Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana) is a deep yoga backbend where you lie on your back, place your hands by your ears, and press up into a full backbend with your body forming an arch. It dramatically opens the chest, hips, and shoulders while strengthening the back and arms. It demands significant flexibility and is considered an advanced pose.
Muscle Group
Back, Chest, Shoulders, Yoga
Equipment Required
Bodyweight
Type
Flexibility
Equipment
No Equipment
Difficulty
Intermediate
Key Benefits
- Deeply opens the chest, hips, and shoulders
- Strengthens the back, arms, and legs
- Counteracts forward-hunched posture
- Energizing and invigorating
- Improves spinal flexibility
- Foundational advanced backbend
How to perform
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, heels close to your glutes.
- Place your hands by your ears with fingers pointing toward your shoulders, palms flat on the floor.
- Press your feet and hands into the floor.
- Lift your hips up first, then press through your hands to lift your chest and head off the floor.
- Fully extend your arms and legs to lift into the wheel position.
- Press your chest forward and let your head hang back gently.
- Hold for 3 to 5 breaths if you are a beginner, longer with practice.
- To exit, tuck your chin and lower slowly to the floor. Hug your knees to release.
FRONT VIEW
BACK VIEW
Glutes
Primary
Chest
Primary
Lower Back
Primary
Quadriceps
Primary