Salamba Sarvangasana-Supported Shoulderstand
salamba-with support
sarva-all
anga-limb
Critical Elements-In Salamba sarvangasana, there are many important things to remember. To get into the pose follow these instructions:
1. Fold atleast two blankets for you to place your shoulders
2. Lay your arms by your torso
3. Bend your knees and place your heels clost to the sitting bones
4. While breathing out, extend your legs toward the ceiling
5. Bring your hands up so your elbows are still on the ground, but your hands are pushing into your back
While in this pose, there are things you should be conciese of doing:
1. Keep your knees straight and press your heels
2. Keep your throat and tongue soft the whole time
3. Slightly turn upper thighs in
4. Chin should be comfortably away from the sternum
Benefits- This pose is sometimes know as the mother of all poses. It has many benefits to doing. Here are some of them:
1. Muscles of the neck and upper arms and neck, along with the thighs are strengthened
2. Improves digestion
3. It helps to prevent hernias and relieves urinary problems
4. It keeps the core in good shape
Caution: It is believed that this pose is not good for women who are menstruating or people who have high blood pressure
Awareness- I enjoy this pose a lot because it pushes me. I am not very flexible in the shoulders, so for me it was hard to have my hands pushing into my back. I also feel the burn in my thighs as I extend my feet towards the ceiling. I notice also, that it is hard for me to keep my neck and tongue relaxed. I want to keep them hard because I feel I have better balance that way. This is a pose that I would like to work on and get better at in the future.
To test your yoga knowledge and to have some fun, visit http://www.fityoga.com/archive/articles/feb_07/yoga_crossword.pdf.
References
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/480
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GzumJNXW88
http://www.ayushveda.com/dietfitness/sarvangasana/
If you want to watch a professional show you how to do this pose, then visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GzumJNXW88.
