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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.

Headstand pt.1

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Years ago I decided after a year or so of yoga practice that I wanted to try doing a headstand. I pulled a pillow into a corner and walked my bottom above my head until I could lift my feet then fell over into the wall. I couldn’t balance and it felt very awkward on my neck. I ceased, deciding I’d try again later.

Months down the road I tried again and something had shifted. I seemed to be able to hold the pose briefly and began working on my balance, then my alignment through my arms and shoulders. The pillow slowly was pulled away from the wall and when I felt more comfortable with my balance the real fun began.

Headstand is like a wake up. As the king of inverstions is allows blood to pool in your head and turns your world upside down. Your heart has to work to push blood up to your feet and when you flip right side up, that’s reversed. Blood flow helps cellular repair and cleansing in your body.

This promotion of vascularity in the head and neck helps keep the thyroid and parathyroid in high functioning order. The hormones released regulate many functions in the body and the increased health of these glands is what makes the long term benefits of inversions, particularly headstand and shoulderstand so profound.