Pose library · Urdhva Dhanurasana · reviewed by a teacher
Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)
Wheel Pose is a full backbend from the floor: you lie on your back, place your hands by your ears and press up so the body forms an arch on straight arms and legs. Urdhva means upward and dhanu means bow. It is an advanced pose that needs a warm body, open shoulders and careful preparation.
Pronunciation and meaning
Urdhva Dhanurasana: OORD-vuh dun-oo-RAHS-uh-nuh. Dhanu has a soft dh, almost a d.
Wheel Pose is a full backbend from the floor: you lie on your back, place your hands by your ears and press up so the body forms an arch on straight arms and legs. Urdhva means upward and dhanu means bow. It is an advanced pose that needs a warm body, open shoulders and careful preparation.
How to do Wheel Pose
- Warm up first with Bridge Pose, Cobra and a few Sun Salutations. Never start a practice with Wheel.
- Lie on your back with the knees bent and the feet flat, hip-width apart and close to the hips.
- Bend the elbows and place the hands beside the ears, fingers pointing toward the shoulders, elbows pointing up.
- Press into the feet and lift the hips. Then press into the hands and come onto the crown of the head lightly, checking that the elbows stay in.
- Only if that feels steady, press the hands down and straighten the arms, lifting the head off the floor. Stay for two or three breaths.
- To come down, tuck the chin, bend the elbows, lower the back of the head and then the spine slowly, and rest with the knees together.
Teacher's note from Joahnna Lee
“Keep the knees and feet parallel. When the knees splay, the lower back takes over.”
“Push the floor away through the hands so the bend reaches the upper back and shoulders.”
“Stop at the crown-of-the-head stage for as long as it takes. It is a real pose, not a waiting room.”
Make it easier
- Stay in Bridge Pose, with a block under the sacrum if you like, until Wheel is safe for you.
- Place the hands on two blocks against a wall to shorten the distance to the floor.
Pregnancy and after birth
Pregnancy. Avoid. Full backbends stretch the abdomen hard and are not suitable in pregnancy. Choose a supported Bridge only if your OB or midwife is happy for you to lie on your back, and check with them before you start.
After birth. Avoid. Leave full backbends until your doctor or midwife has cleared you and the abdominal wall and pelvic floor have recovered. Rebuild with Bridge Pose and come back to Wheel slowly.
Expecting? Joahnna Lee Yoga has notes on adapting each trimester.
Common mistakes
- Pushing up cold, without warming the spine and shoulders first.
- Letting the elbows and knees splay outward.
- Collapsing straight down from the top onto the head and neck.
Wheel Pose is the full backbend most people picture when they think of a bendy yoga student. It can feel wonderful, but it is not a pose to rush, and it is never the first thing in a practice.
In Vinyasa for experienced students it comes only after a long warm-up, and many students are better served by staying in Bridge, with the hips lifted from the floor, for a good while first.
Before you try it
Wheel puts strong pressure on the wrists, shoulders and lower back, and it turns the head below the heart. Leave it out if you have a back, neck, wrist or shoulder injury, high or low blood pressure, or feel dizzy when you bend backwards, and ask your doctor first if any of these apply. Stop at any sharp pain, and come down slowly rather than collapsing.
A gentler backbend driven by the legs in the same way is Bow Pose, practised lying on the belly. The page of backbend yoga poses, from Sphinx to Wheel shows the gentler shapes to practise first.
For a backbend that adds deep hip opening, see King Pigeon Pose, the full version of Pigeon.
Wheel Pose questions
Why can't I straighten my arms in Wheel Pose?
Usually the shoulders and upper back are not yet open enough, or the hands are too far from the feet. Stay at the crown-of-the-head stage and keep working on Bridge and on shoulder openers. Never force the arms straight.