Shoulderstands provide an integral calming pose in your floor sequence that helps you tone your legs and buttocks and stimulate your vital organs. Not everyone can pull one off, so I recommend the Supported Shoulderstand or Salamba Sarvangasana as a nice alternative for beginners or those with mild shoulder issues. In this version, anyone can pull off a Shoulderstand and reap its benefits.

Read on to learn the benefits of the Supported Shoulderstand, as well as how to perform the pose as part of a healthy sitting sequence. Those who have sustained a neck injury should not attempt this sequence. Everyone else can find calming relief from various issues by regularly practicing the Supported Shoulderstand.

 

Benefits of Supported Shoulderstand

Supported Shoulderstands help you stay calm. You get healthy blood flow to your brain and a little boost in mood that helps with mild stress and depression. As you move into the stand, you should feel a stretch in your neck and shoulders, which opens everything up and can help you with symptoms related to sinusitis and asthma.

Your buttocks and legs will tone up in the Supported Shoulderstand, even as some organs vital to your mental and physical health get a boost of energy of their own. Thyroid, prostate, and other abdominal organs love Salamba Sarvangasana. This includes your stomach and intestines, making Shoulderstands ideal for people who have digestion issues.

One common misconception about fatigue is that it helps you sleep. Many of us know that you can be too tired to sleep! This is why insomnia and fatigue often go hand in hand in a way that sounds contradictory until you’ve experienced it. Supported Shoulderstand can help you with both by calming things down.

 

How to Do the Pose

Remember that this pose is supported, so you’ll need to start with a nice thick blanket, as firm as possible. Since you’re going to support yourself on it, it can’t be too soft! Fold it into a 1’ x 2’ rectangle and place it where your upper arms will be when you’re in the stand.

Begin Salamba Sarvangasana lying on your back, with your shoulders squarely placed on the blanket, your arms comfortably beside you on the ground. Bend your knees and pull your feet close to your hips. As you breathe out, push with your arms and feet and pull your thighs towards you.

You’ll be pulling your pelvis up now, preparing for the Shoulderstand. Pull your knees towards your head and straighten your arms with fingers outstretched. Your upper arms should be on the ground and your hands should be spread on your back. Your hips should be coming over your shoulders and becoming straight while using your hands to support your torso from the back.

As you breathe in, bring your knees up, with your feet near your thighs. Lift your tailbone towards the front of your hips as your thighs turn in. If you still feel stable, let your knees straighten as your feet reach towards the ceiling, lengthening all up and down your legs. You want to emphasize the lengthening stretch in your inner thighs, legs, and feet, more than the outer. How do you do that? When you feel yourself pulling towards the ceiling, stretch with your big toes! You’ll feel it in your inner thighs.

If you’ve never done a Supported Shoulderstand, you may make a few mistakes here and I want to help you avoid them to soften this pose and make it more beneficial for you. First, your instinct will be to tighten your throat, which creates tension in your upper body. Try to soften and relax your throat and tongue, and move your chin to a 90-degree angle with the floor.

Remember to support yourself! Your upper arms and shoulders should be bearing your weight into the blanket and your shoulder blades should be firm and open. If you’re just learning this pose, don’t try to do it for more than 30 seconds. Once you can do that comfortably, incrementally add a few seconds at a time until you can hold it for 3 and then 5 minutes.

When you’re ready to exit from Salamba Sarvangasana, breathe out and roll your legs and torso forward. Don’t lift your head until you’re all the way down.

 

The Takeaway

Supported Shoulderstand is not an easy pose to pull off, but the thick blanket and comfy arm placement is a lot more friendly for beginners than a regular Shoulderstand. This pose is a great toner for your legs and buttocks, as well as a source of calm during the busy week if you can sustain it for a minute or two.