Salamba Sarvangasana Tutorial
by Rosie Richardson
While Salamba Sarvangasana means “supported all limbs pose”, the common translation “Shoulder Stand” gives us an important clue. In order for the body to have the vertical lift without collapsing down the front body or on the neck, we have to get up on top of the shoulders. In this exercise, let’s focus on common challenges: neck flexion, shoulder extension and the salamba or support for the back.
Shoulder Extension
What is shoulder extension? Stand up, lace your fingers behind your back, and as you lift your arms and chest upward, roll the tops of your shoulder blades down. This action of moving the arms behind you and up is shoulder extension. The higher you can lift your arms without collapsing your chest or shoulders, the greater your extension and the greater chance you have of getting a nice vertical lift in Shoulder Stand.
Neck Flexion
With the arms in extension as described above, flex your neck forward while elevating your chest. Depending on your degree of neck flexion and shoulder extension, you will likely need support under your shoulders and arms such as a stack of blankets so your head is resting at a lower level. This is what I call the “Goldilocks” set up…depending your degree of neck flexion, you create the stack of blankets that allows you, with the degree of your shoulder extension, to bring the chest to a vertical position.
Place your stack of neatly folded yoga blankets near a wall, with the folded edges facing away from the wall. How many? This varies, but begin with 3-4 depending on the thickness. How close to the wall will depend on the length of your torso. You should be able to lie on the blankets with your legs on the wall and your shoulders two inches from the rounded edges of the blankets. Have a belt looped the width of your shoulders (a little wider if your shoulders are tight) in one hand.
Bend your elbows by your sides, and as you press down, bend your knees, press your feet into the wall, and lift your hips.
Loop the belt around your upper arms just above the elbow. Turn your palms up, straighten your elbows, rotate your upper arms outward and press the upper arms down. If possible, do this with the fingers laced. To lift the hips up more and move them and your chest farther from the wall, imagine you are dragging the feet down the wall. They don’t actually move, but you’ll feel how the back body lifts. As you shift your weight VERY slightly and carefully to each side, roll the tops of your shoulders back toward the wall. You may find yourself standing directly on the tops of the shoulder blades. Go slowly and carefully so as not to strain your neck by forcing your shoulders to move too far too fast; if you can’t get them all the way underneath you at first, just go partway. Only the base of your neck should remain on the blankets; the rest should extend beyond the edge.
Salamba the Back
Now you’re in position to create the support. Bend your elbows and press open hands on the back of your rib cage. LIGHTLY rest the weight of your torso on your hands, which helps to direct some of the load through your forearms and elbows to the blankets. Your forearm bones between the back of your rib cage and the ground create a solid support to the upper back and chest.
If it is difficult to keep the elbows pressing, use a wedge or a folded sticky mat underneath your elbows. Walk your hands down as close to your shoulder blades as as you can and press your back forward. Notice how I am using the thumb-forefinger part of my hand to lift the back body up and in toward the chest.
If you are newer to this pose, just stay here, using the friction of your feet on the wall “dragging” downward to help you lift the back body up. Stay for a few cycles of breath to allow the breath to quiet down. Come down - OR - if you feel ready, lift one leg from the wall. If the body doesn’t drop bring both legs up. Firm the leg muscles to the bones and lift up though the legs. Move tail bone in and the buttocks up. Work up to longer stays over time.
To come down, take the feet back to the wall, remove the belt first, then slowly lower your hips to the floor. Stay for a few moments to allow the benefits of the pose to percolate a bit before moving off the shoulder side of the blankets.
