One-Legged Shoulderstand
एक पाद सर्वाङ्गासन
Eka Pāda Sarvāṅgāsana — an advanced inversion that works the hamstrings, abdominals, shoulders.
How to do One-Legged Shoulderstand
Read all of it before starting, and read the cautions further down before starting at all.
Come into a steady supported shoulderstand on folded blankets with the hands on the back.
Keep the left leg reaching straight up and firm through the thigh.
Lower the right leg slowly towards the floor behind the head, keeping it straight.
Rest that foot on the floor, a block or a chair, without letting the standing hip drop.
Lift it back to vertical with control, then repeat with the other leg.
Hold: 15–30 seconds each side. 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 One-Legged Shoulderstand 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.
- Lengthens the hamstring of the lowering leg while the other holds a vertical line.
- Loads the abdominals and hip flexors of the lifted leg to keep it from following.
- Trains slow eccentric control in the leg travelling down.
One-Legged Shoulderstand is one of 20 inversions in this library and one of 61 poses rated advanced. Poses where the head sits below the heart. The group that needs the most care and the most teaching.
Who should skip One-Legged Shoulderstand, or change it
- Glaucoma or raised eye pressure, and uncontrolled high blood pressure.
- Neck or cervical spine injury — the asymmetric load makes the neck position harder to keep safe.
- Pregnancy — not a pose to begin in pregnancy; continuing an established practice is a decision for you and your doctor.
- Menstruation: many traditions omit inversions then, a personal choice rather than a medical rule.
- Recent ear infection, hamstring strain, and any sacroiliac irritation from the split position.
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 One-Legged Shoulderstand
What tends to go wrong, and the specific correction — not "engage your core".
MistakeLetting the vertical leg drift down as the other lowers.
FixReach the top heel actively towards the ceiling the whole time.
MistakeDropping the lowering leg fast so the hips collapse.
FixLower over five slow counts and stop where the hips stay stacked.
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 One-Legged Shoulderstand is mapped to the nearest published code — 02175, yoga, Power, 4 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 | 49 | 98 | 147 | 221 | 294 |
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 One-Legged Shoulderstand?
Come into a steady supported shoulderstand on folded blankets with the hands on the back. Keep the left leg reaching straight up and firm through the thigh. Lower the right leg slowly towards the floor behind the head, keeping it straight. Rest that foot on the floor, a block or a chair, without letting the standing hip drop. Lift it back to vertical with control, then repeat with the other leg. Hold for 15–30 seconds each side.
What does One-Legged Shoulderstand work?
Primarily the hamstrings, abdominals, shoulders, with the hip flexors, glutes, spinal erectors assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: lengthens the hamstring of the lowering leg while the other holds a vertical line.
Who should not do One-Legged Shoulderstand?
Glaucoma or raised eye pressure, and uncontrolled high blood pressure. Neck or cervical spine injury — the asymmetric load makes the neck position harder to keep safe. Pregnancy — not a pose to begin in pregnancy; continuing an established practice is a decision for you and your doctor. Menstruation: many traditions omit inversions then, a personal choice rather than a medical rule. Recent ear infection, hamstring strain, and any sacroiliac irritation from the split position. 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 One-Legged Shoulderstand suitable for beginners?
No. One-Legged Shoulderstand is rated advanced. The shape itself is rarely the problem — arriving at it years too early is. Work through the beginner and intermediate inversions poses on this site and learn this one in person.
How many calories does One-Legged Shoulderstand 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. One-Legged Shoulderstand sits closest to Compendium code 02175, yoga, Power, at 4 MET — about 147 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 inversions — 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.