What is the Queen of Yoga? What does it mean to be a queen and how can you achieve that status in your own life.
According to the Sanskrit word Sarvangasana, this term means “the pose which gives all aspects” or “whole body stretch.
This article will explore what it means to do Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand) and why it’s one of the most important poses for yoga practitioners.
Salamba Sarvangasana is an inversion that provides 6 different benefits including stretching ligaments, strengthening muscles, increasing circulation, calming nerves, improving posture and combating fatigue. Benefits of this pose include enhancing breathing, improving digestion and reducing anxiety and depression.
Inversion therapy may help treat back pain or lumbar pain. After practicing the pose for about eight weeks people found relief by improving the symptoms and improving mood.
Table of Contents
6 Benefits of Shoulder Stand or Salamba Sarvangasana
According to science shoulders have benefits like strengthening and circulation. These can improve muscle mass and blood circulation and help increase muscular strength as a whole.
The most significant benefit is that it brings a lot of strength to your neck and shoulders. So many people suffer from back pain due to the wrong postures, but shoulder stands give relief for this problem. It helps blood flow throughout the body including your head and neck.
Improves thyroid gland functioning:
When you do the pose daily, it stimulates your thyroid glands and keeps them healthy because they are closely related to too much or too little weight loss in the body. Practicing inverted poses every day is very beneficial for thyroid gland stimulation.
Relieves constipation:
when you come out of the posture the entire digestive system gets refreshed with different types of energy when you press yourself against someone when doing yoga on an empty stomach in the morning that helps improve digestion.
Relieves premenstrual syndrome (PMS):
the shoulder stand helps to free the endocrine system and blood circulation, which is very important for women’s health. It relaxes and rejuvenates the body and relieves them of their problems.
Relieve insomnia:
Insomnia is caused by hormonal imbalance which can be corrected if you practice shoulder stand daily. It improves your concentration level and provides a calming effect that helps relieve stress at the end of the day, which eventually leads to better sleep. it also corrects disorders caused due to inadequate blood circulation. The posture flushes out toxins from the body. This way it prevents various diseases like stroke, hypertension, etc.,
Improves nervous system functioning:
Shoulder stand not only benefits our heart but all organs in our body as well .they are automatically stimulated when we do yoga on an empty stomach in the morning .which helps develop all organs including the nervous system. It improves the functioning of endocrine glands, which are responsible for our mood swings. If you suffer from any mood swing issue it will get solved if you practice shoulder stand daily.
Lose weight easily:
Shoulder stands are especially beneficial for women because they help release stress hormone cortisol that has a direct impact on gaining weight. Since cortisol is reduced, your metabolic rate increases and you start losing weight quickly. Thanks to this posture, decreasing fat begins at an accelerated pace.
Gives relief in back pain:
There are many yoga poses that help rejuvenate muscles by flushing out toxins but shoulder stand has benefits beyond just muscle regeneration. This pose provides blood circulation to all organs in your body including spine.
Instructions Step by Step
- Fold two or more blankets into rectangles. Stack them one on top of the other. Put a sticky mat over the top blanket.
- Put your head down on the floor and lie with your shoulders supported by one of the longer edges of the blankets. Lie on the floor. Put your arms down by your sides.
- Bend your knees and set them against the floor. Put your feet next to your body with the heels close to where you are sitting. Breathe out and push down on the floor with both of your hands while pulling up on your feet so that they are away from the floor so that you can touch them together in front of you while keeping them just above the ground.
- Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Then, move your pelvis up so that it is close to your chest. Then, move your back away from the ground until it is in line with your pelvis.
- Next, put out both pairs of arms and press down against the ground with them. Bend your arms and bring them together. Lay your arms on a blanket. Put your hands where the back of your torso is. Raise your pelvis over the shoulders and walk up without letting your elbows go too wide.
- Inhale and straighten your knees. Lift up your feet and put them on the ground near your butt. Press the tailbone towards the pubis and turn the upper thighs inward slightly. Your heels should be down by your butt, hanging down from there. Then inhale and lift up through to get a stretch in that back leg.
- Firm your shoulder blades against your back and move them up close to your head. Your chin should be perpendicular to the floor and you should look at the floor. Then stretch out and lie down flat on the ground and keep looking at the floor while you push with your arms and shoulders against the blanket.
- To deepen the stretch, hold it for 30 seconds. As your flexibility improves, add 5 to 10 seconds to the pose until you can do it comfortably for 3 minutes.
To come out of the posture, as you exhale, bend your knees toward your body and let gravity help you roll back onto the floor with your back.
While coming down, exhale, bend your knees into your torso again, and roll your back torso slowly and carefully onto the floor, keeping the back of your head on the floor.
Common Mistakes
Students usually do shoulder stands with their butt sticking out and their feet on top of their foreheads as opposed to their hips. It will cause a whole pause.
To avoid this problem, tighten your knees up in front while your heels hang above them. Your knees and shoulders must be aligned so you can easily move to a better pose. Keep your posture good as soon as you get into it with your shoulders and knees in line.
Modifications and tips
The pose is quite accessible. Several adjustments can be changed. It’s better to place your shoulders on your shoulders with a blanket underneath your sacrum for extra support. If you are not comfortable while in the pose you can turn the knee over and breathe before you switch position.
The more I practice, the more I do it the easier it is. The benefits of having a shoulder stand on your mat will be huge if you can take a quick look at your practice.
After you get into the shoulder stand, your anatomy will look like…
- An erect spine
- Legs lifted away from the floor
- Slightly turned-in knees
- Feet pointed up toward the ceiling
- Hands pressing against the back to increase the stretch
- Pelvis turned upward
- Head held firmly between or on top of the shoulders
These elements make the shoulder stand an inverted pose which is good for working with your lungs and sending more oxygenated blood to your brain.
It can also remove toxins from your body and mind because it stimulates lymphatic drainage through inversion (like in a handstand). This yoga pose has many benefits and has been linked to better.
Common questions…
How long should you hold a shoulder stand?
Three minutes is good for beginners to start with. You can then do it, stay in the pose for five minutes, ten minutes or even more if you want. Experiment and see what feels best for you!
Is shoulder stand bad for the neck?
This pose is actually very good for your neck and the entire body. It strengthens and stretches the muscles of your upper back, shoulders, and neck.
How do I know if I am ready for this pose?
Do a crow pose first before going straight into the shoulder-stand. If you can comfortably get into crow without pain in your neck, you should be able to do shoulder-stand with no problem at all!
You should only do this pose if you are experienced with yoga poses. If it’s too difficult, stick to other options. Remember, don’t push your body past its limits!
Why do we use blankets when practicing shoulder-stand?
The blanket is additional support in the case that you lose strength and need to bend your knees or use them for balance. This is only necessary if you are new to this pose, but over time, it can be used as a catch-all for any possible mishaps during the shoulder stand.
What is shoulder-stand good for?
The Shoulder Stand posture is one of the most effective poses for a variety of different things. It balances your body chemistry, corrects hormonal imbalances, helps strengthen the back and neck muscles, relieves constipation, provides relief from insomnia or night terrors, improves nervous system functioning, and also reduces fear which leads to a more peaceful demeanor. In yoga language, it’s called Sarvangasana – which means “all-around service” – because it does so much for your whole being!
What can I do instead of a shoulder stand?
There are many things to replace shoulder stand. If you can’t do it or want to do something else, here are a few suggestions:
- Plow pose/Halasana is an excellent inversion for when you’re feeling serene and content, but not uptight. Sit down, stretch your arms behind you and bend your head forward. Gently rock back and forth until you rest on your elbows – that should be enough to get the inverted effect. Try it before bed every night to relax!
- Astrangalasana (Eagle) is perfect if you want a good stretch of your spine after sitting at a desk all day. Strong arm muscles will also help with circulation which makes this posture perfect for anyone who sits at a computer all day.
- If you’re looking for an extreme stretch, do Shoulderstand with your legs up the wall – it’s the most relaxing of the lot! Just stand facing a wall and lean back so that your shoulders are on the floor. Rest your legs against the wall (you may need to bend them first) and rock back and forth. This might be even better than a regular shoulder stand because of how gentle it is on your neck. If one side feels really good, leave it there!
In the end…
Shoulder-stand is a great pose for strengthening the upper back and neck muscles while also reducing tension in these areas. It can also help you sleep better, balance your hormones, detoxify your body and mind, improve nervous system functioning or just be a fun way to relax after a long day at work! If this sounds like something that would interest you then try doing a shoulder-stand before bed every night. You’ll thank yourself tomorrow morning when you wake up refreshed from deep sleep instead of tossing and turning for hours!
