Scorpion Pose
वृश्चिकासन
Vṛścikāsana — an advanced inversion that works the shoulders, spinal erectors, upper back.
How to do Scorpion Pose
Read all of it before starting, and read the cautions further down before starting at all.
Establish a steady forearm stand with the elbows shoulder-width and a strap around the upper arms.
Once the balance is quiet, lift the chest and press the shoulders forward past the elbows.
Bend the knees and let the feet travel over the head, arching from the upper back rather than the waist.
Keep looking forward past the hands so the chest keeps opening.
Come out by straightening the legs back to vertical, then lowering one foot at a time.
Hold: 10–20 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 Scorpion 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.
- Combines a deep thoracic extension with an inverted weight-bearing hold on the forearms.
- Loads the shoulders at the far end of their overhead range under body weight.
- Demands continuous control from the trunk to keep the arch out of the lumbar spine.
Scorpion Pose 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 Scorpion Pose, or change it
- Glaucoma or raised pressure in the eye, and uncontrolled high blood pressure.
- Neck or cervical spine injury — the neck extends hard while the head is unsupported.
- Pregnancy — not appropriate; and this is certainly not a pose to begin then, whatever an established practice looks like, which is a matter for you and your doctor.
- Menstruation: many traditions omit inversions at that time, a personal choice rather than a medical rule.
- Recent ear infection, any low back injury or disc problem, and shoulder impingement — learn this only with a qualified teacher spotting.
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 Scorpion Pose
What tends to go wrong, and the specific correction — not "engage your core".
MistakeAttempting the arch before forearm stand is steady without a wall.
FixHold a free-standing forearm stand for a minute first; the arch comes years later.
MistakeBending sharply at the waist so the low back takes the whole curve.
FixPress the shoulders forward and arch from between the shoulder blades instead.
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 Scorpion 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 Scorpion Pose?
Establish a steady forearm stand with the elbows shoulder-width and a strap around the upper arms. Once the balance is quiet, lift the chest and press the shoulders forward past the elbows. Bend the knees and let the feet travel over the head, arching from the upper back rather than the waist. Keep looking forward past the hands so the chest keeps opening. Come out by straightening the legs back to vertical, then lowering one foot at a time. Hold for 10–20 seconds.
What does Scorpion Pose work?
Primarily the shoulders, spinal erectors, upper back, with the triceps, glutes, hip flexors assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: combines a deep thoracic extension with an inverted weight-bearing hold on the forearms.
Who should not do Scorpion Pose?
Glaucoma or raised pressure in the eye, and uncontrolled high blood pressure. Neck or cervical spine injury — the neck extends hard while the head is unsupported. Pregnancy — not appropriate; and this is certainly not a pose to begin then, whatever an established practice looks like, which is a matter for you and your doctor. Menstruation: many traditions omit inversions at that time, a personal choice rather than a medical rule. Recent ear infection, any low back injury or disc problem, and shoulder impingement — learn this only with a qualified teacher spotting. 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 Scorpion Pose suitable for beginners?
No. Scorpion Pose 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 Scorpion 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. Scorpion 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 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.