Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Me doing Salamba Sarvangasana

Critical Elements & Awareness

Critical elements:
1) Fold one or two blankets and put your shoulders on the blanket with your head on the ground.
2) Bend your knees and bring them close to the sitting bones with your arms on the ground
3) Raise your thighs up to your chest and put your hands on your lower back.
4) Lift your knees to the ceiling and bring your heels to your buttocks. Press your tailbone toward the pubis and and turn the upper thighs inward.
5) Inhale and strengthen the knees, lifting through the balls of the feet
6) Soften the throat and the tongue. Firm the shoulder blades against the back and move the chest to the chin. Press the back of your arms and tops of your shoulders actively into the blankets.
7) Try to lift the upper spine away from the floor and gaze at your chest.
8) Hold for thirty seconds.
9) To come 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.


Awareness:
I feel very unbalanced in this position because I think I need to work on it more. My shoulders and neck were a little uncomfortable, but I felt rooted to the ground. I kept falling in forward and backwards.

John Schumacher Teaches Salamba Sarvangasana I


Basic Info

Asana:
Salamba Sarvangasana

sa = with
lamba = support
sarva = all
anga = limbs

English: Supported Shoulderstand

Physical and Therapeutic Benefits of the asana
- calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
- stimulates the thyroid and prostrate glands and abdominal organs
- stretches the shoulders and neck
- tones the legs and buttocks
- improves digestion
- helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
- alleviates hypertension and urinary disorders
- reduces fatigue and alleviates insomnia
- therapeutic for asthma, infertility, and sinusiti