Meaning Behind Legs up the Wall – Viparita Karani: Restoring Vitality & Reducing Stress

Meaning Behind Legs up the Wall – Viparita Karani: Restoring Vitality & Reducing Stress

Appearing in yogic texts from around the 17thcentury, the practice of viparita karani, legs up the wall pose, is both a yoga posture and a mudra or symbol. Intended from the beginning as a restful asana, the name combines the Sanskrit word viparita meaning ‘inverted’ or ‘reversed’ and karani meaning ‘to do’ or ‘a particular practice’. With the body lying in stillness, legs in the air and eyes relaxed, this posture is indeed the reverse of many of our own daily lives. Instead of rushing from one task to another, viparita karani offers a moment to reset the nervous system; instead of feeling overwhelmed by stress and anxiety, viparita karani looks to restore ojas or life’s vitality, to help bring back a sense of healthy juiciness to the mind and body once again.

 

Resting The Fire

Although viparita karani may look like a modified shoulder stand, this posture in itself is actually an entirely different process, working on the deeper subtle aspects of us, particularly on the level of chakras and nadis. At a time in which ‘burning out’ is commonplace, this posture has long been thought of as the antidote to an excess of fire, heat and stress in the subtle body. The third chakra at the solar plexus – manipura chakra – is the center of fire, linked to willpower, dominance, and the attitude of ‘getting things done’. When this place of fire burns too much, it burns out, and so do we. By practicing viparita karani, its said that the fire in the belly is allowed a moment to rest and rejuvenate. The flames and embers of inner power and strength are settled away from the winds of the world, whilst the body is inverted in a restful position.

 

In terms of the movement of energy, this particular inversion sends energy or prana – meaning ‘life force’ towards the higher chakras such as vishuddhi at the throat, ajna at the third eye, and sahasrara the crown chakra. When we’re too busy with the demands of everyday life, these more meditative and insight-producing chakras can become neglected, impacting our ability to express authentically, think intuitively and quieten the mind. Iyengar favoured this gentle inversion, thought since ancient times to cure any ailments, and insisted upon approaching viparita karani in a relaxed manner, calling it a “restful practice, where the body is inverted without effort”.

 

Calming The Nerves

Resting in an inverted position and allowing the breath to slow, we naturally begin stimulating the vagus nerve, also known as the ‘wandering nerve’ due to its route from the brain to the gut. When energy flows through this place, the whole nervous system receives a message that its safe to relax, and finally we’re able to switch from the fight or flight system (partly responsible for stress-related diseases, and the side of the nervous system we find ourselves in daily), to rest and digest (a state of ease and balance, where the body can begin to find optimum health and healing again).

 

Ancient yogic texts like the Dattatreyayogasastra confidently state that the practice of viparita karani over a prolonged period of time can ‘destroy all diseases’, halt the aging process, reverse wrinkles and grey hairs, and even encourage immortality. Whilst lying with your legs up the wall might not bring you those exact benefits, it can really help slow down the ageing process by calming the nervous system, which in turn could then help reduce inflammation, blood pressure, anxiety, enhance breathing ability, clarity of mind, overall wellbeing and therefore longevity. So the next time you find yourself with a wall and a few spare minutes, practice viparita karani and soak up the soothing benefits!

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