Category: Backbends
Level: beginner
Hold: 3–5 breaths
Type: Asana
Breath: Inhale to lift, exhale to lower; breathe evenly if holding.

Reverse Tabletop

Ardha Purvottanasana — "half intense front-body stretch"

Also known as: Half Upward Plank, Crab Position

A bent-knee version of Upward Plank: hands and feet down, hips lifted until the torso is flat like a tabletop facing the ceiling. Accessible, sturdy, and a satisfying counterpose to sitting.

Step by step

1Sit with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor hip-width apart.
2Place your hands on the floor behind your hips, fingers pointing toward your feet.
3Press into your hands and feet and, on an inhale, lift your hips.
4Rise until your torso and thighs form a flat line parallel to the floor.
5Stack your knees over your ankles and your shoulders over your wrists.
6Lift your chest and keep your neck long, gaze up or slightly forward.
7Exhale to lower your hips back down between your hands.

Benefits

✓ Opens the chest and fronts of the shoulders
✓ Strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and arms
✓ Gently counteracts rounded posture
✓ A stepping stone toward full Upward Plank

Make it yours

· Keep the hips lower until shoulder and wrist strength builds
· Turn the fingertips outward or slightly back to ease the wrists
· Practice lifting and lowering with the breath instead of holding

Take care

Take care with wrist discomfort — turn the hands outward or make fists to adjust the angle
Keep the chin toward the chest if your neck is sensitive

This is general practice guidance, not medical advice. If something hurts, ease out of it.

Props that help here

Cork blocks (set of 2) — Bring the floor closer in lunges, folds, and triangle — and a block between the shoulder blades turns a backbend into something you can hold. find one
Bolster — The single best restorative purchase. Under the knees, under the spine, or lengthwise under the back to open a gentle supported backbend. find one

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