How the Legs-up-the-Wall TikTok Trend Can Improve Your Health

All you really need to know is that the position inverts the typical actions that happen in our bodies when we sit and stand. Your torso and head lie flat on the ground while your legs are inverted up a wall. According to Yoga Journal, ‘the legs-up-the-wall pose gives blood circulation a gentle boost toward the upper body and head’. This creates a pleasant feeling of rebalancing after a long time of standing or sitting.

According to Robert Saper, MD, MPH, Chair of Wellness and Preventive Medicine, the main benefit of viparita karani is that it puts back into circulation the bodily fluids stored in your legs. “By inverting and holding that pose, it allows the return of blood flow and reduction of lower-leg swelling,” he says.

The pose is safe to do up to twice a day, says Dr Saper, whether as part of your regular yoga practice or as a stand-alone pose. By doing the pose as described above regularly the benefits include:

A Harvard study on insomnia found that those who practiced yoga consistently for eight weeks slept better and longer than those who didn’t.

When you’re able to relax the body, it becomes easier to relax the mind, setting the stage for more restful sleep. World Peace Yoga School recommends practicing legs-up-the-wall at night before getting into bed, or in the middle of the night when sleep is elusive.

Research shows that yoga can generally help your body’s stress response systems, and restorative yoga poses like legs up the wall are intended to guide your body into a relaxed state. TikTok user @lexnicoleta tried the legs-up-the-wall for around 30 minutes each day for a week. The result?

“The biggest thing I noticed was that the pose alleviated my anxiety. It allowed me to breathe better and made me feel like I was getting better sleep,” she reported.

If you need a nap throughout the day but don’t have the time to spare, then legs-up-the-wall pose can provide much-needed rest. In fact, in acclaimed yogi Gail Boorstein Grossman’s book Restorative Yoga: A Relaxing Way to De-stress, Re-energize, and Find Balance, she claims that twenty minutes of the pose can have the same restful benefits as a short nap.

Award-winning osteopath Anisha Joshi told Glamour magazine that having your legs on the wall may improve headaches because you’re giving your body time to rest and relax. She explains, “In my clinic, many patients who experience headaches are usually experiencing them because of stress or lack of sleep.

“Elevating your legs on the wall can help with lymphatic drainage in your legs. If you suffer from swelling in your ankles or knees, after putting your legs on the wall you may notice a reduction in this swelling or fluid retention.”