Sit, Hands Behind HeadPose Reference

With both hands laced at the back of the skull, only the seat and the soles touch the floor, so the balance comes from the legs. The knees are pulled up steeply and close together, feet flat and near the body, and the trunk leans slightly back from the hips, as if paused halfway through a sit-up. The upper arms angle up and out so the elbows open wide at about the height of the crown, which spreads the chest and lifts the ribcage. The neck stays neutral and the face looks straight ahead over the knees. The centre of mass sits higher here than in most floor seats, around 40 cm, which is why the pose looks poised rather than sunk.

Block in a tall wedge for the legs and a tipped column for the torso, meeting at the pelvis like an open book stood on its spine. Then lay the arm shape on top as a wide diamond: elbows at the outer points, hands meeting behind the head. The front view is the clearest for that diamond and for keeping both elbows level, although the tall knees hide most of the torso below it. The side view from the figure's left shows the backward lean of the trunk and how the near elbow covers the face in profile. The back view reveals the hands meeting at the back of the skull, framed by both raised upper arms. From the high angle the knees overlap the chest.