Supta Koṇāsana (Sleeping Angle Pose) is an inverted wide-angle posture where the practitioner rolls backward, extends the legs wide overhead, touches the toes to the floor behind the head, catches the big toes, and then rolls up holding the toes until the legs land and the chin touches the floor. It combines elements of an inversion, a wide-legged fold, and a controlled roll. It follows Upaviṣṭa Koṇāsana and shares its emphasis on adductor flexibility.

From supta (sleeping, reclining), koṇa (angle), and āsana (seat). The 'sleeping' aspect refers to the reclined, inverted quality of the pose — the practitioner lies back with the legs overhead. The 'angle' refers to the wide spread of the legs, mirroring the Koṇāsana family of postures.

Supta Koṇāsana has a 16-vinyāsa count. Vinyāsa 7 (Saptaḥ) — jump through and lie back. Vinyāsa 8 (Aṣṭau, inhale) is the state: roll back, spread the legs wide behind the head, catch the big toes, and hold for five breaths (Anuṣṭhāna, p. 67). Vinyāsa 9 (Nava, inhale): roll up holding the toes and exhale, rolling on until the legs land on the floor and the chin touches the floor. Vinyāsa 10 (inhale): head up, then exhale. Vinyāsa 11: lift up. Vinyāsas 12 to 14: jump back.

From Adho Mukha Śvānāsana, inhale jump through and lie down on the back. Exhale, using core strength, roll the legs overhead and extend them wide, touching the toes to the floor behind the head. The hands catch the big toes in the overhead position. The legs are straight and as wide as possible. Hold for five breaths.

In the full posture, the practitioner is on the upper back and shoulders with the legs extended wide overhead. The toes touch the floor behind the head, and the hands hold the big toes. The back rounds to accommodate the shape, and the neck is flexed. The legs are as wide as adductor flexibility allows, with the knees straight. After five breaths, the practitioner rolls up while still holding the toes and keeps rolling until the legs land on the floor and the chin touches the floor, the Upaviṣṭa Koṇāsana shape.

After the chin touches the floor, release the toes and lift the head (vinyāsa 10). Bring the legs together, cross the ankles, press the palms, inhale lift, exhale jump back. Complete the standard vinyāsa.

Nāsāgra dṛṣṭi (nose) during the inverted position. The gaze is toward the nose while the legs are behind the head. During the roll up, the dṛṣṭi may briefly shift upward.

The roll back requires uḍḍīyāna bandha to control the descent and maintain the shape. The roll up demands maximum bandha engagement — both mūla and uḍḍīyāna — to generate the momentum and control needed to arrive with the legs on the floor and the chin down without releasing the toes. This controlled rolling is one of the most bandha-intensive transitions in the seated sequence.

In the inverted position, the weight is on the upper back and shoulders, never on the cervical spine. The legs extend straight and wide. The hands maintain a firm grip on the big toes throughout the pose and the transition. The neck is protected by keeping the weight on the shoulders. During the roll up, the spine articulates vertebra by vertebra, and the roll continues until the legs land and the chin reaches the floor.

Bearing weight on the neck/cervical spine rather than the upper back and shoulders. Bending the knees to reach the toes to the floor behind the head. Releasing the toes during the forward roll — the hands should maintain contact throughout. Rolling up without control and collapsing rather than arriving with the legs landing and the chin to the floor. Insufficient leg width in the overhead position.

Supta Koṇāsana deeply stretches the adductors, hamstrings, and the entire posterior chain in an inverted position. The cervical and thoracic spine are in significant flexion. The shoulder stabilizers work to maintain the toe grip. The abdominal muscles control both the roll back and the roll up. The inversion increases blood flow to the upper body and head. The paraspinal muscles are stretched along the entire length of the spine.

The mild inversion quality is considered therapeutic for circulation, particularly venous return from the legs. The wide-legged overhead position opens the adductors under the assistance of gravity. The spinal flexion in the inverted position can help decompress the lumbar vertebrae. The rolling action massages the spine. The pose is calming for the nervous system due to its inversional quality.

If the toes do not reach the floor behind the head, keep the legs at whatever angle is accessible overhead. Use a wall behind the head to rest the feet against. If the roll up is not achievable, simply roll back to lying down and sit up separately. A folded blanket under the shoulders protects the neck. The teacher may assist the forward roll by gently guiding the student's momentum.

Upaviṣṭa Koṇāsana immediately precedes and develops the wide-leg flexibility. Halāsana (Plow Pose, in the finishing sequence) shares the legs-overhead pattern. Sarvāṅgāsana (Shoulderstand) builds comfort in the inverted position. The rolling practice from Garbha Piṇḍāsana develops the spinal rolling technique.

Supta Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana follows in the sequence and returns the practitioner to a supine position with one leg at a time, providing a gentler and more controlled stretch. The vinyāsa between provides the extension of upward dog as a counterpose to the deep spinal flexion.

The rolling movements in Ashtanga — from Garbha Piṇḍāsana through Supta Koṇāsana to Ubhaya Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana — represent the continuous flow of consciousness through different states. The practitioner moves from inversion to balance to seated with an unbroken thread of awareness, embodying the Yoga Sūtra concept of pratyāhāra flowing into dhāraṇā (concentration). The transitions demand such total attention that the mind cannot wander.