Reclining Upward-Foot Thunderbolt · Supta Urdhva Pada Vajrasana

Supta Urdhva Pada Vajrasana · 숩타 우르드바 파다 바즈라사나

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

Breath: 5×2 · Drishti (gaze): side

Lying down, bind one foot in half lotus, take the legs overhead, and roll up to sitting without losing the bind — then twist, gazing to the side. Roll, bind, and twist must join inside one breath, so each is mastered alone first.

Alignment

Hands — catching the half-lotus foot behind the back mid-roll, the free hand landing by the knee
Feet — one foot bound in half lotus, the other folded beside the hip
Knees — both settling toward the floor once seated
Gaze — over the shoulder to the side

Entering the pose

Lying down, bind one foot in half lotus
Roll up over the legs to sitting
Keep the bind and twist, gazing to the side

Common mistakes

Losing the bind at the moment of rolling
Twisting with the pelvis floating

Modifications & props

Drill the three parts apart — binding while seated, rolling up unbound, twisting in the seat — and assemble last.
If the bind keeps slipping mid-roll, hook just a couple of fingers rather than a deep wrist grip, learning the direction first.
When rolling troubles the neck, coming up over one side is an accepted learning stage of this pose.

Benefits

Links rolling, binding, and twisting into one coordination
Builds hip control inside the half lotus
Gathers focus before the seven headstands

Role in the sequence

Bind a half lotus lying down, keep the bind through the momentum of rolling up, finish in a twist — Intermediate's last combination technique. Rolling (Primary's chakrasana family), binding (the Marichyasana line), twisting (Bharadvajasana) are threaded onto one breath's flow, placed like a graduation exam of everything the series has taught. Beyond it, only the seven headstands remain.

Practice notes

The long name strings together supta (reclining), urdhva pada (upward foot) and vajrasana (thunderbolt). Lying down, you fold a half lotus, hold that foot, roll up, and twist to sit. Lotus, roll and twist all live inside one movement.

What powers the roll is the abdomen, not momentum. Momentum lands you somewhere slightly different every time, and by the moment you should be twisting the balance is already gone. Moving as though the legs stay put while only the torso curls up brings you to exactly the same spot each attempt.

Once up, keep hold of the foot, place the other hand on the floor, turn toward it and count five breaths. If the knee is not ready for half lotus, simply cross the leg without setting the foot on the opposite thigh and practise the same roll and twist.

Two checks: does the chin stay tucked through the roll to protect the neck, and are both sitting bones down once you arrive? This is one of the few genuinely dynamic poses in the Intermediate Series, so smoothness is the measure of it.

Master the roll and the bind separately before joining them.

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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