Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)
Wheel Pose, or Urdhva Dhanurasana, is a deep backbend and full-body strengthener that energizes the body and opens the chest, shoulders, and hips. It resembles an arched "wheel" as you lift your body off the ground, supported by your hands and feet.
Key Points for Wheel Pose:
- Alignment:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart, close to your glutes.
- Place your hands beside your ears, palms flat, fingers pointing toward your shoulders.
- Keep your elbows shoulder-width apart and parallel to avoid flaring.
- Engagement:
- Press firmly through your feet and hands to lift your hips, chest, and torso off the ground.
- Straighten your arms as much as possible while maintaining strong engagement in the shoulders and legs.
- Keep your thighs internally rotated and knees aligned over your ankles.
- Focus:
- Lift your chest and press it toward the back of the mat to deepen the backbend.
- Keep the neck relaxed, allowing the gaze to move softly toward the ground.
- Avoid splaying the feet or elbows outward—keep everything aligned.
- Breath:
- Inhale as you lift into the pose.
- Take steady, deep breaths while holding, and exhale as you come down gently.