Inverted Staff · Viparita Dandasana
Viparita Dandasana · 비파리타 단다사나 · 뒤집힌 지팡이
Advanced Series · Sthira Bhaga (Strength & Grace) — From Advanced A (Third Series)
Breath: 5 · Drishti (gaze): nose tip
From wheel, lower one forearm at a time, interlace the fingers behind the head, and press the chest forward past the arms as the legs straighten. Broader support than wheel allows longer stays — a pose that shows exactly how far shoulders and upper spine have opened.
Alignment
- Hands — interlaced behind the head, forearms pressing down as in headstand
- Feet — together, soles reaching the floor
- Knees — straightening into one long arch to the heels
- Gaze — the nose tip, the chest pressing away from the arms
Entering the pose
- From wheel, lower to the forearms
- Interlace the fingers behind the head
- Straighten the legs, press the chest forward
Common mistakes
- Elbows splaying, shoulders collapsing
- The head bearing the body's weight
Modifications & props
- The restorative chair variation — reclining over a chair back — teaches the same chest opening safely; it is the standard prop of the Iyengar tradition.
- Practice the transition near a wall: from Urdhva Dhanurasana, lowering onto one forearm at a time.
- Before the straight-leg full form, the bent-knee forearm arch must hold five settled breaths.
Benefits
- A backbend that opens chest and shoulders deeply
- Steadier than wheel — longer stays become possible
- Endurance inside spinal extension
Role in the sequence
The pose where Advanced backbending moves onto the elbows. It is Urdhva Dhanurasana's arch set on the forearms — demanding far deeper shoulder opening than a palm-supported bend, and thereby becoming a backbend centered in the chest. Holding on forearms with the head afloat, it pre-establishes the chest-bend grammar of Viparita Shalabhasana and Ganda Bherundasana just ahead.
Practice notes
Viparita means inverted and danda means staff: the seated staff pose turned upside down. In practice it is a deep backbend with the crown on the floor, the forearms supporting, and the legs stretched straight — a headstand and a backbend fused into one shape.
The key to safety is weight distribution. The crown touches the floor, but the load belongs to the forearms and the legs while the neck only steers. If the forearms give up, the weight drops into the neck at once, so the habit of pressing the floor with the forearms in Sirsasana has to be in the body first.
There are two ways in: from Urdhva Dhanurasana, lowering one elbow at a time onto the forearms, or from Pincha Mayurasana, lowering the legs until the feet reach the floor. The first is easier to control on your own.
Two checks: are the legs straight with the whole soles pressing the floor, and are the shoulders over the elbows so the chest stays open? After the five breaths, always lie down briefly hugging the knees to return the lower back to neutral.
From wheel, lower one forearm at a time to explore.
Written by Choi Seongjin — 20 years of Ashtanga practice, currently teaching three classes a week. Last updated: .
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
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