Padma Sarvangasana

Intermidate

Inversion Asanas

Padma Sarvangasana

Lotus Shoulder Stand pose

(pad-ma-sar-van-ga-sun)

Meaning: padma = lotus / sarva = all / anga = body organs

Table of content

Muscle and Joints:

Preparation

Sit in Padmasana (Lotus Pose), place the palms by the sides of the hips with the fingers pointing forward. Inhale, exhale, and relax.

Getting into position

Inhale. Exhaling, lower the back onto the floor with the support of your elbows. Exhale. Inhaling, raise your legs and hips up (like in Halasana/Plough pose), keeping legs in Lotus Pose. Bring the elbows parallel to each other behind the back and place palms on the middle back to support and lift the torso up. Activate the glutes to raise your knees up and push your hips inward to bring your knees in-line with the spine. Hold for a few moments to allow the body to adjust. Inhale. Exhaling, straighten farther. Hold with normal breathing for around 30 seconds.

Coming out of position

Slightly relax the body. Inhale. Exhaling, lower the knees back down towards your head. Place hands on the floor one at a time, palms facing down. Inhale. Exhaling, slowly lower the torso, then knees down to the floor, controlling with your arms. Using the elbows, inhaling, carefully come back up into Padmasana. Uncross the legs one at a time. Inhale, exhale, and relax.

Tips

  • When lowering torso down, lift your knees to minimize pain in the front of the hips.
  • When moving up or down in each step, do not jerk your body.
  • Slightly hold your breath in on the way up for stability.
  • When you bring torso up, bend knees toward the head a little to put more weight on the shoulders and less on the neck. Keep the pressure off the neck.
  • Try to keep elbows in line with each other when supporting the back.
  • Bend knees toward your head before lowering down.
  • Bring hands down one by one to control the torso, and roll back down slowly.
  • When using your hands for support, spread the fingers to cover as much area as possible.

Precautions

Avoid

If you suffer from chronic/serious neck, spine or knee problems, head/brain injury, herniated (slipped) disc, heart illnesses, or weak blood vessels.

Be careful

If you have headaches/migraines, shoulder or wrist issues, diarrhea, or if you are menstruating.

Benefits

General

  • Stretches the shoulders, neck, back, and spine.
  • Strengthens shoulders, neck, back.
  • Increases blood flow to the head and brain.

Therapeutic

Helps with thyroid/parathyroid disorders, insomnia.

Variations

Related Posts

  • 19 Yoga Mudrasan - YogPlan

    Yoga Mudrasana

    Yoga Mudrasana

  • 97 Purna Vrischikasan - YogPlan

    Purna Vrischikasana

    Purna Vrischikasana

  • 6 Karna Pidasan - YogPlan

    Karna Pidasana

    Karna Pidasana