridge first, then try Wheel with the hands on blocks angled against a wall, which reduces how much overhead range the shoulders need. Standing the feet on a low, stable platform has the same effect. Stopping with the crown lightly on the floor and the elbows bent is a legitimate stage, not a failure. Harder: walk the feet closer to the hands, straighten the legs more, hold for longer, or lift one leg once the base pose feels genuinely steady.
Why practise Wheel Pose, and who should avoid it?
It opens the chest, front of the shoulders and hip flexors while the glutes and back extensors work hard to hold you up, which is why it feels like the opposite of a day spent sitting. It asks a lot of the shoulders overhead and of the wrists under load, and if the shoulders cannot give that range the low back is what bends instead. Avoid it with a shoulder or wrist injury, a low back that is currently flaring, or high blood pressure you have been advised to be careful with.

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