Reversed Corpse Pose
अद्वासन
Advāsana — a beginner restorative pose that works the none — full release.
How to do Reversed Corpse Pose
Read all of it before starting, and read the cautions further down before starting at all.
Lie face down with both arms stretched forward on the mat, palms down.
Rest the forehead on the mat, or on a thin folded blanket if the nose is squashed.
Slide a folded blanket under the hips and belly so the lower back does not arch.
Let the feet turn out and the whole body go heavy into the floor.
Stay still for the whole hold and let the breath move the back of the ribs.
Hold: 3–8 minutes. Keep the breath moving throughout — if you are holding it, the pose is too much for today.
Muscles worked
Where the effort and the lengthening land. Primary groups do most of the work; secondary groups assist or are stretched.
What Reversed Corpse Pose does
Described mechanically — what the movement does to muscle and joint. Not a list of conditions it treats, because a pose does not treat conditions.
- Rests the whole body face down with the spine in a neutral, unloaded line.
- Keeps the neck straight rather than turned, which suits people who cannot rotate comfortably.
- Provides a long supported hold with no muscular effort required anywhere.
Reversed Corpse Pose is one of 21 restorative poses in this library and one of 88 poses rated beginner. Supported, low-effort poses held long, where the point is to stop working rather than to work.
Who should skip Reversed Corpse Pose, or change it
- Pregnancy after the first trimester — lying face down is not suitable at all.
- Low back discomfort in prone positions: always place a blanket under the hips, or skip.
- Shoulder injury, since the arms are held overhead for a long period — bring them alongside the body instead.
- Reflux, which abdominal pressure can aggravate.
General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts. If you are pregnant, recovering from surgery or managing any health condition, ask your doctor before starting a practice, and learn the pose itself from a qualified teacher who can see you move.
Common mistakes in Reversed Corpse Pose
What tends to go wrong, and the specific correction — not "engage your core".
MistakeArms stretched forward with the shoulders jammed towards the ears.
FixWiden the arms or rest them beside the body; comfort decides, not the shape.
MistakeNo support under the hips so the lower back aches after two minutes.
FixFold a blanket under the hip bones before settling in.
What a practice like this costs in energy
Nobody has measured a single asana in a metabolic cart. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values per style of practice, so Reversed Corpse Pose is mapped to the nearest published code — 02170, yoga, Nadisodhana (seated, quiet practice), 2 MET — and the figures below are for a practice of that kind, not for holding this one pose.
| Time practising | 10 min | 20 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 25 | 49 | 74 | 110 | 147 |
Calculated as MET × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200 kcal per minute — the standard ACSM relationship, shown in full on the method page. Scale it to your own weight by multiplying by your weight in kilograms and dividing by 70. The whole activity dataset, including every non-yoga activity, is at BurnLab.
Questions
How do you do Reversed Corpse Pose?
Lie face down with both arms stretched forward on the mat, palms down. Rest the forehead on the mat, or on a thin folded blanket if the nose is squashed. Slide a folded blanket under the hips and belly so the lower back does not arch. Let the feet turn out and the whole body go heavy into the floor. Stay still for the whole hold and let the breath move the back of the ribs. Hold for 3–8 minutes.
What does Reversed Corpse Pose work?
Primarily the none — full release, with the none — full release assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: rests the whole body face down with the spine in a neutral, unloaded line.
Who should not do Reversed Corpse Pose?
Pregnancy after the first trimester — lying face down is not suitable at all. Low back discomfort in prone positions: always place a blanket under the hips, or skip. Shoulder injury, since the arms are held overhead for a long period — bring them alongside the body instead. Reflux, which abdominal pressure can aggravate. This is general information, not medical advice — if any of these apply to you, ask your doctor and learn the pose with a qualified teacher rather than from a page.
Is Reversed Corpse Pose suitable for beginners?
Yes. Reversed Corpse Pose is a beginner-level pose on this site, which means it is learnable in a first class and has a version that works for most bodies. The cautions above still apply.
How many calories does Reversed Corpse Pose burn?
The honest answer is that nobody has measured a single asana. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values for styles of yoga, not for individual poses. Reversed Corpse Pose sits closest to Compendium code 02170, yoga, Nadisodhana (seated, quiet practice), at 2 MET — about 74 kcal for 30 minutes of that kind of practice for a 70 kg adult. Holding one pose for a minute is a rounding error either way.
Related poses
More restorative poses — first at the same level, then the rest of the family.
Asana names are traditional. Every step, benefit and caution on this page is written for YogaPath rather than reproduced from any book, studio or other library — see how this site is written. Energy figures derive from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts.