5 Essential Tips to A Better Wheel

The #1 question I get, and it doesn’t matter if they’re new to yoga or a seasoned practitioner, is something along the lines of “How do I improve my wheel?” or “How do I get a better looking wheel?”. While you won’t reach enlightenment because of your wheel pose, I get wanting to improve it. Good things come with improving your wheel.

So I thought I would come up with my top 5 ways to improve your wheel pose, but more importantly, make your body stronger, more mobile and feel better.

Don’t feel like reading? Me too. Here’s a video of everything discussed with examples of how to do it, plus, if you get to the end (it’s over 20 minutes 😬) I have a bonus tip for you.

Tip #1: Do Your Shoulder CARs

Honestly, shoulder CARs (controlled articular rotations) should be a daily ritual, whether you’re working on your wheel pose or not. These movements isolate the rotator muscles and guide the shoulder through all its ranges, which is fantastic for joint health, maintaining range of motion, balancing out the shoulder joint, preventing injuries, and enhancing the brain-body connection. The wheel pose is tough on the shoulders, so laying a strong foundation is key to ensuring they function efficiently under high demands.

Tip #2: Enhance Your Shoulder Internal Rotation

Imagine looking at a wooden floor—the grain tells your eyes which way to follow. Similarly, the fibers in your joints indicate how they want to move. For shoulders, this means axial rotation, specifically internal rotation. Building strength and control in internal rotation can significantly improve all other shoulder movements, giving you more freedom and space. The subscapularis muscle, the primary internal rotator of the shoulder, stabilizes from the front. In wheel pose, a strong subscap supports the shoulder as you enter, hold, and exit the pose, providing stability and power.

Tip #3: Do More Dolphin

No surprise here 😉. You know how much I love dolphin! If you want to improve your wheel, add more dolphins to your practice. It’s that simple. The shoulder action is similar to wheel pose, with a comparable load. So, skip the up dogs and dive into dolphin.

Tip #4: Strengthen Your Glutes and Hamstrings

It’s wild to think there was a time in yoga when using your glutes and hamstrings was discouraged. In wheel pose, your hips are in extension, and guess what the major hip extensors are? Yep, your glutes and hamstrings. The stronger they are, the more power you’ll have to extend your hips, leading to a deeper wheel pose.

Tip #5: Build Eccentric Strength in Your Quads

We’ve discussed how wheel pose involves hip extension, putting your quads and hip flexors in a lengthened position. So, should we just stretch the quads? Not quite. Stretching alone won’t build the necessary strength. Wheel pose demands the quads to bear significant load. Therefore, we need strength in that length to manage the load and go further.

Want examples? Here’s the video again.

Remember it’s long, but well worth it and I’ve added a bonus tip for those who make it through the video…And yes, I know you can just fast forward to the end of the video to get the bonus 😉.

Let me know if you have any questions,

Tate