How to Do Wheel Yoga Pose

Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on July 21, 2022
Written by Candina Jordan
6 min read

In yoga, the wheel pose is also called chakrasana or urdhva dhanurasana in Sanskrit. It's sometimes called the upward-facing bow pose as well. Regardless of its name, wheel pose is an intermediate-to-advanced back-bending posture that engages your entire body. 

The wheel yoga pose is a deep back bend that opens your chest and tones your abdomen, thighs, and arms. Holding wheel pose will target your entire body. It's a challenging posture that you should work up to or modify if you're a beginner. The wheel pose stretches your chest and lungs and will give you an energy boost. 

The wheel yoga pose strengthens the following muscles: 

Glutes. The glutes are comprised of three primary muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. These buttocks muscles help stabilize your body when you stand, climb, run, or balance when twisting your body. They're an important part of many foundational movements you engage in daily. 

Hamstrings. There are three hamstring muscles at the back of your thighs, starting at your hips and inserting at your knees. These three muscles are the biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus. You use your hamstring muscles to perform many different leg movements, including walking, climbing stairs, and squats. 

Lower back muscles. The three types of back muscles that help your spine function include extensor muscles, flexor muscles, and oblique muscles. These muscles help support your spine, maintain proper posture, and allow you to flex, bend forward, lift and arch your lower back. 

Wheel yoga pose stretches the following muscles: 

Hip flexors. The hip flexors are the muscles involved in flexing movements of the hip such as bringing your knee closer to your chest. You use your hip flexor muscles every time you take a step. There are five muscles involved in hip flexion, including the iliacus, psoas, pectineus, rectus femoris, and sartorius. Stretching your hip flexors will make them longer and help prevent injury. 

Abdominal muscles. Your abdominal muscles are the muscles that surround and support your internal organs. They connect the upper and lower body. They help keep your body stable and balanced and support your spine. 

Wrists. The intrinsic muscles of your wrist and hand help to stabilize your position during wheel pose. Your wrist is engaged in dorsiflexion, which means it's bent backward.

To do a wheel yoga pose, take the following steps: 

  • Lie on your yoga mat on your back with your knees bent. Your feet should be hip-distance apart and under your knees. 
  • Put your hands beside your ears with your palms facing down and your fingers pointing toward your shoulders. 
  • Inhale to prepare, then as you exhale, push yourself halfway up until you can rest the crown of your head on your mat. Don't put any weight on your head.
  • Keep your elbows and upper arms drawn in toward each other and start to arch your middle and upper back. 
  • On your next inhalation, press down into your hands and feet and lift up into the pose. 
  • Keep a slight bend in your knees and straighten your arms as much as possible. 
  • Press down on your big toes and make sure your feet are not turned out. 
  • Let your head hang freely, open your chest, and lengthen your body.
  • To go deeper into the pose, walk your feet closer to your hands while keeping your forearms and shins parallel to each other and perpendicular to the floor.
  • Hold the wheel pose for 5 to 10 breaths.
  • To come out of the pose, lower directly to the floor without stopping to put your head on the mat. 

If you aren't ready for the full wheel pose, start with the wheel pose against a wall: 

  • Stand a few feet from a wall, the further away you stand, the deeper you'll stretch. 
  • Place your feet at least hip-width apart and press your heels down.
  • Stretch your arms up alongside your ears. 
  • Continue to lift up through your chest as you bend your knees.
  • Bend your upper back and reach back for the wall with your arms. 
  • Tilt your head back. Stay here or slowly walk your arms further down the wall. 
  • When you find a comfortable place, hold the pose for several breaths.
  • When you're ready to come out of the pose, walk your hands back up the wall. 

You can also make other modifications: 

  • Use two blocks against the wall shoulder distance apart. Place your hands on the blocks to raise your upper body and engage your shoulder blades. 
  • Use a strap around your upper arms to keep your elbows in line and prevent them from splaying out. 
  • Use a block between your thighs to help engage your lower body.
  • Lift one leg at a time to increase the difficulty of wheel pose. 

Wheel yoga pose stretches your chest and lungs while strengthening your wrists, arms, abdomen, buttocks, spine, and legs. 

Studies have also found that wheel pose may: 

Increase your strength. A 12-week study found that wheel pose, along with other Hatha yoga poses, increased muscular strength among participants.

Improve the flexibility of your spine. A study of women who were over 50 years old found that incorporating back-bending poses like wheel pose into their yoga routines significantly improved their spinal flexibility.

Help people with diabetes improve blood glucose levels. People with diabetes who participated in a yoga routine including back-bends such as wheel pose were able to achieve better blood sugar control than people who didn't.

An overall yoga routine that includes wheel pose has the following benefits: 

Improved body image. Unlike many other types of fitness, yoga isn't about outward appearance. Yoga helps cultivate inner awareness. Surveys have found that people who practice yoga are more satisfied and less critical of their bodies. Yoga is part of many eating-disorder treatment programs that focus on increasing self-esteem and body positivity. 

Mindful eating. Yoga promotes mindfulness on and off the mat. People who practice yoga are more mindful of their eating, which involves a nonjudgmental way to notice the sensations in your body. When you're more aware of how your body feels, as well as the tastes and textures of what you're eating, you're less likely to eat when you're full or distracted by other things. 

Weight loss and maintenance. People who practice yoga for at least 30 minutes once a week for four years were less likely to gain weight during middle adulthood. If they were overweight, they were more likely to lose weight. People who practiced yoga were also likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than people who didn't. This is likely related to mindfulness, which can contribute to healthier eating patterns. 

Healthier heart. Practicing yoga has been associated with a positive effect on cardiovascular risk factors. Yoga helps lower blood pressure in people who have high blood pressure. It may help your body maintain a balance in blood pressure. People with non-insulin-dependent diabetes who practice yoga had lower blood sugar levels and needed less medication. Practicing yoga improved the cholesterol and triglyceride levels of healthy people as well as people with existing cardiovascular disease. 

Avoid the following mistakes when performing wheel pose: 

Leading with the chin. The point of a backbend is to bend from the back. Lead with your chest when you're bending to avoid overstressing your neck. Draw your chin in toward your collarbone and focus your backbend on your thoracic or upper spine. 

Overusing the lower back. Forcing your lower back to bend too much can result in back pain and injuries. Focus on distributing your backbend throughout your upper back and opening your chest while you stabilize your lower back.