Improve Your Whole Well-being with Sarvangasana

Waking up early in the morning,  getting ready for the office, draining your mind and body’ s energy at the workplace for the whole day, coming home, performing rest of the essential works! To exist and to survive in the competitive world of today is a tough row to hoe. To match with the fast-paced lifestyle, we should be fit and fine at all levels. But our tightly-packed schedule doesn’t allow us to manage quality time just for ‘us’. If you aren’t a gym person and looking for an effective yet natural solution to regulate your entire system, then all you need to do is practice Sarvangasana.

Derived its name from three Sanskrit words, ‘Sarva’ means all, ‘ang’ means part of the body and ‘asana’ means posture, Sarvangasana refers to the pose engaging the entire body. It is considered as one of the best postures in  Hatha yoga and even popular as ‘the mother of all yoga sequences’ because of the amazing benefits it offers. As it is about uplifting the whole body in the air with the support of the shoulders and hands, it is also known as the shoulder stand pose. It is an advanced stage of yogic practice. The pose covers the entire body from toes to fingertips and protects the practitioner from a number of ailments at all levels. Practising Sarvangasana pose on a regular basis, a person feels new vigour and strength and becomes joyous and confident.

How to get into the pose:

1. Lie on the back. Join the legs and place your hands sideways close to your body. Keep palms flat on the floor.
2. With the help of palms, uplift both the legs in the air straight at 90-degree angle.
3. Now, raise your back and the hips in upward direction with the support of your hands.
4. Support your back with the hands and keep your whole body in a straight line. Let your chin touch the chest.
5. Put the whole body weight on the shoulders, without pressurizing the head or the neck. If you feel any stress in the neck, come back to normal state.
6. Keep your legs firm and feet straight over the nose.
7. Remain in this posture for 30-60 seconds and breathe gently.
8. To come back in the initial state, first lower the knees to the forehead, hands to the floor and then lower the whole body. Repeat for 2-3 times.

Tips to follow before commencing the practice:

1. The shoulder stand pose should always be performed under the expert guidance.
2. Consult with your doctor before attempting it.
3. People with eye problems, blood pressure, cardiovascular or thyroid diseases should avoid it.
4. The pose should be avoided during pregnancy period.
5. Prepare yourself for the pose by doing a few other yoga sequences to open up your muscles. Tadasana, neck or simple lower back exercise can be done before getting into this pose.
6. In the presence of any strain or stress in the neck, avoid performing it. It may result in a severe neck injury.
7. Always give enough support from your hands to the back. Never take support from the head or neck.
8. Perform this pose slowly and carefully. Do not leave the posture with a jerk and get up immediately.
9. Follow with Corpse pose or Fish posture.
10. The shoulder stand pose can be done twice a day.
11. In the beginning,  perform it for 2 minutes and, later expand the duration to almost 30 minutes.

Benefits of Sarvangasana Pose:

1. The pose helps improve overall health.
2. It enhances blood circulation within the body.
3. It improves the functioning of the digestive system.
4. It strengthens the back and cures back problems.
5. It is beneficial for people with sexual disorders. It improves the function of sex organ and increases their efficiency.
6. It increases the resistance power of the body.
7. It improves the reproductive functions in both men and women.
8. It helps in weight loss.
9. It balances the blood sugar level in the body and cures improper functioning of the pancreas.
10. It is beneficial for people suffering from sleep disorder and promotes deep relaxing sleep.
11. It cures thyroid problems.
12. It is beneficial for people suffering from headache or a migraine.
13. It improves the function of ovaries.
14. Regular practice of Sarvangasana makes your skin glow and removes dark circles.
15. It is amazingly helpful for people suffering from high blood pressure, short temper, nervous breakdown and irritation.
16. The pose cures constipation by regulating free movement of the bowel.
17. It enhances blood supply in the head region and prevents hair fall.
18. The pose helps cure stomach ulcers, intestinal ulcers, chronic pains in the abdominal region and colitis.

So, start practicing Sarvangasana on a regular basis to regulate your entire body.