Compass Pose Family (Sūrya Yantrāsana)

Compass Pose is more accessible than it looks: you build it step by step through smart sequencing, or Krama Vinyāsa. Many poses share its shape, which is why I call them the Compass Pose family. This is the standard pose, with the bottom knee bent and turned out to the side. I often prefer a variation with the bottom leg extended.

Parivṛtta means revolved. Adding a side bend and opening the chest deepens the twist of Compass Pose and lengthens the side body. It asks for the same hip and hamstring opening, with more rotation through the upper back.

This is the standing version of Compass Pose. Add it to your standing sequences once your hamstrings and hips are warm. Keep the standing leg bent, or straighten it if your flexibility allows.

Anantāsana is Compass Pose lying on your side. Pressing your body into the floor gives you something to push against, and that helps your arm keep reaching toward the legs. That's why many people find the shape easier here, and it's a great way to build the range Compass asks for.

If arm balances and the L-sit are on your wish list, add Elephant Trunk Pose to your practice. It is also the starting point for the next arm balance, Eight-Angle Pose. Working on your Compass Pose will help you with both.

Aṣṭāvakrāsana asks for active flexibility: the leg must stay high behind your arm while you balance on your hands. Compass Pose builds that flexibility: there, you already engage the quad to straighten the leg and twist deeply. The more freely your leg moves behind the shoulder in Compass, the easier it is to enter and hold Eight-Angle Pose.

Double Compass turns the Compass shape into a balance on your sit bones. As in Boat Pose (Nāvāsana), your core works hard to keep the spine long and both legs lifted while you find your centre. Don't worry if you fall back: that's part of the fun.

*This pose has no traditional Sanskrit name. Dvipāda Sūrya Yantrāsana, “two-footed Compass Pose,” is a name I propose.

Head-to-Knee Pose, Cradle Pose, Marīcyāsana and side bends, practised in the right order, are the preparatory poses for Compass. With consistent practice, they help you build the pose step by step.