Viparita Karani (Sanskrit:विपरीतकरणी;IAST:viparītakaraṇī) orlegs up the wall pose^[1] is both anasana and amudra inhatha yoga. In modernyoga as exercise, it is commonlya fully supported pose using a wall and sometimes a pile of blankets, where it is considered a restful practice. As a mudra it was practised using any preferred inversion, such as a headstand or shoulderstand. The purpose of the mudra was to reverse the downward flow of vital fluid being lost from the head, using gravity.

The name comes from the Sanskrit wordsविपरीतviparīta, "inverted" or "reversed", andकरणीkaraṇī, "a particular type of practice".^[2]

The practice is described in the 13th centuryVivekamārtaṇḍa (verses 103–131) as a means of yogic withdrawal,pratyahara.^[3]

The pose was practised from the 17th century onwards inhatha yoga under names such as Narakasana, Kapalasana and Viparitakaranasana; its purpose as amudra was to reverse the downflow and loss of the life-giving substance (Bindu) through the use ofgravity. In the early Bindu Model of Hatha Yoga, as described in theHatha Yoga Pradipika and other texts, the vital fluid is held in the head but constantly drips down and is lost. Mudras were thought to block the centralsushumna nadi channel of thesubtle body and work to force the flow back up, or in the case of Viparita Karani actually reverse the flow, usinggravity.^[4] A headstand is described and illustrated inhalftone as Viparita Karani in the 1905Yogasopana Purvacatuska.^[5]

• 
  Early Bindu Model ofHatha Yoga, as described in theHatha Yoga Pradipika and other texts. Mudras such as Viparita Karani can reverse the flow, stopping the loss of vital fluid.^[4]
• 
  Viparita Karani using ashoulderstand from an illustrated manuscript of theJoga Pradipika, 1830
• 
  Viparita Karani using aheadstand inYogasopana Purvacatuska, 1905

Viparita Karani can be any practice where one is upside down. This can include the asanas of shoulder stand (Sarvangasana), headstand (Sirsasana), or handstand (Adho Mukha Vrksasana). In theHatha Yoga Pradipika, as in most classical texts onhaṭha yoga, Viparita Karani is listed as amudra,^[6] meaning its purpose is for the directing of energy upwards within the body, using gravity's action on the inverted body,^[7] as opposed to asanas which are used in theHatha Yoga Pradipika to create steadiness.^[8]

In one popular expression of Viparita Karani as an asana inmodern postural yoga, it resemblesSalamba Sarvāngāsana (supported shoulder stand) but withextension in thethoracic spine (rather than thecervical spine), elbows on the floor and hands supporting hips or lower back.^[9]

InIyengar Yoga, the pose, also called "Legs-up-the-Wall Pose",^[1] is described as "a restful practice, where the body is inverted without effort", and the lower back and buttocks aresupported with a pile of blankets, while the legs are rested against a wall, either together or allowed to fall outwards into a straddle.^[2]

In Uttanapadasana, meaning "stretch leg pose", the back rests on the floor and the legs point straight up, either against a wall, supported with a strap, or free.^[2]

In Urdhva Prasarita Padasana, the back is on the ground, the arms are stretched out on the floor above the head, and the legs are raised either partly or to the vertical.^[10]

Inpregnancy, the pose can be practised as "Wall Butterfly", with the buttocks and feet against a wall, feet together as inBaddha Konasana, the knees falling to the sides. The hands can be used to press the knees.^[11]

• Mallinson, James;Singleton, Mark (2017).Roots of Yoga.Penguin Books.ISBN 978-0-241-25304-5.OCLC 928480104.
• Mehta, Silva;Mehta, Mira; Mehta, Shyam (1990).Yoga: The Iyengar Way.Dorling Kindersley.

• Inverted asanas
• Meditation
• Medieval Hatha Yoga asanas
• Mudras

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