Formidable Face Pose · Ganda Bherundasana

Ganda Bherundasana · 간다 베룬다사나 · 무서운 얼굴 자세

Advanced Series · Sthira Bhaga (Strength & Grace) — From Advanced A (Third Series)

Breath: 5 · Drishti (gaze): nose tip

Chest and chin to the floor, kick the legs past vertical and lower the feet toward the head, closing the body into a backward ring. The summit of thoracic mobility and spinal extension — presented here as a landmark, not an instruction.

Alignment

Hands — palms beside the chest, elbows hugging the ribs
Feet — pointed, arcing over toward the head
Knees — bent for control at first, straightening as the balance matures
Gaze — the third eye; chin and chest are the foundation

Entering the pose

Lower chest and chin to the floor
Kick the legs past vertical
Draw the feet toward the head

Common mistakes

The chin bearing everything, no cervical line
Entering with no exit plan

Modifications & props

Feet against a wall, body vertical, is the only self-practice form worth recommending — the curl-down lies outside solo range.
Spare no padding under chest and shoulders — in this family, the comfort of the support surface is the pose's lifespan.
Only on deeply bent days, at the sequence's very end — this is no pose to open with a cold spine.

Benefits

The apex of spinal extension and thoracic mobility
The front body stretched to its extreme range
Body awareness refined alongside a teacher

Role in the sequence

The apex of the chinstand family — chin and chest on the floor — and the most dramatic shape of the Advanced backbend chapter. On the chest support learned in Viparita Shalabhasana the whole body rises vertical, and in the full form the feet curl back down toward the head: the spine rolled entirely the other way, the pose that draws the series' outer boundary of range. Its name — the formidable-faced bird — states the intensity plainly.

Practice notes

Ganda Bherunda is a two-headed bird from Indian mythology, and the pose name is sometimes rendered as the formidable face. With the chin and chest on the floor and the arms stretched to the sides, the legs travel over the head — one of the most extreme backbends in Ashtanga.

The approach should be as careful as the name sounds. Weight rests on the chin and chest, which compresses the front of the neck, and adding the weight of the legs on top of that loads the cervical spine considerably. Any history of neck trouble at all means this is not a pose to attempt.

The safe order is to reach it only after Viparita Shalabhasana is comfortable. Before then, the preparatory shape — chest and chin down, opening the shoulders, without lifting the legs over — is preparation enough. Folding the mat double under the chin greatly reduces the pressure.

Two checks: is the weight spread across the whole chest rather than one point of the chin, and is the breath still going? This is the clearest example of a pose that needs a teacher's eye rather than your own judgement.

Reference only — always with a teacher.

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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