Destroyer of the Universe Pose
काल भैरवासन
Kāla Bhairavāsana — an advanced balance pose that works the obliques, shoulders, hip abductors.
How to do Destroyer of the Universe Pose
Read all of it before starting, and read the cautions further down before starting at all.
Sit and take the right leg behind the right shoulder, working the shin high onto the back of the shoulder.
Turn towards the left and plant the left palm flat on the mat, well out to the side.
Press the outer edge of the left foot into the floor and straighten the left leg.
Press the left hand down, lift the hips and turn the chest open towards the ceiling.
Reach the top arm up, hold, then lower with control and change sides.
Hold: 3–5 breaths 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 Destroyer of the Universe 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.
- Balances on one hand and one foot with the other leg hooked behind the shoulder.
- Loads the side waist and the outer hip of the supporting leg under full body weight.
- Demands extreme hip flexion and external rotation on the hooked leg.
Destroyer of the Universe Pose is one of 31 balance poses in this library and one of 61 poses rated advanced. Poses held on a reduced base — one foot, two hands, or the forearms.
Who should skip Destroyer of the Universe Pose, or change it
- Wrist injury or carpal tunnel syndrome — one wrist carries the entire load.
- Shoulder or neck injury, since a leg rests across the shoulder.
- Hamstring or groin strain on the hooked leg.
- Low back or sacroiliac problems.
- Pregnancy at any stage.
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 Destroyer of the Universe Pose
What tends to go wrong, and the specific correction — not "engage your core".
MistakeForcing the leg behind the shoulder before the hip is ready.
FixWork leg-behind-head shapes lying down for months before adding weight to them.
MistakeSupporting hand placed too close to the hip so the shape folds.
FixSet the hand well out to the side, roughly under the top shoulder.
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 Destroyer of the Universe Pose 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 Destroyer of the Universe Pose?
Sit and take the right leg behind the right shoulder, working the shin high onto the back of the shoulder. Turn towards the left and plant the left palm flat on the mat, well out to the side. Press the outer edge of the left foot into the floor and straighten the left leg. Press the left hand down, lift the hips and turn the chest open towards the ceiling. Reach the top arm up, hold, then lower with control and change sides. Hold for 3–5 breaths each side.
What does Destroyer of the Universe Pose work?
Primarily the obliques, shoulders, hip abductors, with the hamstrings, wrists, abdominals assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: balances on one hand and one foot with the other leg hooked behind the shoulder.
Who should not do Destroyer of the Universe Pose?
Wrist injury or carpal tunnel syndrome — one wrist carries the entire load. Shoulder or neck injury, since a leg rests across the shoulder. Hamstring or groin strain on the hooked leg. Low back or sacroiliac problems. Pregnancy at any stage. 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 Destroyer of the Universe Pose suitable for beginners?
No. Destroyer of the Universe Pose is rated advanced. The shape itself is rarely the problem — arriving at it years too early is. Work through the beginner and intermediate balance poses on this site and learn this one in person.
How many calories does Destroyer of the Universe 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. Destroyer of the Universe Pose 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 balance 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.