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Lower back, hips and ankles

Viparita Karani: Variations (Wide Leg, Butterfly, Crossed Ankle, Twist)

With your legs resting up the wall, they open wide, fold into a butterfly, cross into a figure-4 and drop gently to each side, easing stiff hips and inner thighs without any effort.

Restorative150 to 290 seconds
Viparita Karani: Variations (Wide Leg, Butterfly, Crossed Ankle, Twist), demonstrated by the teacher who authored it.
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How to do it

  1. 1

    Lie on your back and take both legs up the wall

    Sit sideways to the wall, then swing the legs up as you lie back. The hips can be a little away from the wall so the backs of the legs rest easily.

  2. 2

    Let the legs open wide

    Slide the heels apart down the wall into a wide V and let gravity do the opening. Bring them closer together if the inner thighs pull too much.

  3. 3

    Fold into a butterfly

    Bend the knees, bring the soles of the feet together and let the knees fall open to the sides. Hands can rest on the thighs.

  4. 4

    Cross one ankle over the other knee

    Keep one foot flat on the wall and rest the other ankle just above that knee, a figure-4. Walk the wall foot lower to make it stronger, higher to make it gentler.

  5. 5

    Drop both knees to one side

    Bring the legs off the wall with the knees bent and let them lower to one side, arms open. Go only as far as feels comfortable, then change sides, and repeat the figure-4 on the second leg.

What to watch for

The lower back lifting or arching as the legs open or drop. Keep the back of the pelvis heavy on the floor, make each opening smaller, or skip the twist and stay with the legs up the wall.

Ways to adjust it

  • Skip the twist
  • Smaller openings
  • Viparita Karani: Classic
  • Skip the figure-4

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Legs Up The Wall versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

One movement is a start. A session is the thing.

A few questions about your body and how it is today, and Vinys builds a session around it, including which movements to leave out.

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From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.