Published January 20, 2026 02:59PM
Yoga Journal’s archives series is a curated collection of articles originally published in past issues beginning in 1975. This article first appeared in the January 2002 issue of Yoga Journal.
As we work to create healthy and safe backbends-and especially as we explore deeper, more challenging backbends, like dropping back from standing into Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward-Facing Bow Pose or Wheel pose)-we should always seek to develop a curve of the spine that is even, with no sharp angles sticking in or out.
Many students measure their progress in backbending by how extreme they can make the curves in their backs, forcing themselves into backbends before their spines are ready.Rather than finding length and openness and developing an even, healthy curve, they jam their backs, strain their sacroiliac joints and the rest of the sacral area, and wind up with long-term or irreparable damage. Frequently enough students are impressed with a back that folds almost in half, giving the appearance of extreme flexibility, but this is the most hazardous way to bend the back.
If flexibility exists primarily in just one point of the back, that area will be very vulnerable to injury. A yoga student working with backbends is much like a carpenter working to create a curve in a fine piece of wood. Just as wood constantly overstressed in one place will eventually break, a spine overstressed in one place will eventually suffer. And just as a piece of wood breaks if we try to shape it into a curve before it is ready,we can harm the back if we try to bend it before warming it up and making it supple.
of course, there are certain spines that, like certain pieces of wood, are remarkably flexible. Like every piece of wood, every spine can bend, but the degree of flexibility will vary.In yoga, we work to maximize the usefulness of the unique body we are given, just as a master carpenter seeks to work with the grain of each individual piece of wood. And we need to remember that our spine differs from a piece of wood in one critical way: If we over-stress it, we can’t replace it.
Coming into Wheel Pose From the Mat
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To work safely on dropping back from standing into Urdhva Dhanurasana, it’s important to first learn proper actions as you practice coming into Urdhva Dhanurasana from the floor. Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor, heels directly in line with and a few inches in front of the sitting bones.
Bring the outer edges of the feet parallel and press all four corners of each foot down evenly. Lift the arches and also the inner and outer ankles. For most people, the knees tend to splay out farther than hip distance. To counteract this, roll the outer thighs toward the inner thighs and release the inner thighs toward the floor until the thighs are parallel. A common mistake is to squeeze the knees together to make the thighs parallel, but if you work in this way, you risk over-rotating and straining the inner knees.
Proper work in the legs and buttocks is absolutely essential to protect the lower back in backbends. Students frequently injure themselves in backbending because they compress the lumbar spine by clenching the glutes maximus, one of the muscles responsible for external rotation of the legs.Squeezing and rotating the buttocks too tightly together pinches the lower back.
Rather, lengthen the buttocks flesh away from the lumbar spine in the direction of the knees. At the same time, draw the hamstrings up toward the buttocks and
Urdhva dhanurasana the elbows and shoulders stack directly over the wrists.But this alignment must be achieved by properly opening the shoulders, chest, and spine, not by pushing your upper arms bones out of the shoulder sockets.
It is indeed critical in backbending to keep the breath free. If you hold your breath, you tighten the body and mind. The mind must remain soft so you can listen to the messages of your body.
Now let’s apply these alignment principles in Urdhva Dhanurasana. With an inhalation, come up to the Urdhva Dhanurasana Prep. Secure your upper arms in your shoulder sockets and open your chest fully.Keep your feet parallel and work to rotate your thighs until they are parallel. With your next inhalation, slowly begin to lift up into Urdhva Dhanurasana (Figure 2).
As you straighten the arms, remember to keep the chest from moving forward; rather, lift straight up. If the elbows splay as you come up, come down and place a strap just above your elbows.Now that you’re up, relax your neck so that your ears are alongside your upper arms and practice breathing smoothly.
Keeping your hands firmly rooted, spin your outer arms toward your inner arms, and move your forearms toward each other as you fully straighten your elbows.Make your outer upper arms firm and draw them toward the bones. Again without moving your chest forward, create maximum extension from the hands to the shoulder blades.
Lift your shoulders and chest straight up toward the ceiling, creating as much height as possible. Without losing any elevation and without puffing your armpits at all, challenge your back ribs to move farther into your body. Now go back to the work in your legs.
Keeping your knees directly over your ankles, press down into your feet. Lift your outer hips and soften your inner thighs toward the ground. The work of the inner thighs is subtle and tough to find, but without this work your groins will be hard and puffed toward the ceiling, and the whole sacral area, especially the sacroiliac joints, will be compressed.
After softening your inner thighs down, slide the flesh of your buttocks toward the backs of your knees and firm the backs of the thighs. All these leg and buttock actions, coupled with the movement of the back ribs into the body, will lengthen the curve along the back of the body. The backbend in this pose should be made deeper by creating height evenly.
The navel should be the peak of your pose; from your hands and your feet, your body should feel as though it rises symmetrically. A common mistake in this pose is to straighten the legs and shift your weight toward your hands to create more sensation of stretch in the chest. This action does not actually create height; as you shift the weight, you lose the work of the buttocks flesh toward the knees, collapse the groins, and usually compress the lower back.
Another mistake is to break the smooth curve of the front of your body by poking your front ribs out. The back side of your body should form a smooth curve, with no sudden angles.
Coming into Wheel pose Using a Wall
Once you’re fairly comfortable with Urdhv“`html
Without losing the work of Samasthiti in the legs, keep moving the curve of the backbend up your back. Draw your sternum away from your navel and are your gaze toward the wall behind you.Keep lifting your chest and thoracic spine up toward the ceiling to avoid sinking your weight into your lower back.When you can see the wall, extend your arms overhead and place your palms on the wall (Figure 3). Keep both hands at the same height and press them evenly into the wall.
Come out of the pose with extreme care; coming into and out of poses is where many students get hurt.
Again turn your attention to your legs. You may be pushing your thighs out into the belt. Rather, attempt to slacken the belt. At the same time, keep the backs of your thighs lifting and reaffirm the heel-to-sitting-bone connection. Along with the other leg actions of Samasthiti, this will provide a sensation that I think of as “staying high up on the legs.”
From this grounding and lifting, move your back ribs, the bottom tips of your shoulder blades, and your chest up. As in Urdhva Dhanurasana, rotate your outer arms toward your inner arms to encourage proper positioning of your upper arm bones in your shoulder sockets.
How to Release the Pose Mindfully
It’s important to come out of this pose with care; coming into and out of poses is often where students get hurt.Don’t stay until you’re exhausted.Begin by pressing your shins back into your calf muscles. This action will root your heels and deepen the lift and height in your groins.
As you lift back to vertical, you must resist leaning to one side.A common mistake in coming up is to reach up more with one hand than the other and tilt the torso to come up. This is risky for it can torque the spine. The arms must leave the wall simultaneously occurring and with equal energy.
To come up, use your inhalation to anchor your shins back, press down through your heels, move the tops of your thighs into your hamstrings, and lift your chest over the plumb line of your legs. This lift is the key to not hurting the back. Do not be in a hurry to move beyond this drop-back prep at the wall. It’s much harder than it looks, and it’s a good variation to stick with and work on for some time.
This variation is especially useful because it concentrates the backbend in your chest and upper back-for most students, the hardest areas to open. Once you become secure in your leg work and can lift your chest while staying calm and connected to the breath, it is indeed time to work your hands down the wall. start slowly, moving the hands down the wall a few inches at a time, always reinforcing the work of the legs and chest.
If at any point you realize you’ve lost any of this work, practice satya (truth) and ahimsa (nonviolence): Back up a little and work to recreate integrity in the curve of your backbend. With time, patience, and keeping up a regular practice, most students who follow these guidelines will be able to walk all the way down to the floor.
Coming into Wheel Pose With a Prop
when walking down the wall becomes comfortable, it’s time to take the props away and learn to drop back. This should also be done in stages; you can place a filing cabinet,chair,or footstool securely against
Mastering the drop-back in yoga requires careful planning and awareness. Begin by reaching your arms up and back, as if originating from your legs, lengthening the sides of your body.Gently bend your knees and, with controlled movement, place your hands on the floor. A soft landing is crucial. If you find your elbows bending or feel like you’re falling rather than arching, you aren’t ready for this progression. You need more lift in your legs and a greater curve in your chest.
Prioritize the ethical principles of yoga, satya (truthfulness) and ahimsa (non-harming), and revisit earlier variations if needed. Rising back to standing can be more challenging than the drop-back itself. Without a spotter, it’s best to simply lower your back to the ground to exit the pose safely.
The full drop-back isn’t for everyone. However, the variations discussed here can be practiced safely by most. Yoga teaches us moderation.Pushing beyond your body’s current capacity leads to suffering – what the Yoga Sutra calls duhkha.This happens when we become frustrated and force ourselves into positions we aren’t prepared for, ignoring our body’s signals and clinging to our desires.
Yoga aims to alleviate duhkha, but this isn’t achieved through rote practice. It requires listening to your body, being honest with yourself, and letting go of misperceptions. The most valuable thing you can do is appreciate and celebrate your current abilities. contentment, in itself, is a form of yoga.
