How to practice Viparita Karani

The Yoga posture Viparita Karani is also called as Inverted Lake posture.  It is called as Inverted Lake posture because in this posture, the body is inverted or is made to stand upside down.  The word "viparita" in Sanskrit means 'inverted'  and the word "karani" means action.

There are lot of health benefits of the Viparita Karani Yoga pose.  This yoga pose hides wrinkles in addition to banishing old age and death.   This yoga posture gets blood flowing to the parts of the body which need it, making it good for most of the diseases like arthritis, high blood pressure, respiratory ailments etc. 

It is very good to devote your entire session each week for doing Viparita Karani asana.  If you have any fatigue, anxiety or depression, it will be removed by this asana.  If you are exhausted from your day, it is time for you to go upside-down.   Here is a step by step procedure to practice viparita Karani asana.

Step by step procedure to practice Viparita Karani asana

• First sit down with your support about 5 to 6 inches to your right side.  Now place a two folded blanket close to your waist so that they will support you when you tilt backwards.
• Now take a deep breath and while exhaling, tilt your torso slightly towards the blanket while swinging your legs up against the wall for support.
• Allow the front portion of your torso to round up gently as you tilt yourself backwards and lie down.The blanket or pillow should support your waist.  If you feel you are slipping off, re adjust your position and try again.   You may need to move a little closer to the wall
• Keep your legs straight up
• Release the base of your skull and lift it away so that you soften the stretch that you feel on your throat.  Tilt your head downwards
• Open your shoulder blades and allow your arms to freely rest on the sides, with both palms facing upwards.
• Release the weight of your torso and feel it weighing deep into back of your pelvis in order to keep your legs straight and firm.
• Hold the pose for at least 5 minutes.  You can even keep the pose for 15 to 20 minutes after practice.  Keep breathing normally during the pose.

Caution :  Please do not perform this asana if you have serious optic problems like glaucoma. Even if you experience tingling in your feet or legs, come back to normal position immediately.  

Health benefits of Viparita Karani asana

Some of the health benefits of Viparita Karani asana are given below.

• Regulates blood flow
• Improves digestion
• Restores tired feet or legs
• Reduces anxiety
• Relieves symptoms of depression
• Relieves mild back ache

Here is a video showing how to practice Viparita Karani Asana.