Home/core/Wheel Pose

Wheel Pose

Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐ Advancedcore

Home Setup

Practice on a yoga mat or carpeted area with enough space to fully extend. Place the mat near a wall initially for support if needed.

Yoga matWall for supportFolded blanket for head cushioning

💡 Pro tip: Warm up thoroughly with gentler backbends like Bridge Pose and Camel Pose before attempting Wheel

Gym Setup

Yoga mat in a clear floor space with adequate overhead clearance

Safety: Ensure wrists are properly warmed up and avoid if you have wrist, shoulder, or lower back injuries without instructor guidance

💪 Muscles Worked

Spinal ErectorsGlutesQuadricepsShouldersTriceps

⭐ Why This Exercise?

Wheel Pose is a powerful full-body backbend that builds strength in the posterior chain while opening the chest, shoulders, and hip flexors. This energizing pose improves spinal flexibility, strengthens the arms and legs, and can help counteract the effects of prolonged sitting by reversing forward flexion patterns.

Make It Easier

Regressions for building up strength

1. Bridge Pose

yoga mat

Keeps hands on the ground, reduces spinal extension demand and shoulder flexibility requirements

2. Supported Bridge with Block

yoga mat + yoga block

Provides passive backbend with block under sacrum, allowing the body to adapt to extension

3. Tabletop Bridge

yoga mat

Hands behind with fingers pointing toward feet, less intense shoulder and spine extension

Make It Harder

Progressions for advanced athletes

1. One-Legged Wheel Pose

yoga mat

Lifting one leg increases core stability demands and deepens the hip flexor stretch

2. Wheel Pose with Forearms

yoga mat

Lowering to forearms intensifies the backbend and requires greater shoulder flexibility

3. Walking Wheel

yoga mat

Walking hands toward feet deepens the backbend and challenges balance and control

↕️ Similar Movements

Camel Pose
Kneeling backbend that prepares the spine for deeper extension
Upward Facing Dog
Prone backbend that builds spinal extension strength and shoulder stability
Wild Thing
Dynamic backbend variation that incorporates rotation and arm balance
King Pigeon Pose
Deep backbend combined with hip opening, similar spinal extension pattern
Bow Pose
Prone backbend that strengthens the same posterior chain muscles

Form Checklist

✓Place hands shoulder-width apart with fingers pointing toward feet, elbows stacked over wrists
✓Press firmly through all four corners of both hands and feet to lift hips high
✓Draw shoulder blades down the back and press chest toward the wall behind you
✓Keep knees hip-width apart and parallel, engaging inner thighs to protect lower back
✓Lengthen through the entire spine rather than hinging only at the lower back

Common Mistakes

  • •Allowing knees to splay outward, which compresses the lower back
  • •Dumping weight into the lower back instead of distributing the backbend throughout the spine
  • •Letting elbows wing out to the sides, reducing shoulder stability and power
  • •Holding the breath instead of maintaining steady breathing throughout the pose
  • •Insufficient warm-up leading to strain in wrists, shoulders, or spine

📈 When to Progress

Progress when you can hold Wheel Pose for 5-10 breaths with steady breathing, maintain parallel knees and feet, press up smoothly without struggle, and feel comfortable and energized rather than strained in the position