Corpse Pose
Benefits
- Produces deep relaxation
- Reduces stress, blood pressure, and anxiety
- Integrates the effects of the practice
- Calms the nervous system
Contraindications — when to avoid or modify this pose
- Late-term pregnancy (lie on the left side or use support instead of flat on the back)
- Back pain (support the knees with a bolster)
Muscles worked
This is a fully passive pose: no muscles are actively engaged.
Chakra
Traditional association, based on common hatha yoga teaching — not a medical or scientific claim.
Fully passive pose — no active muscular engagement. Used for recovery and integration. It has the oldest textual definition of any pose in this catalog: the 14th-century Hatha Yoga Pradipika describes lying supine "like a corpse" to remove the fatigue caused by other poses and rest the mind, and the 20th-century teacher Swami Sivananda considered it one of the most important poses in a class.
Historical note drawn from the classical Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the site creator's course material on the history of yoga (Round 3).
This page is for general education only and is not a substitute for guidance from a qualified yoga teacher or medical professional. If you have an injury, a chronic condition, or are pregnant, consult a doctor and a certified instructor before practicing this pose.