Steps
Support
Back of your seat; shoulders and neck support your legs.
Enter
- Sit and bend both knees, bringing your feet toward your torso.
- Turn your left thigh outward; place your leg behind your neck.
- Ground your left hand in front; position your right leg behind.
- Hook your right ankle behind your left; lift your chest.
- Balance on your seat and join your palms before your chest.
Hold
- Lower your legs onto your upper back and shoulders.
- Lift your chest; keep your head upright against your legs.
- Keep your ankles crossed and your feet pointed.
- Balance on your seat.
Exit
- Place both hands beside your hips.
- Uncross your ankles and release your legs.
- Extend your legs in front of you and rest.
- Breathing
- Breathe into your chest; exhale when placing your second leg.
- Gaze
- Tip of your nose.
- Duration
- Five breaths.
Adapt
Adaptations
- Hands groundedKeep your palms on the floor beside your hips.
- One legStay in Eka Pāda Śīrṣāsana with only one leg positioned.
- Flexed anklesUse dorsiflexion to hook your feet together during the initial adaptation.
Variations
- Lifted Dvipāda Śīrṣāsana (B): lift your body onto your hands.
- Yoganidrāsana: lie on your back, hands interlaced behind you.
Signals of effort
- Deep flexion and external rotation of both hips.
- Your legs load your shoulders and the base of your neck.
- Small seated base with a tendency to fall backward.
- Weight on your wrists in the lifted variation.
