It’s February. That means in Wellington, it’s hot and everyone spends as much time outside as they can soak up the sun. By the time Sunday rolls around, I’m exhausted from the heat and too many great events outside. So I’m going back to a yoga pose which both lowers your body temperature and is calming: legs up the wall or viparita karani.

legs up the wall - viparita karani
Before you start, if you might want to have a folded blanket or towel nearby in case you need them to prop up your hips.

  1. Sit down with your hips alongside the wall.
  2. Lie down on your back and swing your legs up the wall.
  3. Have your hips a comfortable distance from the wall. More flexible people can have their hips very close, less flexible people will need to move away from the wall, have bent knees or lift your hips up on a folded blanket.
  4. Relax your legs, they don’t have to be together.
  5. Let your arms rest at your sides, on your belly or even let them stretch out to the height of your shoulders for a little shoulder stretch. Palms face up.
  6. Close your eyes and stay here for at least 2 minutes, but consider resting here for 5 to 10 minutes or as long as you are comfortable.
  7. When you are ready to finish, bring your knees in to your chest and roll to one side. Rest here for a couple of minutes.
  8. Then take your time sitting up and rest here, before returning to standing.
Cool down and relax with legs up the wall – Viparita Karani

You might also like:

seated forward fold - PaschimottanasanaCalm, cool and stretch legs with seated forward fold – Paschimottanasana Viparita karani with a chairRecovering – legs up the wall legs up the wall variations from restorative yoga at homeVariations of legs up the wall (viparita karani) chair pose balanceVariations in chair pose to challenge balance
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