Plow · Ear-Pressure · Halasana · Karnapidasana

Halasana · Karnapidasana · 할라사나 · 쟁기 자세

Primary Series · Yoga Chikitsa (Yoga Therapy) — Finishing Sequence

Breath: 8×2 · Drishti (gaze): nose tip

From shoulderstand, lower the legs slowly until the toes rest on the floor behind (plow), then bend the knees around the ears (karnapidasana). Sound and sense draw inward while the whole spine and back shoulders lengthen.

Alignment

Hands — interlaced on the floor behind the back, arms straight and pressing down as a lever
Feet — toes tucked on the floor beyond the head, pressing lightly
Knees — straight in Halasana; bent around the ears in Karnapidasana
Gaze — the nose tip, the shoulders broad to protect the neck

Entering the pose

Lower the legs slowly behind
Toes to the floor, legs straight
Bend the knees beside the ears

Common mistakes

Dropping the legs with momentum
Releasing the back support too soon

Modifications & props

When the toes miss the floor, rest the feet on a chair or stacked blocks — legs hanging in space route their load to the neck.
In Karnapidasana, knees drawn toward the forehead is direction enough; reaching the ears is optional.
The gaze stays fixed toward the chest throughout — the urge to turn the head is the signal to come out.

Benefits

A deep stretch for the whole spine and back shoulders
Among the most calming of the inversions
Knees to ears draw the senses inward

Role in the sequence

The first and second variations taken without coming down from shoulderstand. The vertical legs travel to the floor behind the head, lengthening the whole spine (Halasana); then the knees close over the ears, shutting out even sound (Karnapidasana). This drawing-inward of the senses is part of finishing's long descent toward Savasana.

Practice notes

Hala means plough; karna pida means ear pressure. Legs thrown past the head resemble a plough turning a field, and bending the knees down beside the ears covers them so outside sound recedes. The names themselves point inward, toward the withdrawal of the senses.

The two poses continue out of Sarvangasana without ever coming down. From the shoulderstand the legs travel over for eight breaths, then the knees bend for eight more, and throughout, the shoulders and neck stay exactly where they were. If the shoulder support built in Sarvangasana slips, both of these poses become unstable at once.

Toes that do not reach the floor are not a problem. Rounding the back further to make them reach only increases the load on the neck. While they do not reach, keep the hands supporting the back with the legs in the air, or raise the floor with a chair or blocks under the feet.

In Karnapidasana the breath naturally narrows — the knees press the chest and the ribs have less room to move. Two checks: does the breath nevertheless keep flowing without stopping, and are you pressing the floor with the shoulders rather than the neck?

Feet not reaching? Bend the knees toward the forehead.

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

Ashtanga Shala — Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga guide · Blog