Scorpion Posture 101: Everything You Need to Know

The scorpion posture, also called Vrischikasana in Sanskrit, is an advanced yoga pose that helps improve flexibility, balance, and upper body and core strength. This yoga pose can also be called a handstand scorpion, as it's performed while balancing on your hands, which requires great strength and flexibility.

The scorpion pose is basically an inversion posture that facilitates backbend and mimics the position of a scorpion. It requires extra strength and preparation to build muscle, skill, and flexibility to execute this advanced yoga pose effectively and safely.

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How to perform the scorpion posture?

To perform the scorpion pose, build up your strength and balance. (Photo via Instagram/litasattva)

Follow the steps to perform the scorpion pose correctly:

• Take a tabletop position, and kick your legs up to get into a forearm stand. Move your spine into a large curve while bending your knees and lifting your head without stressing the back of your neck.
• Move your big toes towards one another to touch while keeping your knees wide and separated from each other.
• Balance yourself, and do not collapse into a backbend. Keep your body stable, and hold the position for a few seconds.
• To come out of the pose, straighten your legs, and pass through a forearm stand before lowering one leg at a time.
• Rest in the child’s pose for a few seconds, and repeat if needed.

If you’ve never tried vrischikasana, it's best to practice it near a wall till you have mastered the pose.

Despite being one of the most challenging yoga poses, the scorpion pose is quite popular among different styles of yoga practice, including Ashtanga, Hatha, and Vinyasa.

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Some preparatory poses

If you're new to the scorpion yoga pose, you can prepare your body for this advanced asana by practicing the following poses:

• Cobra pose or bhujangasana
• Headstand pose or shirshasana
• Peacock pose or pincha mayurasana
• Handstand pose or adho mukha vrikhasana
• Shoulderstand pose or sarvangasana
• Upward facing bow pose or urdhva dhanurasana

Practicing these preparatory poses will help you execute the scorpion posture without any difficulty.

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Beginner’s tips

Follow the given tips to make the scorpion yoga pose less challenging:

• Practice this pose only when you’ve mastered the aforementioned preparatory poses.
• Take the support of a wall if you're a beginner or new to this advanced handstand yoga pose.
• Practice this pose on a mat or keep a blanket under your arms to prevent muscle strain and injuries.
• Keep your movements slow and focus on your form.

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Benefits of scorpion posture

When done correctly, the scorpion posture strengthens the muscles of the shoulders, back, arms and core. It also helps boost overall flexibility, stabilizes the spine, and stretches the chest and hip flexor muscles.

Practicing this yoga pose regularly can improve stability and balance while also energizing you both mentally and physically. It enhances blood flow to the brain, promoting brain health.

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Mistakes to avoid

To make the most out of the scorpion posture and most importantly, to prevent any kind of injury, avoid the following mistakes:

Jumping onto the scorpion pose without mastering the preparatory poses

Preparatory poses are important. (Photo via Pexels/Monstera)

This is one of the most common mistakes yoga practitioners make. Before attempting the scorpion posture, make sure you're strong enough to execute other inversion poses like the handstand and forearm stand pose, without any difficulty.

It's important to develop core and forearm strength before trying vrischikasana. You can also practice the camel pose to build flexibility in your spine.

Rushing through the movements and forcing yourself to complete the pose

As the scorpion posture is an advanced backbend, each move involved in this asana should be performed slowly and with control. Rushing through the movements can affect the spine and even lead to back pain.

While the scorpion posture is effective and safe when done correctly, this pose should not be attempted if you're suffering from any heart disease. It should also not be performed during menstruation or if you're pregnant.

People suffering from back, shoulder, and hip pain or have recently recovered from an injury should also avoid practicing the scorpion posture. Hypertension patients must also avoid this pose.