Upward Lotus in Shoulderstand
ऊर्ध्व पद्मासन
Ūrdhva Padmāsana — an advanced inversion that works the abdominals, shoulders, hip flexors.
How to do Upward Lotus in Shoulderstand
Read all of it before starting, and read the cautions further down before starting at all.
Establish a steady supported shoulderstand on folded blankets with the line fully vertical.
Hold the back firmly with both hands and check the neck is free of weight.
Bend the right knee and place the right foot high on the left thigh, then fold the left leg in to match.
Press the knees down away from the chest so the thighs move towards horizontal.
Hold briefly, unfold the legs one at a time back to vertical, and roll down slowly.
Hold: 15–30 seconds. 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 Upward Lotus in 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.
- Adds deep external rotation at both hips to an inverted vertical hold.
- Requires the trunk to stay stacked while the legs change shape above it.
- Loads the shoulders and upper arms for the whole time the legs are being arranged.
Upward Lotus in 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 Upward Lotus in Shoulderstand, or change it
- Glaucoma or raised pressure in the eye, and uncontrolled high blood pressure.
- Neck or cervical spine injury — the neck is flexed under load while the balance shifts.
- Pregnancy — do not begin here; whether to continue an established inversion practice is a decision for you and your doctor.
- Menstruation: many traditions leave inversions out at that time, which is a personal choice, not a medical rule.
- Recent ear infection, and any knee injury — lotus loads the knee in rotation, so skip it entirely if the knee objects.
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 Upward Lotus in Shoulderstand
What tends to go wrong, and the specific correction — not "engage your core".
MistakeBuilding the lotus by pulling on the feet while balancing.
FixOnly attempt this if lotus is effortless seated; otherwise cross the shins loosely instead.
MistakeHips sagging back as the legs fold.
FixPress the hands into the back and keep the pelvis directly over the shoulders.
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 Upward Lotus in 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 Upward Lotus in Shoulderstand?
Establish a steady supported shoulderstand on folded blankets with the line fully vertical. Hold the back firmly with both hands and check the neck is free of weight. Bend the right knee and place the right foot high on the left thigh, then fold the left leg in to match. Press the knees down away from the chest so the thighs move towards horizontal. Hold briefly, unfold the legs one at a time back to vertical, and roll down slowly. Hold for 15–30 seconds.
What does Upward Lotus in Shoulderstand work?
Primarily the abdominals, shoulders, hip flexors, with the spinal erectors, glutes, triceps assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: adds deep external rotation at both hips to an inverted vertical hold.
Who should not do Upward Lotus in Shoulderstand?
Glaucoma or raised pressure in the eye, and uncontrolled high blood pressure. Neck or cervical spine injury — the neck is flexed under load while the balance shifts. Pregnancy — do not begin here; whether to continue an established inversion practice is a decision for you and your doctor. Menstruation: many traditions leave inversions out at that time, which is a personal choice, not a medical rule. Recent ear infection, and any knee injury — lotus loads the knee in rotation, so skip it entirely if the knee objects. 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 Upward Lotus in Shoulderstand suitable for beginners?
No. Upward Lotus in 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 Upward Lotus in 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. Upward Lotus in 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.