Last updated: December 21, 2023
What Does
Feet-to-Head Pose Mean?
Feet-to-head pose is an advanced yoga posture that is a combination of a headstand and an intense backbend.
From supported headstand with the forearms resting on the ground and the hands clasped, the legs drop to the back of the head, as in scorpion pose, while the back arches. In the full expression of the pose, the legs rest on the back of the head.
This posture is also sometimes called headstand with scorpion legs and is known in Sanskrit as sirsa padasana.
Yogapedia Explains Feet-to-Head Pose
Feet-to-head pose should only be attempted after less intense backbends and inversions have been mastered. In Ashtanga yoga, this posture is practiced only in the two most advanced vinyasa series.
As a backbend and an inversion, feet-to-head pose offers a range of benefits, including:
- Provides a strong spinal stretch
- Increases blood flow to the brain
- Improves focus and concentration
- Builds strength and flexibility throughout the body
- Stimulates the nervous system
- Massages the internal organs
- Opens the chest
- Boosts metabolism
Yogis with heart problems, high blood pressure and earaches should skip feet-to-head pose.
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Synonyms
Headstand With Scorpion Legs