Shoulder stand, Variation - Natural Health News

Sanskrit Name: Salamba Sarvangasana

Good for: Brain, shoulders, neck, legs, buttocks, insomnia, digestion etc.

Benefits

Calms over activity of the brain
Treats stress and mild depression
Stimulates the thyroid and prostate glands
Provides fuel to the abdominal organs
Stretches and provides elasticity to the shoulders and neck
Tones down the legs and buttocks
Improves digestion
Helps release the symptoms of menopause
Lessens fatigue and assuages insomnia
Provides therapeutic relief for asthma, infertility, and sinusitis

Guidelines

Fold two or more firm blankets into rectangles measuring about 1 foot by 2 feet, and stack them one on top of the other
You can place a sticky mat over the blankets to help the upper arms stay in place while in the pose
Lie on the blankets with your shoulders supported (and parallel to one of the longer edges) and your head on the floor
Lay your arms on the floor alongside your torso
Bend your knees and set your feet against the floor with the heels close to the sitting bones
Exhale, press your arms against the floor
Push your feet away from the floor, drawing your thighs into the front torso
Continue to lift by curling the pelvis and then the back torso away from the floor, so that your knees come toward your face
Stretch your arms out parallel to the edge of the blanket and turn them outward so the fingers press against the floor thumbs pointing behind you
Bend your elbows and draw them toward each other
Lay the backs of your upper arms on the blanket
Spread your palms against the back of your torso
Raise your pelvis over the shoulders, so that the torso is relatively perpendicular to the floor
Walk your hands up your back (toward the floor) without letting the elbows slide too much wider than shoulder width
Inhale and lift your bent knees toward the ceiling
Bring your thighs in line with your torso and hanging the heels down by your buttocks
Press your tailbone toward your pubis and turn the upper thighs inward slightly
Finally inhale and straighten the knees, pressing the heels up toward the ceiling
When the backs of the legs are fully lengthened, lift through the balls of the big toes so the inner legs are slightly longer than the outer
Soften the throat and tongue
Firm the shoulder blades against the back, and move the sternum toward the chin
Your forehead should be relatively parallel to the floor and your chin should be perpendicular
Press the backs of your upper arms and the tops of your shoulders actively into the blanket support
Try to lift the upper spine away from the floor
Gaze softly at your chest
As a beginning practitioner stay in the pose for about 30 seconds
Gradually add 5 to 10 seconds to your stay every day or so until you can comfortably hold the pose for 3 minutes
Then continue for 3 minutes each day for a week or two, until you feel relatively comfortable in the pose
Again gradually and 5 to 10 seconds onto your stay every day or so until you can comfortably hold the pose for 5 minutes
To come down, exhale, bend your knees into your torso again
Roll your back torso slowly and carefully onto the floor, keeping the back of your head on the floor

Good to know

Experts strictly advise not doing this pose if you have headaches, diarrhea or high blood pressure
In case of neck injury do not attempt this pose for few months until fully recovered
When you are on your monthly periods expert advise skipping this pose
In case of pregnancy carry out this pose if you are an expert but not if you are a beginner
It is considered to be an intermediate to advanced pose therefore it is recommended that you learn this pose through a professional Yoga instructor
Before coming onto your blanket support, roll up a sticky mat and set it on the support, with its long axis parallel to the back edge
Then come up with your elbows lifted on and secured by the sticky mat

By : Natural Health News

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