Reverse Tabletop Pose

ardha = half

purva = east

uttana = intense

AHR-dah PUR-vah-tah-nahs-anna

Benefits

• Opens the heart space
• Opens the frontline of body
• Engages the core and quadriceps

Contraindications

• Shoulder pain or injury
• Knee or hamstring pain or injury

How To

1. Find a seat on your mat or the floor
2. Bend your knees and plant your feet flat on the ground
3. Plant your hands several inches behind your hips, aiming to rest underneath your shoulders
4. Spread your fingers wide and turn your fingers to face your hips
5. Roll your biceps in towards your face to engage your shoulders
6. Inhale, lift your hips up towards the ceiling and lift your abdomen, chest, and shoulders as well
7. Shine your heart above you and rest for a couple rounds of breath
8. Exhale to lower down to your mat

Modify or Replace

• Place a bolster or block underneath your hips or shoulders if either are having difficulty staying lifted
• Lift your hips slowly and repeatedly to build strength through the pelvis and core

Sequencing Tips

Before:

• Forward Fold
• Shoulderstand
• Plow Pose

After:

• One-Legged Reverse Table Top
• Reverse Table Top with Figure Four Legs
• Upward Plank Pose (Purvottanasana)

Teaching Cues

• Allow the crown of your head to drop towards the back of your space if it feels comfortable in your neck
• Maintain a 90-degree bend in your knees with your ankles resting directly beneath your knees
• Keep the palms of your hands flat on your mat
• Tuck your tailbone slightly under
• Press down through all ten toes

Variations

• Reverse Table Top on a chair with hips down the palms to touch overhead.

Watch Out For

• Knees resting wider than the hips
• Hands planting wider than the shoulders
• Neck pain as crown of head drops back