Both Legs Behind · Yogic Sleep · Dwi Pada Sirsasana · Yoganidrasana

Dwi Pada Sirsasana · Yoganidrasana · 드위파다 시르사사나 · 요가니드라사나

Intermediate Series · Nadi Shodhana (Nerve Cleansing) — Leg-Behind-Head & Arm Balances

Breath: 5×2 · Drishti (gaze): nose tip

Seated, hook both legs behind the head and cross the ankles (dwi pada); lying down, breathe inside the same bind (yoganidrasana). As the name 'yogic sleep' suggests, the breath turns quiet inside the fullest range of hip and spinal flexion.

Alignment

Hands — joined in prayer when seated; clasped behind the back in Yoganidrasana
Feet — ankles crossed behind the neck (a pillow for the head when reclined)
Knees — opening around the shoulders, the hook coming from the hips
Gaze — the third eye, the breath even under pressure

Entering the pose

Hook the second leg over the first
Lying: hook the legs one by one
Cross the ankles, clasp behind the back

Common mistakes

Locking the ankles before the spine is ready
Rushing the exit

Modifications & props

Yoganidrasana — the reclined form — comes before Dwi Pada: the floor holds the back, and the neck carries far less.
Begin with ankles crossed before the forehead, not behind the neck — the essential feel is folding the body into the space behind the legs.
This pair belongs only to a thoroughly warmed body; attempting it cold is itself the injury route.

Benefits

The fullest range of hip and spinal flexion
Breathing while completely folded
The emblem of deep release — 'yogic sleep'

Role in the sequence

From one leg to both — the pair where Intermediate's demand on the hips reaches its maximum. Seated Dwi Pada, both legs behind the neck, is the deepest hip flexion of the series; Yoganidrasana, the same shape reclined, teaches the paradox its name promises — the sleep of the yogi, breath going quiet inside an extreme form. The lineage that began at Supta Kurmasana terminates here.

Practice notes

Dwi pada means both legs; yoga nidra means yogic sleep. Crossing both ankles behind the head and balancing there is Dwi Pada Sirsasana; the same shape lying on the back is Yoganidrasana. As the name suggests, the second really does resemble sleeping.

In the seated version the hands press the floor and the chest lifts to hold the balance. What collapses is usually the back rather than the legs — a rounded back sends the weight backwards, and the legs then push the head forward. Keeping the chest open is the only thing that keeps both legs in place.

The reclining version is far more comfortable, and it is genuinely used as a restorative shape. With the back on the floor the weight comes off the neck and the breath returns. So while the seated balance is still unreliable, learning the reclining one first is the better order.

Two checks: is the breath still flowing with the ankles crossed, and are the legs resting on the upper shoulders rather than on the neck? Forcing either version makes the neck and lower back pay together, so until Eka Pada is comfortable, sketching the shape is enough.

Only after eka pada is easy on both sides.

Written by Choi Seongjin — 20 years of Ashtanga practice, currently teaching three classes a week. Last updated: 2026-09-05.

This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, injured, or have a medical condition, consult a qualified teacher or physician before practising. Disclaimer & Legal Notice

Other poses in this sequence

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