The starfish position is lying flat on your back with your arms and legs a little apart, so no limb touches another. Shifters use it to start the Raven method, sleep experts use the name for back sleepers with their arms up by the pillow, and in yoga it is close to Shavasana. Whichever one brought you here, a version you can relax in beats a perfect shape that makes your shoulders ache.
Quick pick
Which Starfish Position Do You Need?
Tap the line that sounds most like you to jump to your answer.
- Want to use it for shifting tonight? Follow the steps
- Does your back or neck ache in it? Add a pillow under your knees
- Can you not stop wanting to move? Read what helps and when to see a doctor
- Do you fall asleep before anything happens? Try it earlier or sitting up
- Hate lying like a starfish? Pick another position
- Do you sleep like a starfish? See what it says about you
- Came here for the yoga pose? Go to the yoga starfish
Keep reading below What it is How to do it Methods When to use your side Stay safe Questions
Shifters call their two worlds CR (your current reality) and DR (your desired reality), and both come up a lot below. Never shifted before? The idea is laid out step by step in what reality shifting is, and the starfish turns up again and again in our reality shifting methods for beginners. Read our page on the risks of shifting too, ideally before you lie down for the first time.
What Is the Starfish Position?
Picture a starfish on wet sand, with five points spread out around its middle. Your head, arms and legs are the points, and the small gap between each one is the whole idea.
The name means slightly different things depending on who uses it:
- In reality shifting, you lie on your back with your arms a little away from your sides and your legs apart.
- In sleep, you sleep on your back with both arms raised up around the pillow, like the woman in the picture above.
- In yoga, people usually mean Shavasana, the resting pose at the end of a class.
The sleep name has a clear starting point. On 16 September 2003, BBC News reported a survey of 1,000 people by sleep expert Professor Chris Idzikowski. He sorted sleepers into six positions, and one of them was the starfish.
Nobody knows who first posted the shifting version. But when Eli Somer and his team studied online shifting groups for a 2021 Current Psychology paper, they found Raven method shifters being told to “lie in a starfish position”.
Why Shifters Use the Starfish Position
With your hands off your stomach and your legs uncrossed, there is less touch reminding you where your body is. Many shifters say that makes it easier to lose the feeling of your CR body. Your attention is then free to drift toward your DR.
Others on Reddit simply see it as a way to meditate lying down instead of sitting up.
You will also see the pose called a mild kind of sensory deprivation. That is an idea shifters share, not a tested finding. What the pose reliably gives you is stillness and calm, and both help with any visualization.
As you settle, you may notice what shifters call shifting symptoms, like tingling, a floating feeling or flashes of light behind your eyelids. Plenty of shifters take them as a sign the shift is near.
Most of them also show up as anyone drifts toward sleep, so on their own they are nothing to fear.
How to Do the Starfish Position for Shifting
Get the room right first, because every itch and chill pulls you back into your CR body. Make it neither too warm nor too cold, and wear something soft that does not scratch. Use the bathroom before you lie down, too (the last thing you want mid-method is a full bladder).
- Lie down on your back on your bed or a mat. A flat, firm surface makes the pose easier to hold.
- Set your pillow so your head is level. Your chin should point neither at the ceiling nor at your chest.
- Slide your legs apart until your thighs and knees no longer touch. Let your feet fall gently outward.
- Rest your arms a small gap from your sides, palms up or down.
- Let your body go heavy. Unclench your jaw, drop your shoulders and soften your hands.
- Begin your method. Start your count, your script or your visualization as usual.
- Stay still, but not at any cost. If something starts to hurt, adjust it and settle again.
Here is how a first try might look. Your DR is a lakeside summer camp, so you lie back and picture the cabin ceiling above you. You smell pine and sun cream, someone laughs out on the dock, and your legs feel heavy and far away.
That is all it is. The starfish sets the stage, and your method does the rest.
○ Supporting Your Neck and Back
Make the pose as kind to your body as you can, especially if your neck or back already gives you trouble.
Cleveland Clinic advises a pillow height that keeps your head neutral. Too low and your jaw points at the ceiling, too high and it tips toward your chest.
If your lower back aches, slip a small pillow under your knees. The same Cleveland Clinic guide says flat legs can make your lower back arch too much. Your legs can still go completely loose, because the pillow does the holding.
○ What to Do With Your Arms
Some people take “starfish” very literally and stretch their arms out wide, or even above their head. If you have neck or shoulder pain, that is the hardest way to do it.
Keep your arms close to your sides with a small gap instead. Cleveland Clinic notes that lying on your back can leave a shoulder sagging a little. Its fix is to rest that arm on a folded blanket or a low pillow.
All that matters is that your arms are not touching your sides or any other part of your body.
○ If You Keep Wanting to Move
Shifters grumble about this more than anything else in the pose.
On Reddit, one shifter said the urge to move was the only thing stopping them. A reply called it a shifting symptom to push through, but nothing backs that up.
A passing itch or twitch is normal when you lie still for a while. Scratch it, settle and carry on, because one movement does not ruin a session.
Some shifters also keep a crystal on the bedside table to feel settled, often black tourmaline, which tradition links with protection. Our guide to crystals for shifting has more ideas.
But a strong urge that comes back night after night is worth taking seriously. The NHS describes restless legs syndrome as a strong urge to move your legs, usually when resting at night. It can come with tingling, throbbing or itching, and the NHS says to see a GP if it stops you sleeping.
○ If You Fall Asleep Too Fast
Raven is designed for bedtime, so drifting off mid-count is the normal ending. When one shifter on Reddit worried about falling asleep and dreaming instead, the kind reply was that they had done nothing wrong.
If you would rather stay awake longer, try your method earlier in the evening. You can also do the pose sitting up. Recline against a headboard or a pile of cushions, prop your knees up and apart, and rest your arms beside you.
Some shifters even say the starfish keeps them awake on purpose, because it is less cozy than their usual sleeping position. If you still drop off every time, pair the pose with one of the awake shifting methods.
Do You Have to Use the Starfish Position to Shift?
No, and most shifters today agree. When someone with recurring back pain asked Reddit for other positions, the top reply was simple: “You can literally shift in any position you like!”
These are the positions shifters say work for them:
- On your side, the way you normally fall asleep. Pick this one if you get sleep paralysis, snore or are pregnant.
- On your back with your knees bent over a pillow, which eases a sore lower back.
- A propped starfish, with your hands or legs resting on pillows so they still do not touch you.
- Hugging a pillow or a plush, for anyone who cannot relax without something to hold. The hug method is built around that feeling.
- Sitting cross-legged on the floor or on your bed.
We think comfort matters far more than shape. A pose you can forget about frees your mind for your DR.
Shifting Methods That Use the Starfish Position
The Raven method is the one most tied to the pose. You lie in the starfish, count up slowly and say a short affirmation after every number.
Many guides also start the Alice in Wonderland method on your back like a starfish, before you picture the fall down the rabbit hole.
The pose fits almost any other method too. Try it with lucid dream shifting, the Julia method, the pillow method or the void method. It also suits most sleep shifting methods.
Shift to Your Waiting Room in the Starfish Position
You can shift to your waiting room from the starfish pose, and the pose itself can become part of the plan. Add it to your list of waiting room shifting ideas.
The simplest version is going from the starfish pose in your CR bed to the same pose in your DR bed. Or arrive floating on your back, arms and legs spread wide, in a warm pool with mountains all around you.
The Starfish Sleeping Position
As a sleeping position, the starfish means lying on your back with both arms up around your pillow. In the survey BBC News reported, only 5% of people slept this way.
That is one old survey, so treat it as a rough idea.
Is it good for you? It can be. Cleveland Clinic says sleeping on your back puts the least pressure on your spine. The knee pillow and shoulder tips above work just as well at night.
The catch is breathing. Even that 2003 survey, as BBC News reported it, linked starfish sleepers with snoring and a poorer night’s sleep.
○ What Sleeping Like a Starfish Says About You
You may have read that starfish sleepers are loyal friends and good listeners. That line comes from the same survey, which BBC News summed up as starfish sleepers always being ready to listen and help.
It is a lovely description, but it is not science. IOL, a South African news site, reported that the survey was done for a large hotel group among its guests.
We found no sign that it was ever published as a scientific study, so enjoy the starfish personality the way you would enjoy a horoscope, as a bit of fun rather than a verdict on who you are.
○ When to Fall Asleep on Your Side Instead
The starfish is a back position, and three things make your side the safer place to fall asleep:
- Snoring. The NHS lists back sleeping as one of the things that make snoring more likely. It says to see a GP if you are sleepy in the day or gasp or choke in your sleep, since that can be sleep apnoea.
- Sleep paralysis. The NHS says sleeping on your back can make sleep paralysis more likely.
- Pregnancy. The NHS says going to sleep on your back after 28 weeks of pregnancy can raise the risk of stillbirth. It names your side as the safest position to fall asleep in.
None of this rules out the starfish while you are awake. Lie in it for a calm visualization, then turn onto your side when sleep comes.
The Starfish Pose in Yoga
In yoga, the pose most people mean is Shavasana, also called Mritasana or Corpse Pose. You lie flat on your back with your arms and legs splayed out and not touching. Most classes end with a few quiet minutes of it, and practitioners say it eases tiredness and calms the mind.
It is also the usual position for Yoga Nidra, a deep relaxation practice often called yogic sleep. A teacher or a recording guides your attention around your body while you drift toward the edge of sleep. It is easy to see why shifters borrowed the pose.
Not every “starfish” in yoga is lying down, though. In kids’ yoga, starfish often means a standing star, with feet wide and arms stretched out to the sides.
Other teachers use the name for poses of their own. So if a class calls out “starfish”, watch the teacher first.
Staying Safe While You Practice
The pose itself is harmless for most people. What needs care are the feelings that can come with long, deep practice.
A racing heart, trouble breathing, chest pain, fainting or strong dizziness are not shifting signs. Stop, tell someone at home, and have a doctor look you over. The NHS says to call emergency services for sudden chest pain that does not go away, or chest pain with sweating, sickness or breathlessness.
Sleep paralysis can happen at the edge of sleep, and the NHS describes it as frightening in the moment but harmless. It also says to see a GP if you often have it and feel very anxious about going to sleep.
Notice how you feel once you are up, too. The NHS describes dissociation as watching yourself from a distance, or feeling that the world around you is unreal. If that happens, or shifting starts to cost you sleep, schoolwork or meals, put it aside for now and let someone you trust, like a parent or your doctor, know what is going on.
Our safety guide to reality shifting covers the rest. Then lie back, let your arms drift away from your sides and enjoy the quiet, wherever it takes you.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Starfish Position
What does it mean if you sleep in the starfish position?
It means you sleep on your back with your arms raised around your pillow and your legs a little apart. Popular articles say starfish sleepers are loyal friends and good listeners, but that idea comes from a survey done for a hotel group, not from published research. It says more about how you like to lie than about who you are.
Do you have to be in the starfish position to shift?
No. Shifters use their side, their back with bent knees, a propped starfish with pillows under their limbs, or even a cross-legged seat. Pick the position you can forget about, because a body you are not fighting leaves your mind free for your DR.
Does the starfish position cause sleep paralysis?
It does not cause it on its own, but the NHS says sleeping on your back can make sleep paralysis more likely, and the starfish is a back position. The NHS also says sleep paralysis can be scary but is harmless. Anyone who gets it should try their method lying on their side, and a doctor is worth seeing if it comes back often and makes bedtime frightening.
Is the starfish position bad if you snore?
It can make snoring worse, because the NHS lists sleeping on your back as one of the things that make snoring more likely. Use the starfish while you are awake and turn onto your side when you feel sleep coming. If you are sleepy in the day, or someone notices your breathing stop and start at night, see a doctor.
Is the starfish pose the same as Shavasana?
Very nearly. Shavasana, or Corpse Pose, is lying flat on your back with your arms and legs relaxed and slightly apart, which is the shifting starfish in all but name. In kids’ yoga, though, starfish often means a standing star with your feet wide and arms stretched out.
Why do my legs want to move when I lie in the starfish position?
Lying still for a long time makes most people want to shift a little, and one movement will not ruin your session. If the urge is strong, comes with tingling or throbbing in your legs and keeps you awake night after night, it could be restless legs syndrome, so tell a parent and see a doctor.
