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Salamba
Sarvangasana —
Shoulder Stand
Salamba
= support
Sarva
= whole
Anga
= body or limb
Asana
= seat or posture
Be different. See
your world from a new perspective. When you reverse your stance, the effects
of gravity decompress the spine, creating a new erect disposition, waking
up vital energy flows in the body, restoring blood flow to the brain and
endocrine system. Inverted asanas create opposition that releases
pressure and tends to have a stabilizing effect. We are the only species
to hold ourselves in a vertical upright position maintaining the spinal
column in a straight line. Let’s take that one step further and reinvent
our interior and exterior world, perceiving our body, minds and spirit
in a whole new way.
Inverting our bodies
moves the blood in opposition throughout the body, thereby facilitating
change. Having the willingness to change is what this asana is
about for me, because over the years I have noticed great change in my
body, mind and spirit when doing this asana, especially when I
try to hold it for several minutes. When the body is inverted, a rich
supply of oxygenated blood is sent to the organs and glands in the upper
part of the body, such as the brain, thyroid, pituitary and heart. This
stimulates and pumps new life into areas ordinarily untouched by highly
oxygenated blood. This asana is known as the "Mother" pose, the
Queen of the asanas.
No matter what environment
you place your physical body in, when you are committed to yoga, you will
soar if you are willing to be vigilant. In the 1st Pada, 13th
sutra of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, he states "Tatra Shitau
Yatno Bhyasah." This means that if you remain steady in your
efforts and vigilant in your practice, you will improve. It is not easy
to stay inverted, but at Jivamukti we strive towards holding sarvangasana
for five minutes, to attain the most lasting benefits. However, you must
build up to that duration, so it’s good to start with holding the
position for 10 breaths.
Benefits:
- Improves energy
balance and metabolism by wringing out the thyroid and parathyroid glands.
- Revitalizes the
nerves, purifies the blood and promotes good circulation.
- Stretches the muscles
of the neck.
- Invigorates and
strengthens the respiratory system.
- Improves circulation.
- Increases the supply
of blood to the brain and, under gentle pressure, irrigates it.
- Stimulates the
parasympathetic nervous system, which slows the heartbeat and calms
the mind.
- The pituitary glands
together with the hypothalamus are thought to govern and stimulate hormonal
production of the other endocrine glands, and these are also stimulated
in the pose.
- Drains the abdomen
and temporarily eliminates congestion in the digestive system.
- Brings a plentiful
supply of blood to the face, especially to the forehead, where the skin
at once becomes pink, increases the blood supply to the scalp, and nourishes
the roots of the hair.
- Helps alleviate
depression.
- It extends the
cervical section of the spine, giving it a powerful stretch.
- Rests the heart
by using gravity to stimulate venous return.
- Relieves pressure
from veins in the lower body (varicose veins).
- Encourages deep
abdominal breathing and helps to relieve gas and constipation, and stimulates
digestion.
- Opens up the shoulders.
- Stimulates the
vishuddha chakra (throat center).
- Reduces lethargy,
mental sluggishness and laziness.
- It helps those
suffering from nasal disturbances and the common cold.
Instructional Steps:
Many teachers highly
recommend using folded blankets under the shoulders with the back of the
head on the floor to help preserve a curved space beneath the lower neck
and to prevent injury. If you're new to shoulderstand or tight in the
neck and shoulders, you'll find it helpful to practice with the shoulders
elevated a few inches off the floor. You can do this by using folded blankets
that are at least as wide as your shoulders and deep enough so your elbows
fit on it. This will cause less stress on the neck and help to keep both
the shoulders and elbows grounded, making it easier to lengthen the vertebrae
of the neck (especially C7, the knobby bone protruding on the back of
the neck). Align your shoulders with the edge of the blanket and lie down
over the blankets, head and back on the floor. Make sure that there is
enough room behind you.
- Lie flat on your
back, with your feet together, stretching the torso long.
- (Optional)
Using a belt, loop the belt and thread your upper arms into
the belt and bring the belt just above your elbows on your upper arm
(a strap around the upper arms will keep your elbows from splaying).
Make sure you are on a non-slip surface to keep arms and elbows in place.
- Inhaling, lift
both legs together towards the ceiling to a perpendicular position.
Raise the legs together gracefully until they are on about a 45-degree
angle to the ground. Then lift the buttocks, trunk and legs up to a
90-degree position, and raise the body upward in a gradual way.
- Students with less
flexibility can use the floor to help go up until the legs are straight.
- Advanced students
can lift the legs straight up.
- Rest the elbows
on the ground firmly and support the back with both the palms and fingertips
spread out wide pointing towards your buttock. Tuck your tailbone in
and keep pulling the abdominal muscles in, rooting the tailbone in and
up to keep the pelvis from tipping backward. Draw navel-point in and
reach tailbone towards the heels. Let the legs separate a bit and turn
them strongly inward (inner thighs rolling to the back of the legs),
then stretch the tailbone up and squeeze the inner thighs together,
stretching your cervical and thoracic regions.
- Bend the elbows,
striving to keep them shoulder-width apart, and place the hands on the
upper back to assist in lifting the torso. Straighten the trunk with
the hands until the chin is well set in the hollow of the neck, not
locked. Keep your hands pressing firmly into the back, the heals of
your hands reaching towards your shoulder blades and fingers facing
up towards your head to keep the elbows from splaying out.
- Roll each shoulder
under to increase the weight onto the shoulders, and lift your thoracic
spine in a vertical position. The arms and shoulders should primarily
support the weight of the body; the head is light against the floor.
- Bring the breastbone
towards the chin, aligning the chin with the center of the breastbone,
but don’t lock your chin into your neck. Relax the neck
and draw the palate (roof of the mouth) back away from the chin.
- Extend the groin
and inner legs, feet up, and tighten the back thigh muscles to keep
the legs vertical. Move the sacrum in, the pubis and tailbone up. Lengthen
inner legs, heels and balls of feet as you ground down through the shoulders
and elbows.
- Stay and breathe.
- On the exhale,
gradually move the palms towards the hips and let the body come down
slowly to the floor for a smooth return. When the hips touch the ground,
slowly lower the legs, bending the knees if you need to protect your
lower back. Place your palms on the floor on both sides of the body
and unroll your body, vertebra by vertebra, to the floor. Release your
hands from the back, extend your legs on the floor and unfold as one
unrolls a carpet. When your entire back touches the floor, straighten
the knees slowly and lower your legs and rest, moving off the blankets.
Proper Alignment:
- The chin should
be reaching towards the chest.
- Triceps and shoulder
blades close together, pressing the elbows into the floor.
- Weight should be
evenly distributed on the shoulders.
- Palms flat on the
back, fingertips towards feet, work heels of palms towards scapula.
- Hips knees and
ankles should be directly over the shoulders; raise your hips and back
and walk your hands down your back, lifting your body up.
- Reach your tailbone
to heels, thighs and knees spiraling inward, both legs reaching up as
one, legs together with the balls of the feet extending straight to
the ceiling. Press your feet away from your head.
- Keep the body erect,
stretching up.
Using the Wall:
- Measure your belt
from point to point on your shoulders, loop it, secure it and keep it
by your side.
- Fold your blanket
6 to 8 inches away from the wall with the folded edge pointing away
from the wall.
- Line your shoulders
with the edge of your blanket. Head is facing away from the wall.
- Walk your feet
up the wall, then take the belt and place it on your upper arms right
above your elbows to keep your arms from splaying.
- With an inhale,
tuck the pelvis, press the feet into the wall, push your elbows down
and lift the hips up until they are above the shoulders. Walk the feet
up the wall to where the shins are parallel to the floor. Keep stretching
the tailbone up, lifting the torso, rooting the shoulders down, and
lifting the cervical vertebrae away from the floor. As the top of the
breastbone comes towards your chin, scrub your heels up the wall and
rotate the inner thighs towards each other.
- Bend the elbows
and bring the palms of the hands to your back with the fingers pointing
up, taking care to keep the elbows from splaying out, and lift the buttocks
off the floor while walking your feet up the wall.
- Stay leaning against
the wall with straight or bent legs, eventually coming off the wall.
- On the exhale,
release your lower back and remove the belt, and come away from the
wall and relax.
Dristi:
- The recommended
drishti, or gaze, is down the nose into the chest. This promotes
a grounded calmness and effortless extension from your core.
Sequencing:
- Sarvangasana
is best done near the end of a full practice.
Counterpose -
Pratikriyâsana (against-posture):
After practicing
Sarvangasana, it is necessary to practice Matasayasana or
Fish Pose as a counter-pose. Certain asanas activate certain
parts of the body more than others. In order to reverse the difference
of impact, such asanas are followed by particular asanas
to create a balanced effect. Sarvangasana is typically followed
by Matasayasana to create and expansion in the thoracic spine
and to create a counter-stretch.
Vinyasa
(Linking the breath to your movement):
- Inhale lying
on your back
- Exhale, prepare
(straight arms and legs)
- Inhale, lift
your legs up over your head. Stay and focus on your breath.
- Exhale, release
torso, legs and feet onto the floor
Tips on breathing:
- Breathe deeply
into your abdomen.
- Do not hold the
breath as you move in and out of the asana.
- If you experience
difficulty in breathing, raise the height of the blanket by adding
more padding.
- The pressure
of the sternum against the chin inhibits breathing from the top of
the lungs and limits thoracic movements, so that the breathing automatically
becomes diaphragmatic.
- Breathe slowly
and deeply, regulating your breath. Take a deep full inhalation and
a complete release of the exhalation.
- The inhalation
and exhalation should be similar in duratio
Precautions:
- DO NOT place
your elbows wider than your shoulders.
- DO NOT tilt
your head to the right or the left.
- DO NOT balance
on your neck
- Remember: this
is a SHOULDER stand, not a neck-stand.
Note: If
you are a woman who is menstruating, you should not do inversions.
Medical:
Consult a physician
if you have:
- Cervical or spinal
injuries
- Severe hypertension
and high or low blood pressure
- Problems with
the eyes (conjunctivitis), myopia; glaucoma or other eye disease
- Problems with
your hips and shoulders
- Cardiac problems
- Excessive obesity
- Organic disorders
of the thyroid gland.
"tatra
shitau yatno bhyasah"
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