Benefits of Legs-up-the-Wall Pose

Yoga and meditation are mind-body practices that include countless physical poses, controlled breathing, and relaxation. Legs up the wall yoga pose or Viparita Karani is a relaxation yoga practice that releases stress and tension from our mind and body and helps in relaxation. It is the best yoga pose to practice after a long tiring day at work.

Legs up the wall yoga pose are the simplest type of inversion yoga without strenuous backbends. It is the best restorative yoga posture after sitting or standing all day to refresh tired legs and relax your body and mind. Although it is a passive yoga posture, Viparita Karani has countless health benefits. Before gaining knowledge of its health benefits, let’s understand how we can perform it.

How to perform the legs up the wall yoga pose?

The Viparita Karani yoga pose is the easiest to perform and master. You can practice it anywhere. But, if you are a beginner, it’s better to do it under a trainer’s guidance. The following are the step-by-step way of doing the legs up the wall pose:

• Find a cozy and comfortable place to practice yoga and place a yoga mat on the floor, next to a wall. You can also perform it while lying on your bed before sleeping.
• As you lie down on the mat, align your back and hips close to the wall.
• Place your feet on the wall so that your body maintains an L-shape.
• While performing this pose, relax your knees and ensure that your feet are parallel to the floor.
• You can adjust your position to a more relaxing one by placing a pillow under your head, a small blanket under your buttock, and below your arms.
• While maintaining the posture, focus on your breathing. Many yoga advisors suggest practicing deep breathing calms your mind and body and helps to fall asleep faster.
• In starting, you can maintain this pose for two to three minutes and reaches up to ten minutes for optimal benefits.
• After you have finished your yoga, carefully come out from the pose, shift into a seated position, and calm breathing for at least 30 seconds.

You may feel a slight stretch in your legs, but if it causes pain and discomfort, immediately discontinue it.

What are the benefits of the Viparita Karani or legs up the wall yoga pose?

During the past few years, yoga and meditation have become increasingly popular in our fast-paced world. Yoga is a mindful practice that develops self-awareness, enhances fitness, and improves overall health. The following are the few benefits of the legs up the wall yoga poses:

• Relaxes the body and mind

Legs up the wall pose activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which stimulates the relaxation response of our mind and body. It calms your nerves, releases stress and tension, and maintains balance. The regular practice of the Viparita Karani pose can influence the body’s self-healing ability.

• Better circulation

This inversion pose improves venous drainage and lymphatic fluid movement by reversing gravity’s effects. A leg up the wall yoga pose is helpful in people who have low blood pressure levels, edema in the legs and feet, or chronic venous insufficiency.

• Relieves tension in hamstrings and lower back

The Viparita Karani pose gently stretches hamstrings, glutes, hips, and spine and releases tension from the lower back. It reduces the curve of the lumbar spine and relieves tightness in the lumbar region. While regular practices of this pose, you can notice the betterment in your back pain and improvement in your flexibility.

• Reduces muscle cramps

It is the best remedy to reduce the build-up tension and soothe muscle cramps in the legs and feet. The Viparita Karani pose helps in pelvic muscle relaxation and relieves menstrual cramps.

• Help with headaches

The root cause of migraine and other headaches is tension. Performing the legs up the wall pose helps improve blood circulation in your head and relaxes the neck and back muscles.

• Improve sleep quality

The combination of the Viparita Karani poses and deep breathing slow heart rate, which evokes a relaxation response and lower stress, tension, anxiety, and insomnia. Therefore, if you are struggling with sleep, enlist this pose in your daily bedtime routine and see the phenomenal results.

• Better digestion

Legs up the wall pose activate our body’s nervous response and aid in active digestion.

• Corrects other medical conditions

Viparita Karani pose helps slower heart rate, decreases blood pressure levels, and relaxes muscles and mind. It can also be beneficial in lowering the harmful effects of numerous other conditions, such as:

• Venous disease
• Restless leg syndrome
• Menopause
• Fibromyalgia
• Cancer
• Metabolic syndrome

Avoid this pose in case of glaucoma, hernia, or heavy menstrual flow. The legs up the wall yoga pose are the best de-stressing technique to release the tension of the whole day and relax.