Knee Press Both Legs (Apānāsana)

Knee Press Both Legs is a gentle supine pose in which you draw both knees simultaneously into the chest and hold them there with your hands. Its Sanskrit name, Apānāsana (both legs), translates roughly as "downward-force pose" - apāna referring to the downward-moving vital energy said to govern the lower abdomen and pelvis. Accessible and unhurried, it typically appears at the opening or close of a practice as a way to settle the spine and warm the hip flexors before or after more demanding work.

At a Glance

• Level: Beginner
• Type: Supine
• Targets: Lower back, hip flexors, glutes, sacrum
• Good for: Releasing tension across the lumbar spine, mobilizing the sacroiliac joint, calming the nervous system before or after active sequences

How to Do Knee Press Both Legs

1. Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and your arms resting alongside your body. Take a breath to let your spine settle against the floor.
2. On an exhale, bend both knees and draw your feet toward your sitting bones so your soles are flat on the mat.
3. Lift both knees toward your chest. Wrap your hands around your shins - one hand on each shin just below the knee - or interlace your fingers over the tops of your shins.
4. On your next exhale, gently draw your knees closer to your torso, feeling the low back lengthen against the mat. Avoid yanking; the movement is slow and breath-led.
5. Keep your head and shoulders relaxed on the floor. If your chin juts upward and your neck shortens, let the back of your skull stay heavy.
6. Hold for 5-10 steady breaths, drawing the knees in a little more on each exhale and allowing a slight release on each inhale. You may also add small circles with both knees together to gently massage the sacrum.
7. To come out, release your grip and lower both feet to the mat with control. Extend your legs one at a time back to the floor, or transition directly into a related pose.

Benefits

• Stretches the erector spinae and quadratus lumborum along the lumbar spine.
• Lengthens the hip flexors and gluteal muscles as the femurs press toward the abdomen.
• Gently mobilizes the sacroiliac joints through controlled compression and release.
• Activates mild intra-abdominal pressure, encouraging awareness of deep core engagement.
• Provides a gentle counter-stretch for the spinal extensors after backbend sequences or prolonged sitting.

Common Mistakes and Alignment Cues

• Gripping behind the knees: Placing hands behind the knees can compress the joint. Instead, hold the fronts of the shins just below the kneecaps, or wrap your forearms around your shins.
• Lifting the head: Straining the neck forward creates unnecessary tension. Keep the back of your head on the mat; if that feels effortful, slide a folded blanket under your skull.
• Pulling forcefully on the exhale: Jerking the knees into the chest can strain the low back. Let gravity and the weight of your arms do the work - use your exhale as the cue to move, not muscular force.
• Holding the breath: The pose works with the breath cycle. Match each draw-in to an exhale; don't lock the breath as you hold.
• Flared elbows: Letting the elbows splay wide can hike the shoulders. Draw your elbows in toward your sides so the shoulders stay broad and low.

Modifications and Props

• Strap around the shins: If your hands don't reach your shins comfortably, loop a yoga strap around both shins and hold the strap ends. This keeps the arms from over-reaching and the shoulders from tensing.
• Blanket under the head: A folded blanket under the skull neutralizes the cervical spine for anyone with neck stiffness or a pronounced neck curve.
• Single-leg variation first: If drawing both knees in simultaneously feels compressive, practice Right Leg Wind Freeing Pose and Left Leg Wind Freeing Pose individually before combining them.
• Supported sacrum: Placing a folded blanket under the sacrum (not the lumbar curve) slightly lifts the pelvis and reduces the range needed, making the hold more comfortable for very tight hips.

Cautions

• Move carefully if you have a recent or acute herniated disc; compressing both knees toward the chest simultaneously increases intra-discal pressure more than a single-leg version.
• If you have a knee injury or recent knee surgery, avoid gripping the shins in a way that bends the knee beyond a comfortable range - hold the backs of the thighs instead, or skip the pose until cleared.
• Pregnant practitioners beyond the first trimester should modify or avoid this pose, as the bilateral compression on the abdomen is not appropriate as the pregnancy progresses.
• If you notice sharp or radiating pain in the low back, hips, or legs, release the pose immediately and rest in Corpse Pose. If you're working with an injury or a medical condition, check with a qualified professional before practicing.

Related Poses

• Right Leg Wind Freeing Pose - the single-leg preparation that teaches the same action with less demand.
• Left Leg Wind Freeing Pose - its counterpart; practice both before combining them here.
• Rotation Pose with Legs to the Left - a natural next step that adds a spinal twist from the same starting position.
• Corpse Pose - the ideal resting pose before or after Apānāsana to let the spine integrate.

You'll find Knee Press Both Legs woven into A Gentle Yoga Routine for Tired, Low-Energy Days and A 10-Move Chair Yoga Sequence for a Midday Reset.