Viparita Karani or the inverted action is called so because in this practice, the whole body is inverted or is made to stand upside-down. In Sanskrit, `Viparita` means inverted and `Karani` means an action. Textbooks on Yoga give a clear explanation of this practice which is yet not explained in terms of modern anatomy and physiology.

The technique for Viparita Karani is as follows -

The student should first lie supine on his seat with all his muscles completely relaxed. Then he shall slowly raise his legs through the hip-joint till they make an angle of 30° with the ground.

Here the legs should be kept steady for a few seconds, and then raised through another 30°. Again they are kept steady here and again raised so as to complete a right angle. This is maintained for a few seconds.

Up to now the student shall not bring into action his arms and elbows which play only a passive part.

Next in his subsequent movements, he has to use his arms and elbows somewhat actively. After keeping his legs in a perpendicular position for a few seconds, the student raises his hips and curves up the trunk, keeping his legs in the same erect position that they have already assumed.

The weight of the body is, thus, raised and supported by stiffening the arms that are still stretching along the ground.

Here the trunk does not make a right angle with the ground as in Sarvangasana, but simply takes an upward curve.

Then the forearms of the practitioner are bent through the elbows and the hands are made to support the curving frame at the hip-bones.

The posterior part of the head, of the neck, of the shoulder-blades, and the arms up to the elbows are made to lie along the ground.

The chest does not press against the chin, but keeps itself away from the chin.

The eyes are either closed to concentrate the mind upon a particular part in the body or are kept fixed upon the toes.

Then the student forms the Tongue-Lock and thus completes the Inverted Action.

Benefits of Viparita Karani
Viparita Karani maintains the health of thyroid gland and is advantageous in semen and testicles problem. For females, it removes ovary disorder. Viparita Karani is also useful in dyspepsia, hernia and Visceroptosis. It helps in effective blood circulation in head and relieves tired or cramped legs and feet. Gently stretches the back legs, front torso, and the back of the neck. Relieves mild backache and calms the mind.

Limitations of Viparita Karani
The Yogic texts states that the practice should begin with twenty-four seconds on the first day, adding a few seconds every day to the tenure of the asana. The maximum time recommended for Viparita Karani is three hours. For an exclusive practice of Viparita Karani in the case of a man of average health, it is recommended being twenty-four minutes as the maximum. But if this Inverted Action is to be done along with other exercises, this singular pose time should be reduced to six minutes only. The points of dissimilarity between the technique of Viparita Karani and that of Sarvangasana should be carefully noted and observed while practice.