Secrets of performing Salamba Sarvangasana, the technique of the shoulder stand pose in yoga, the benefits of the asana

Salamba Sarvangasana – this is a yoga pose , healing the whole organism; it is a shoulder stand. Like all inverted poses and inversions, in which the head is located below the heart or the legs are fixed above the heart, Salamba Sarvangasana provides harmony of body and mind, and is considered one of the most important poses in any type of yoga practice.

Execution Technique

Step 1:

Lie on the floor face up, legs and feet touching each other, arms extended along the body. Tighten your knees and stretch your arms next to your body. Turn your shoulders, pull your shoulder blades together and press your entire torso and shoulders firmly to the floor. The head and neck lie on the floor, the chin is slightly tucked to the chest so that the head and neck form one continuous line.

Step 2:

Bend your knees and pull your legs up and place your feet to your buttocks. Exhale, press your hands to the floor and lift your legs off the floor, pulling your hips towards your torso.

Step 3:

Continue to raise your pelvis up, bringing it towards your head, so that your knees are pulled towards your face. Bend your elbows and press them to your body. Place your palms on your back as deep as possible – try to support your back at the rib level. Bring your pelvis behind your shoulders so that your torso is relatively perpendicular to the floor. Fix your palms on your back, elbows apart at shoulder width.

Step 4:

Inhale and extend your straight legs towards the ceiling. Curl your tailbone towards your pubic bone and slightly twist your hips inward. When your legs are fully extended, pull your toes towards you and slightly stretch the inner parts of your legs more strongly, starting from the metatarsus.

Step 5:

Soften your throat and tongue. Do not strain your neck, the chin is perpendicular to the floor. Pull your shoulder blades together. The gaze is softly directed to the center of the chest (or to the navel area – with incomplete entry into the asana). Carefully press your hands and upper shoulders into the floor and try to raise your body with your legs even higher.

Step 6:

Initially stay in the pose for about 30 seconds. Gradually add 10 seconds to the previous holding time of the pose until you can comfortably hold the pose for 3 minutes.

Coming out of the pose

On the exhale, bend your knees again and pull them towards your body. Slowly and carefully begin to lower your pelvis and legs down, placing them on the floor vertebra by vertebra. Help yourself with your hands so that the pelvis does not collapse to the floor, this can lead to injuries. As part of the first sequence of ashtanga-vinyasa yoga , Salamba Sarvangasana smoothly transitions into Halasana.

Asana adjustment / checkpoints

1. actively pull your shoulder blades together and pull them towards your lower back, take your shoulders away from your ears to free your neck;
2. do not turn your head while in the pose to avoid neck injuries;
3. breathe evenly.

Benefits

Contraindications

Preparatory yoga exercises

• Halasana ;
• Virasana;
• Setu Bandha Sarvangasana .

Deepening practice

Beginners usually support the torso with a few fingers. Try to place your palms completely on your back. Periodically remove your hands from your back, press your shoulder blades inward and move your palms down your back, closer and closer to your head.

Variations

1. Simplified version Perform the asana against the wall.
2. Complicated version – Eka Pada Sarvangasana Enter Salamba Sarvangasana. Fix your left leg perpendicular to the floor (heel strongly stretches towards the ceiling), then exhale and lower your right leg towards yourself parallel to the floor, without disturbing the position of your left leg. Keep your ischial tuberosities at the same level, if necessary, push the ischial tuberosity of your right leg away from you to align the position. Hold the pose for 10-30 seconds, return your right leg up and repeat the asana on the other leg for the same period of time.