One legged Wheel Pose

Eka Pada Chakrasana (One Legged Wheel Pose) is a more advanced variation on the regular Wheel Pose. Eka Pada Chakrasana challenges your strength and balance while stretching the shoulders, chest, and entire front side of the body. 

Eka Pada Chakrasana works on all seven chakras thereby activating all the energy centres together. This asana can be attempted by an intermediate practitioner to increase the intensity of practice. 

Steps to do One legged Wheel Pose / Eka Pada Chakrasana

• Lie down in supine pose, fold your knees and bring your heels closer to your sitting bones. Place your heels flat on the floor.
• Bend your elbows and place your palms next to your head and your fingers are pointing toward your shoulders.
• Press your feet and palms against the floor. Exhale and gradually lift your hips off the floor.
• Press your feet and palms into the floor, lift your head off the floor and straighten your arms as much as possible.
• Once you gain your balance, slowly lift your right leg off the floor and bend your right knee to point towards the ceiling. Slowly straighten your right leg as much as possible then bring your right leg down.

Tips for beginners

• Practising Asanas that make you flexible and strengthen your spine along with opening hips will help in achieving the one legged wheel pose. 
• Back bending asanas beginning from Bhujangasana, Dhanurasana(Bow Pose), Setu bandhasana(Bridge Pose), Chakrasana(Wheel Pose) will add flexibility to your practice.

Benefits

• Relieves stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue.
• Stimulates your thyroid and pituitary glands.
• Stretches your chest and lungs.
• Increases flexibility.
• Strengthens your arms, wrists, legs, hips, abdomen, spine and shoulders.
• Recommended for people with infertility, asthma, back pain and osteoporosis.

Watch out for

• Anyone suffering from severe back, neck or head injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, heart problems, high or low blood pressure, diarrhoea.
• Avoid this asana during pregnancy.

Variations

• One legged wheel pose is a variation of Chakrasana. This variation adds intensity to the practice and also improves overall balance. 
• You can lift your toe in this asana to further intensify the Eka Pada Chakrasana.