Table Top Pose (Bharmanasana)

Pronunciation and meaning

Bharmanasana: bar-mahn-AHS-uh-nuh. The bh is a breathy b, and the stress falls on AHS.

Bharmanasana is usually translated as table posture. On hands and knees, the back is flat like a table top and the arms and thighs are its legs. It is the starting position for Cat-Cow, many balances and the move into Downward-Facing Dog.

How to do Table Top Pose

1. Come onto your hands and knees on the mat, with a blanket under the knees if they are sensitive.
2. Place your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, hip-width apart. Spread the fingers and press the whole hand down.
3. Rest the tops of the feet on the mat, or tuck the toes if that feels better for the knees.
4. Lengthen the spine from tailbone to crown so the back is flat, the neck long and the gaze on the floor just ahead of the hands.
5. Press the floor away so the shoulder blades do not sink. Draw the belly in gently without holding the breath.
6. Stay for five breaths, or use this as the base for the next movement, such as Cat-Cow.

Make it easier

• Make fists, or rest the hands on blocks or the forearms on the floor, if the wrists are sore.
• Fold the mat over, or use a thick blanket, under the knees.
• Lift the opposite arm and leg, one pair at a time, for a balance often called bird dog.

Pregnancy and after birth

Pregnancy. Adapt. Table Top is often comfortable in pregnancy and takes the weight of the belly off the back. Widen the knees for room, keep the back neutral rather than letting the belly sag, and pad the knees. Check with your OB or midwife.

After birth. Adapt. Once your doctor or midwife has cleared you, it is a gentle start for breathing and core work. Keep the belly lightly drawn in and stop if you see doming along the middle of the belly.

See prenatal yoga notes by trimester before you adapt a pose.

Common mistakes

• Letting the shoulders sink between the shoulder blades.
• Dropping the head or lifting it to look forward, which strains the neck.
• Placing the hands ahead of the shoulders, which loads the wrists unevenly.

Table Top Pose, or simply hands and knees, is one of the first shapes in many classes. It is the base for Cat-Cow, the spine warm up, the step before Downward-Facing Dog, and a resting point between harder poses.

It looks simple, and it is a good place to learn how to bear weight on the hands. Setting the wrists under the shoulders here makes every later pose on the hands easier.

What is reverse table top pose?

Reverse table top, sometimes called Ardha Purvottanasana, turns the shape face up. Sit with your knees bent and feet flat, hip-width apart. Place your hands behind your hips, fingers pointing toward you or out to the sides. On an inhale, press into the hands and feet and lift the hips until your thighs and body are level, knees over ankles. Keep the chin slightly tucked, or let the head move back only if the neck is comfortable. Stay for three to five breaths, then lower slowly. With the legs straight, the same lift becomes Reverse Plank, Purvottanasana.

It opens the front of the shoulders and chest and works the backs of the legs, a good counter to forward folds. If the wrists or shoulders complain, lift the hips less high. It is a cousin of Bridge Pose, which works the same lift from lying down, and it fits well with Child’s Pose as a rest afterwards.