Cakrāsana, the wheel pose (ūrdhva dhanurāsana)

3 min read · Updated October 16, 2026 · sources checked October 16, 2026

Sanskrit: चक्रासनCakrāsana
Meaning of the name: Wheel pose: cakra, wheel, and āsana, posture; also called ūrdhva dhanurāsana, the upward-facing bow
Level: Advanced
Family: Backbend
In the texts: Modern posture, absent from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Gheranda Samhita

In short

Cakrāsana, the wheel pose, also called ūrdhva dhanurāsana, is a full backbend: lying on the back, hands beside the ears and feet near the buttocks, you press into hands and feet and lift the whole body into an arch. It is an advanced posture, learned in stages from the bridge, ideally with a teacher. It is modern.

The cakra is the wheel of a chariot, the potter's wheel, the wheel of the sun's chariot in the Rig Veda, the wheel of time. In the posture, the body becomes that circle, hands and feet on the earth, the heart lifted highest. It is one of the most striking backbends and one of the most demanding: it asks for open shoulders, a supple upper back and strong legs all at once. It deserves a slow approach, stage by stage.

Steps

Warm up with several rounds of the bridge, the cobra and shoulder openers.
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat and hip-width apart, heels close to the buttocks.
Place the palms on the floor beside the ears, fingers pointing towards the shoulders, elbows pointing up and kept shoulder-width apart.
Inhaling, press into the feet and lift the hips, as for the bridge.
Press into the hands and lift the shoulders, placing the crown of the head lightly on the floor. Pause here: the head carries almost no weight, the elbows stay parallel.
On the next inhalation, press firmly into hands and feet and straighten the arms, lifting the head off the floor. Let the head hang freely between the arms.
Hold one to three breaths. To come down, tuck the chin, bend the elbows and lower the back of the head, then the shoulders and the spine. Rest with the knees hugged to the chest.

Alignment

The feet and knees stay parallel; the knees do not splay out.
The elbows stay in line with the shoulders, not opening outwards.
The curve is shared between the upper back, the shoulders and the hips, not concentrated in the lower back.
The breath keeps moving; nothing is held.

Variations

Bridge (gentle version): the bridge is the first stage and remains a complete practice in itself.
Supported preparation: lie back over a bolster or a rolled blanket under the shoulder blades to open the chest without effort.
Wheel with blocks against a wall: two blocks against a wall under the hands raise the floor and spare the shoulders.
Crown-of-the-head stage: stop at step 5, without loading the neck.
Standing half wheel: standing, hands on the lower back, a gentle backbend; taught in some Indian schools as ardha cakrāsana.

Contraindications

Neck injury: avoid the head stage entirely.
Shoulder or wrist injury: avoid.
Spondylolisthesis, disc problems, acute back pain: avoid.
High blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma: avoid.
Pregnancy: avoid.

In the texts

The wheel is a modern posture. No full backbend of this kind appears among the fifteen postures of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika or the thirty-two of the Gheranda Samhita, whose clearest backbends (the bow, the cobra, the locust, and a camel done lying on the belly) all start from the floor, face down. The wheel belongs to twentieth-century Indian teaching. Its two names tell its two images: cakra, the wheel, an image as old as the Rig Veda; and ūrdhva dhanurāsana, "the bow turned upward", the counterpart of the bow done on the belly. The cakra of the posture is not the subtle-body cakra of tantric yoga: the word is the same, the meaning here is simply the wheel.

Is it normal?

Feeling dizzy or emotional after a deep backbend is common. Sit quietly, breathe slowly, and give yourself a long rest before standing up.

Prepare with the bridge, the cobra and the bow; counterbalance with a gentle twist like Ardha Matsyendrāsana and a forward bend such as the seated forward bend, then rest in śavāsana. All the cards: the asanas chapter.

Questions people ask

Is chakrasana the same as urdhva dhanurasana?

In most Indian schools and in school yoga programmes, chakrasana names the full wheel described here. In the Iyengar tradition it is called ūrdhva dhanurāsana, the upward bow. Some schools use chakrāsana for other movements, so check what your teacher means.

How long does it take to do the wheel?

It depends on the shoulders, the thoracic spine and the hip flexors more than on strength. Some people need months of bridge and preparation, others years. There is no reason to hurry.

Why can't I straighten my arms in wheel pose?

Usually because the shoulders do not yet open enough overhead. Work on shoulder openers and stay at the stage with the crown of the head on the floor, without weight on the neck, or keep to the bridge.

Sources

Monier-Williams, Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), entry cakra, Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries checked October 16, 2026
Svātmārāma, Haṭhayogapradīpikā, Sanskrit text (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 16, 2026
Gheraṇḍasaṃhitā, Sanskrit text, chapter 2 (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 16, 2026

Practise gently and within your limits. Yoga is learnt best with a qualified teacher; this page does not replace one.