How to do the shoulder stand

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The “Shoulder Stand” posture is one of the most treasured asanas. Its Sanskrit name is the “Sarvanga Asana” and it is said to be a whole workout in itself as it benefits the whole body. In the Shoulder Stand posture, the whole weight of the rests on your shoulders and the neck and upper back regions are stretched to the limit.

The Shoulder Stand posture or the Sarvanga Asana is very helpful in many illnesses. The posture is found to strengthen and balances the function of the thyroid which supervises the other glands, in a most effective way. The asana brings youthfulness and strength to our body and also nourishes the inner cells, tissues and all the organs as a result of the reverse blood circulation created by this asana. The Shoulder Stand posture has also been found helpful in curing impotency, frigidity, lack of sexual power and gives vitality to the practitioner. The asana centralizes our blood supply in the spinal column and stretches the spine which helps to keep it strong and elastic.

The Sarvanga Asana or the Shoulder Stand posture is a series of various postures and breathing exercise. It is a whole workout in itself. A Shoulder Stand is performed in the following way:

First relax your body and mind. Then, lie down straight, on your back on a mat on the floor. Your palms should be on the floor close to your body and the heels and the toes should be together.

Then take a deep breath and raise both your legs slowly up in a vertical position (at 90^o).  You should inhale simultaneously while lifting your legs.

Then exhale and raise your legs upward from the second position. Bring both of your palms underneath the hips and use them to raise your body upwards. Your hands should work as a support to the body weight. With the help of your hands try to raise your body as high as you can.

Raise your body as high as that your whole body should be resting on your shoulders and your chin should be touching the chest. Keep the stiff hard and together and the toes are pointing towards the ceiling. Stay as still as you can and remain in this position for at least 30 seconds on the first day.

To return in the first position, you should first fold your legs on the knees with your heels on the thighs and above the buttock. Now let your whole body return to the floor slowly while the palms are supporting your body weight.

Now relax your whole body with your legs stretched out forwards. You have completed one round of the Shoulder Stand posture.

The Shoulder Stand posture should be performed only once in a single session. You can retain the final position of this asana for about 30 seconds on the first day and gradually increase it but not more than 3 minutes.

See a shoulder stand here (Dont try this without proper training)