Legs Up the Wall: How to Do the Pose and What It May Help With

Legs up the wall is a restful position in which you lie on your back with your hips close to a wall and your legs resting vertically against it. It comes from yoga, where it is sometimes called by its Sanskrit name, Viparita Karani, but it needs no flexibility or experience. People use it to wind down in the evening, to rest legs that feel tired after a day of standing and as a gentle stretch for the backs of the legs. It is a pause, not a treatment, and it suits most people for a few minutes at a time.

What it may help with

The benefits people report are mostly about comfort and calm rather than dramatic change:

• Winding down. Lying still with slow breathing can be a useful signal that the working day is over.
• Tired, heavy legs. Raising the legs can feel relieving after hours of standing or walking around the city.
• A mild stretch. The hamstrings and lower back often get a gentle lengthening, depending on how close to the wall you lie.
• A screen-free break. A few minutes on the floor is hard to combine with scrolling.

Claims that the pose detoxifies the body or cures specific conditions go beyond what a simple rest position can do. Enjoy it for what it is.

How to get into the pose

1. Choose a clear stretch of wall with a rug, mat or folded blanket on the floor.
2. Sit sideways with one hip touching the wall and your knees bent.
3. Swing your legs up as you lower your back to the floor, turning so your legs rest against the wall and your back lies flat.
4. Adjust your distance. If the backs of your legs feel tight, shuffle your hips a little further from the wall. Your legs do not need to be straight.
5. Settle your arms by your sides, palms up, or rest your hands on your belly.
6. Breathe slowly and stay for a few minutes, or longer if it remains comfortable.
7. Come out gently by bending your knees, rolling onto your side and pausing before sitting up.

Variations

Using the pose between work and bedtime

The pose works well as a bridge between work and evening. After a long day at a desk, whether sitting or standing, a few minutes on the floor can reset how your body feels; the guide to standing desk ergonomics covers the daytime side of that. Some people use it before bed as part of a wind-down, others in the early afternoon instead of reaching for another coffee. If you prefer to close your eyes for a short rest, the article on taking a power nap explains how to keep it brief.

If you start to feel pins and needles in the feet, simply bend your knees, bring your feet down the wall a little or come out of the pose.

Check with a GP before trying it if this applies

Lying with the legs above the heart is not right for everyone. Ask first if you:

• Have glaucoma or have been told to avoid positions that raise eye pressure
• Have a heart condition or blood pressure that is hard to control
• Have poor circulation in the legs, such as peripheral arterial disease, where raising the legs can sometimes make pain worse; the guide to the ankle brachial index explains how leg circulation is checked
• Are pregnant, especially later in pregnancy, when lying flat on the back is often not advised
• Have had recent surgery, or have a hernia or significant back problems
• Get acid reflux when lying flat

When tired legs need more than rest

Raising the legs can ease ordinary heaviness, but some leg symptoms need a professional. See a GP if you notice swelling in one or both legs that does not go down overnight, leg pain when walking that eases with rest, skin colour changes, or wounds on the feet that are slow to heal. Get urgent help for a leg that becomes suddenly painful, swollen, warm or red, especially with breathlessness or chest pain.