Introduction
When it comes to yoga poses, we can never ignore the popularity of yoga wheel pose or Chakrasana, or Urdhva Dhanurasana. While it is known as Wheel Pose, the exact translation of Urdhva Dhanurasana in Sanskrit is “upward-facing bow.”
Many people consider the Wheel Pose a challenging yoga pose, but its enormous benefits are undeniable. Moreover, many people like to imagine the Wheel Pose when they hear about physical yoga.
The Wheel Pose lets the yoga practitioner’s body get into an incredible rainbow shape. If you are a beginner in the world of yoga, you would need enough practice before expecting to stand right out of the Wheel Pose. Not only does Chakrasana come with loads of health benefits but it also comes with lots of fun and satisfaction.
A successful attempt at the Wheel Pose provides a high level of satisfaction. However, it needs a lot of practice to acquire the shoulder flexibility and robustness needed to become a seasoned yoga wheel pose practitioner.
What is Yoga Wheel Pose?
In short, the yoga wheel pose is one of the challenging yoga poses, which calls for a lot of practice, dedication, and patience. The Wheel Pose is also known as a heart-opening yoga posture, which helps to improve the strength and flexibility of the practitioner’s entire body.
Since Chakrasana is about a deep bending of the back, it is a must to warm up the whole body before getting into it. That is why the Wheel Pose should be performed at the end of a yoga session.
Bending of the back would seem more effortless after the muscles are open. In addition, it is also not safe for the practitioner’s back to perform Chakrasana at the starting of a session.
The practice of Chakrasana can be started with a couple of standing postures to build heat all over the body. On the other hand, some practitioners may also prefer a full-body sequence to get prepared for the pose.
As a next step, a couple of mild backbends (Puppy Dog Pose and Bridge Pose) should be performed to gear up the spine for the Wheel Pose.
Why should a yoga practitioner consider performing the Wheel Pose?
Most of us rarely feel the urge to bend our spine over backward. That is why our body gets used to the inappropriate position with the rounded spine, which comes with a bunch of health issues, such as difficult breathing, back pain, inappropriate posture, indigestion, and so on.
That is why it is mandatory to opt for stretching the spine from time to time in the reverse direction to boost overall health. When it comes to the back extension practice, Chakrasana should be incorporated into the session. However, the practice must be done under expert supervision.
Whether it is about simple stretches or challenging Wheel Pose, a yoga practitioner should always emphasize improving the flexibility and strength of their spine. Otherwise, it won’t take long for the head to stoop forwards and the shoulders to bend forwards.
Yoga Wheel Pose: What are the Key Benefits?
You already know the yoga wheel pose provides the practitioner with a bunch of health benefits. Hence, let us talk about a few benefits now to encourage you to know more about this challenging yet magnificent yoga pose.
Firstly, you should know that Chakrasana belongs to the family of yoga postures called backbends. All of the yoga poses making up this category are performed with the spine taking forwards (also known as the spine extension).
Backbend postures help to open up the practitioner’s chest and heart and enable them to breathe deeper. Moreover, backbends are also known to revitalize the adrenal glands.
In short, the Wheel Pose or Chakrasana ensures a deep stretch for the shoulder & chest muscles and hip flexors. Furthermore, Chakrasana boosts the robustness of spinal extensors and hamstrings.
Boosts Muscular Strength:
When it comes to improving muscular strength in a short span, the Wheel Pose is preferred by a lot of yoga practitioners. However, the results of Chakrasana, coupled with a few Hatha yoga poses, are more spectacular.
Enhances Spinal Flexibility:
Chakrasana, coupled with a few similar backbends, can be incorporated into yoga sessions (upon the consultation of a yoga expert) to take spinal flexibility to the next level (especially for people over 50 years of age).
May help the patients with Type 2 Diabetes:
Did you know the Wheel Pose may also help people with type 2 diabetes? According to a recent study, backbends can lessen hemoglobin A1c levels in individuals suffering from diabetes.
Miscellaneous Benefits:
Chakrasana helps to revitalize spinal nerves and boost circulation in the body. Moreover, practitioners can opt for the Wheel Pose to improve the overall energy of the body. The challenging posture transfers nutrients to the convenient tissue as well as joints. Also, it contributes to improving the movement of the body of the practitioner.
Whether it is about stretching the muscles in the forward side of the torso or expanding the hip flexors, chest muscles, quads, or abdominals, the Wheel Pose comes as one of the preferred yoga poses. In addition, the Wheel Pose contributes to strengthening the muscles of the rear side of the torso, such as the glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, and so on.
Not only does Chakrasana benefit physical health but it also contributes to the mental health of the practitioner. The Wheel Pose helps to keep anxiety at bay. Moreover, it relaxes the brain to help practitioners lead a better life.
Yoga Wheel Pose: How to Perform?
Do you wonder how to master Wheel Pose? You need to follow the correct steps of Chakrasana and keep practicing the pose under expert supervision. Thus, you can expect to become a seasoned Wheel Pose practitioner. It is time to mention the steps of performing the Wheel Pose correctly:
Firstly, lie down on your back by keeping your feet at the hip distance. Next, it is time to bend your knees to start getting into the posture.
Take your arms beyond your head, and start bending your elbows. Your palms should be placed adjacent to your ears. Do not forget to point your fingers forwards.
Inhale, and elevate the hips. It is time to exhale and pause.
On an inhale, press into the hands while taking the crown of your head on the ground with both of your elbows bent. Take a pause.
It is time to straighten your arms, as per your capability.
The next step needs you to straighten your legs without feeling any strain. Take a breath.
It is time to return to the initial position for which you need to push your chin a bit and bend the elbows. Also, you have to come back to the crown of your head.
Next, lower the back of your head. Lastly, lower the arms by your sides.
I hope your query regarding how to master Wheel Pose has been resolved. The aforementioned steps are mentioned to help you get some insights into the Wheel Pose techniques. Talk to your yoga trainer to know more about this pose.
Which Mistakes should be avoided while doing Yoga Wheel Pose?
What is the most common mistake in Wheel Pose? It is hard to answer, as the nature of mistakes differs from one practitioner to the other. However, the most common mistakes are discussed below:
Many Wheel Pose practitioners place their feet too distant from one another.
Some yoga practitioners also place their knees too far apart.
Chakrasana needs the practitioner to place their hands adjacent to the ears. Nonetheless, the position of the hands can get too narrow or too wide sometimes.
The practitioner’s elbows are spread out many times.
Wrapping Up
When it comes to performing a yoga pose, it is more important to emphasize how you feel than how the pose looks like. It goes for the Wheel Pose as well. It is true performing Chakrasana correctly is a rewarding and satisfying experience.
However, one should not ignore the pain or discomfort while performing the Wheel Pose. That is why it is a must to perform yoga poses under expert supervision. Otherwise, the benefits of backbends cannot be obtained.
The good news is that practitioners can take the help of yoga props or make some variations to streamline the Wheel Pose. Thus, it would become more fun and exciting for the practitioners to master the pose. It is time to reach out to your yoga trainer to know about your capability of performing Chakrasana to get incredible benefits for the mind and body.
