‘Hala’ means plough and asana means ‘posture’ or ‘seat’. Halasana is one of the advanced yoga poses, simple to practice and contains lots of benefits. It resembles a plough. Similarly Halasana rejuvenates the inner parts of our body.
Organising the Pose:-
1. Lie in a supine position with the feet together.
2. Raise the legs making a 90 degree angle with the upper body, using the abdominal muscles.
3. Press the arms down and lift the buttocks, rolling the back away from the floor. Lower the legs over the head. Bring the toes towards the floor behind the head without straining or forcing the toes to touch the floor.
4. Turn up the palms, bend the elbows and support the lower back with the palms. If comfortable let go of the palms, straightening the arms with the fingers clasped, knuckles pushing away and arms pressing into the floor.
5. Relax and hold the final position for as long as is comfortable.
6. Return to the starting position by supporting the back with the palms again, and lowering each vertebrae of the spine slowly, followed by the buttocks so the legs resume their vertical position.
7. Slowly lower the legs, using the abdominal muscles without lifting the upper back off the floor.
DOs:
- Stay still in the final pose, chin pressed against the chest and use a block or stool below the feet if the toes don’t reach the floor initially, slowly increasing flexibility.
DONT’S:
- Don’t practice this pose if you have high BP, sciatica, hernia, slipped disc. or arthiritis of the neck.
BENEFITS:
- The pose revitalizes the spleen and the suprarenal glands, promotes the production of insulin by the pancreas and improves liver and kidney function and improves the immune system.
Namaste!
Neelanjana Bharadwaj– Yoga Expert