Sarvangasana shoulderstand pose

SARVANGASANA SHOULDERSTAND POSE

The shoulderstand pose is a famous asana because it is also used in other disciplines such as for example ballet/dance, but what benefits does it bring and what is the philosophy behind?

In sanskrit the word sarva means “All” or “whole”, Anga means “limb”, “part of the body” and asana “pose”; therefore Sarvangasana is translated as “the pose of all the limbs” or “the position of the whole body” but it is universally known as “the shoulderstand pose”.

HOW TO PERFORM SARVANGASANA

• Lie down slowly on the mat with your belly up, legs extended and arms relaxed along your sides; please check your pose and make sure that your back and neck are aligned and not tense
• Place your feet on the ground and by moving your body weight onto the feet, raise your torso
• Slide your arms underneath your back and cross your fingers, trying to bring your shoulder blades closer. You must form a triangle with your neck and shoulders
• Free your fingers, place the palms of your hands onto the ground and contracting your abdominal muscles raise your legs.
• Gently lift your gluteus buttocks and back from the mat, support the weight of your body with your arms and hands.
• Slowly stretch your legs upwards. Keep them straight, as if there were an invisible thread tied to your feet pulling you u towards the ceiling.
• Bring your legs to the final position, slightly separate your feet and keep them relaxed. The legs are aligned vertically with the bust.
• The shoulders, the base of the neck and the rear part of the head support the body, while the arms give stability to the position. The chin tends towards the sternum.
• Breath slowly and try to maintain the position until you can
• Get out of Sarvangasana very slowly by checking every movement, vertebra after vertebra.
• To exit from the position, first move your hands towards your hips and lengthen your legs so that your feet are above your head, then place your hands on the ground, on the side of your body with the palms facing downwards and from here, by exerting pressure on the ground and keeping your head always in contact with the mat, unroll your back to the groud, vertebra after vertebra and also place your gluteus on the ground.
• Finally place your legs on the ground trying to keep them straight.

BENEFITS OF THE SHOULDERSTAND POSE

Sarvangasana or shoulderstand position is considered the “mother” of all asana, since it brings many benefits not only physical and psychological, but even at mental and spiritual level.  Lets see the benefits of the shoulderstand pose:

• Makes the spine flexible, preventing premature calcification of the vertebrae, rebalances the flow of the venous blood being an inverted asana and therefore improves circulation.
• Increases the efficiency of the immune system by increasing the movement at the level of the thymus
• Helps to smooth out the wrinkles and makes the skin more light due to the flow of blood that it brings to the face.
• Stimulates the thyroid gland and the parathyroid and accordingly adjusts the endocrine, circulatory, digestive, reproductive and nervous systems.
• Reduces the psychological disorders related to stress, fear, irritation and insomnia.

It also gives benefits of spiritual character according to yogic tradition in fact the constant practice of this asana brings calmness, inner peace, spiritual aspiration and noble thoughts.

If you want to deepen and start with the basics of yoga take a look at our ebook yoga for everyone