Dvipada Pitham (pronounced dvee-PAH-dah PEE-tahm) is a strengthening and energizing yoga pose whose name translates from Sanskrit as ‘Two-Footed Table’ or ‘Bridge on Two Feet.’ The name combines ‘dvi’ meaning two ‘pada’ meaning foot and ‘pitham’ meaning table or seat. This posture serves as both a preparatory pose for more advanced backbends and a therapeutic asana in its own right.
To practice Dvipada Pitham begin by lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. Place the arms alongside the body with palms facing down. Press firmly through the feet while engaging the glutes and core muscles to lift the hips off the floor creating a straight line from knees to shoulders. The weight rests evenly distributed between the shoulders upper back and feet while the chest opens toward the ceiling.
Dvipada Pitham offers numerous benefits including strengthening the posterior chain (hamstrings glutes and lower back muscles) opening the chest and frontal hip flexors improving spinal mobility and stimulating the thyroid gland. The pose also activates the root and sacral chakras promoting feelings of stability and creative energy flow. From a therapeutic perspective Dvipada Pitham helps alleviate lower back discomfort improves posture and can relieve mild anxiety through its gentle chest-opening action.
Often used as a preparatory pose for deeper backbends like Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana) Dvipada Pitham teaches practitioners to engage the proper muscle groups while maintaining steady breathing. The pose can be modified with props—placing a block under the sacrum for support or between the thighs to enhance inner thigh engagement. Advanced practitioners may explore dynamic variations lifting and lowering the hips with the breath or extending one leg at a time for additional challenge.
