Runners put their feet up on the wall (Viparita Karani, or Legs-Up-the-Wall pose) primarily for recovery, to reduce swelling and fatigue by using gravity to help venous return (blood flow back to the heart), improve circulation, and promote relaxation by calming the nervous system after strenuous activity. This restorative yoga pose helps flush metabolic waste like lactic acid and soothes tired muscles, making it a simple way to aid post-run recovery and relieve stress.
This position helps facilitate venous return, allowing blood to flow back to the heart more efficiently, which can aid in reducing swelling and improving circulation. It's an excellent way to relax the legs after a long run or an intense workout. The simplicity of this pose is one of its greatest strengths.
“Legs up the wall—also known by its Sanskrit name viparita karani—is a deeply restorative yoga pose that can help promote lymphatic flow and enhance blood circulation, especially in the legs and feet,” Lelani Loubser, a functional medicine practitioner at The Hvn in London's Knightsbridge, explains.
3 Things That Happen When You Put Your Legs Up Against A Wall Every Day. Putting your legs up against a wall is a simple pose with surprising benefits. It helps improve circulation, reduces swelling, calms the nervous system, and can ease lower back tension.
Secondly, patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease may feel pain in their feet when their legs are elevated because the arterial blood has to push against gravity to get through the legs. Patients who suffer from either of these conditions should thoroughly discuss leg elevation with their doctor before attempting it.
This natural technique supports faster muscle recovery, reduces inflammation, and helps prevent varicose veins. Whether you're recovering from exercise, standing for long hours, or simply seeking better leg health, just 15-20 minutes a day can boost circulation, enhance comfort, and improve overall wellness.
Who Shouldn't Perform Viparita Karani (Legs Up The Wall Pose) You suffer from glaucoma or detached retina, as the pose may increase pressure on the eyes. You have severe neck or back issues as the pose may exacerbate pain or discomfort in these areas.
Put your pelvis in a neutral position. Relax your face and neck, and rest your hands on your belly or beside you on the floor. Relax all parts of your body while keeping your legs propped up against the wall. You can stay in the posture for 10 to 15 minutes or whatever's comfortable for you.
You may be instructed to elevate your feet above the level of your heart three or four times a day for about 15 minutes at a time. If you need to sit or stand for a long period of time, flexing (bending) your legs occasionally can help keep blood circulating.
Reduce stress and improve sleep: According to Traditional medicine, putting the legs up the wall before going to bed helps the practitioner have a quality sleep.
This works by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which triggers your body's “rest and digest” system, helping you find calm and relaxation. This pose also helps improve circulation, lowers cortisol, releases endorphins, lowers your heart rate, oxygenates your brain, and provides mental clarity.
Posture. Postural habits that put sustained pressure on nerves or reduce blood flow in the lower limbs are the most common cause of temporary numbness in the legs and feet.
Elevating your legs can help reduce pressure in the legs by allowing pooled blood to drain. If you have been standing for a while, sitting down with your legs elevated can also help relieve pressure and reduce pain in tired legs. Reduces back pain: Lying on your back while sleeping puts pressure on your lower back.
Endurance athletes, in particular, subscribe to the 80/20 rule, often called 80/20 running by marathon runners or polarized training by cyclists. No matter where they are in their monthslong buildup to race day, whether they're doing two miles or 20, 80 percent of the runs are easy and 20 percent are at race pace.
You'll relieve unwanted stress and tension by elevating your feet up a wall for 5-10 minutes at a time. You can do it after a long day on the trail, after a short workout or as part of your normal day-to-day routine. It's a great way to unwind and slow down, especially at the end of a long day.
To reduce swelling and improve circulation, it's recommended that you elevate your legs daily for at least 15 to 20 minutes. This allows time for blood and fluids to drain from your legs. To make it a habit, try setting aside 20 minutes each day to elevate your legs while you watch TV or read a book.
Vitamin E is one of the best vitamins for leg circulation as it's a powerful antioxidant that supports vascular health by preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which can lead to plaque formation. Moreover, vitamin E acts as a blood thinner, helping to prevent blood clots that could impede circulation.
Managing swelling: Leg elevation may help reduce swelling and puffiness in your legs encouraging fluid to drain from the place of highest elevation (your feet) back to the place of lowest elevation (your upper body).
Improves circulation
But legs up the wall can help. “The main benefit of viparita karani is that it puts back into circulation the bodily fluids stored in your legs,” Dr. Saper explains. “By inverting and holding that pose, it allows the return of blood flow and reduction of lower-leg swelling.”
Even this simple inversion should be avoided by students with glaucoma, cataract surgery, or any eye-related issues. Any discomfort due to the opposite flow of blood causes tingling sensations in the feet, buttocks, lower back, or anywhere, then, students should release from this practice.
Anything beyond 30 minutes may bring discomfort, numbness, and in some cases, weaken blood flow further. In addition to these problems arising from prolonged leg elevation, you may also experience blood pooling in your upper body and muscle loss or weakness in the elevated legs.
The Legs Up the Wall yoga pose can help support the lymphatic system by draining lymph fluid from the legs and feet into the lymph nodes for cleansing.
These two yoga poses increase blood pressure in the head the most, because the legs and trunk are maximally elevated and the head is as far below the heart as possible. Even gentle, relaxing inversions like Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani) are poses to avoid with high blood pressure.
By elevating your legs, you reduce the pressure on your lower back and promote proper spinal alignment, leading to relief from pain and tension. Legs Up the Wall is an inversion pose that allows blood and lymphatic fluid to flow more easily back to the heart.