Rethinking the Wheel: Game Changing Tip for Upward Bow Pose

yoga tips Sep 20, 2024

Urdhva Dhanurasana, or Upward Bow/Wheel Pose, is a favorite among many yogis.

This beautiful backbend is highly coveted by many yogis for its beauty and its grace. When practiced regularly, it can help you release tension, build strength in your entire back body and give your lungs more room to breathe. As gorgeous as it is, it is NOT always the most accessible for those of us with tight shoulders and upper backs, and can take some finessing, patience and dedication.

Whether you've already unlocked this pose or are just beginning your journey, you likely know the first big challenge: lifting your back body—and your heavy "coconut" head—off the ground by pressing through your hands and feet.

This move requires a combination of strength and a leap of faith!

There are options to modify wheel pose to account for a lack of flexibility.

As you prepare to lift, some wrist flexibility is key since you'll need to place your hands near your ears.

If your body screams "Noooope!" as soon as you flip your hands and press them into the mat, there are several things you can do to take the edge off, and modify your entry into the pose to make it more accessible. One of these is to place two yoga blocks against the wall, creating an angled wedge to reduce your degree of wrist extension.

Working with your wrists at this angle will reduce the amount of pressure that comes into the joint. Remember, the hands and wrists play a BIG role in our yoga practice. So if you ever experience wrist pain, consider that you may not be activating your hands properly. There is a way to practice these deep wrist extension poses without being in pain and the first step in learning how to eliminate wrist pain in yoga.

For many, the barrier in achieving wheel pose is a struggle to straighten the arms and/or legs.

Let’s keep rolling. You've worked hard on your foundations and managed to lift your back body, but now you're stuck. Your elbows refuse to fully extend, and your Urdhva Dhanurasana looks like more of a reverse tabletop. Also known as a flat tire 🤣

It feels like there's no space to push your chest through your arms—as if you're hitting a wall.

That’s when we typically start to think we need more strength. After all, isn't it about pushing harder? The good news is: you don’t need to become The Incredible Hulk to rock your favorite heart opener (whew, because green is *so* not your color!).

Using Flexibility Over Force

Straightening your legs and arms in Wheel Pose is typically more about spinal extension and front-body flexibility than brute strength. If you feel restricted, there are ways in which you can finally unlock your backbends.

But for those in the "tight shoulders club," there may be another reason for your roadblock: your hand placement.

Alignment is Everything

Check how you position your hands on the mat. If, when placing your hands by your ears, your fingertips are pointing straight back or inward toward your head, your shoulder blades will naturally squeeze closer to your midline.

This creates a "wall of bones," preventing your thoracic spine from extending. That wall you're hitting? It might just be this!

Here's a game-changer: instead of pointing your fingers straight back, rotate them outward at a 45 to 60-degree angle toward the long edges of your mat. From this position, your shoulder blades will move apart, creating much more space for your chest to open and push through.

Test it out: compare the difference between arms straight (shoulders internally rotated) versus hands turned outward (shoulders externally rotated). You might be surprised by how much more space you gain to help you straighten your arms!