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variations in plow

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Plow and shoulderstand are usually performed together, plow first then up into shoulderstand. This gives the shoulders a chance to settle, allows the spine time to lengthen and open as well as blood to begin to settle near the head. Once you’re comfortable with the standard poses the variations allow some movement of the legs in a wide range of motion.

You can literally play in the poses once you’re comfortable and you’re searching for new space, new feeling and opening of tissue. Yoga poses feel focused, calm, aware and centered while you’re in them. Once you’ve found good space in your body breathe deeply and see if your rib cage, diaphragm and spine can find a new space to open into. The sense of play comes from an open awareness without destination. You’re not just trying to go into the pose deeper, you’re exploring.

Breathe into the pose. Feel it out, make small adjustments and fine tune movement. Enjoy how the poses feel.

Shoulderstand

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Shoulderstand or salamba sarvangasana is the queen of the yoga poses. Along with headstand which is the king, they are royalty. These two poses, if you can do nothing else during a day, are said to be the most beneficial. The blood bath that the thyroid and parathyroid receive is said to be extremely healing to the human body. Long term I believe this is why many yogis live long lives, regulating the endocrine system is no small feat.

Make sure to use the mats or blankets and go slow. This small steady platform will take pressure off of the neck and allow the spine to lift up into a true inversion. If anything feels off, uncomfortable or strained come out. Yoga is not a rush but a lifetime pursuit. Go with standing poses, wait for your strength and flexibility to grow then return. I’ve done this in my practice with both headstand and shoulderstand.

These poses are more advanced but I’ve covered them first to stress their importance. Standing poses will be next in the series.

Plow pose

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Halasana or plow pose is a common pairing with shoulderstand or salamba sarvangasana. Plow allows a deep flexion of the spine and opening that supports the eventual lift into shoulderstand. One should be cautious, particularly if you’ve not performed this pose previously. Go slow, walk the feet back and take your time. Your breath is more important than the depth of the posture you achieve.

The pose helps the thyroid, parathyroid and the digestive tract due to pulling the belly towards the spine. Additionally you can get a hamstring stretch and the benefits of a partial inversion. Use the mats or blankets as shown in the video. I used to loathe both plow and shoulderstand due to attempting the pose without and feeling strain on my cervical spine or neck.

Plow is an excellent addition to a vibrant energetic practice. It’s calming to the nervous system as is common with forward bends.