Sarvangasana
Sarvangasana (Sanskrit सर्वाङ्गासन, IAST sarvāṅgāsana), known in English as the shoulder stand or colloquially as the "candle", is one of the main exercises of Hatha Yoga and belongs to the category of inverted poses. The Sanskrit name "Sarvanga" is composed of the words "Sarva" - "all, whole, entire, complete" and "anga" — "limb or body" [1]
In the Rishikesh series as described by André Van Lysebeth, the shoulder stand is the first position. [2] In Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, it is practised at the beginning of the closing sequence. [3]
Preliminary remarks
Sarvangasana is not yet mentioned in the main texts of Hatha Yoga such as in the Hathapradipika (written in the 14th century) and the Gherandasamhita (probably written in the 17th century ). Today, however, this asana is an important position in almost all yoga traditions.
In some yoga traditions, Sarvangasana is also called Salamba Sarvangasana. The word sālamba means "with support" and refers to the supportive use of the hands.[1]
Physical execution
The starting position for the shoulder stand is lying on your back with your legs stretched out and closed. Your hands are at the sides of your legs, palms facing down.
Iyengar teaches that beginners can now bend the knees and move the legs towards the stomach till the thighs press it. The trunk is to raise up perpendicularly supported by the hands. Then the legs need to be stretched straight with the toes pointing up. Advances practitioners keep the legs stretched out from the beginning to the end and support the dynamic, pressing the palms gently against the floor[1]
According to Erling Petersen, a student of Swami Narayanananda, attention must be paid to the position of the elbows. These should be pushed "as far together as possible". He also considers the position of the hands to be crucial for the final posture. They should not support the back "somewhere in the lower back area", but "as close as possible to the shoulder blades".[4]
The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center specifies the position of the fingers: "The thumbs around the front of the body, fingers around the back."[5]
Swami Sivananda says: "Do the Asana very gracefully" He describes that the back of the neck, posterior part of the head and the shoulders should touch the ground. The body must not move back and forth. When leaving the exercise, "bring the legs down slowly with elegance. Avoid jerks."[6]
With regard to breathing, André van Lysebeth teaches that when raising the body into the inverted shoulder stand position, the breath should flow "calmly and evenly;" It should not be held.[2]
Heinz Grill points out the possibility of a dynamic movement from the thoracic spine. With increasing practice, this movement leads the body into a vertical line as if weightless: "Align yourself with a gentle dynamic movement from the thoracic spine, while keeping your legs, abdomen and shoulders relaxed. A subtle dynamic of straightening connects the torso with the relaxation of the rest of the body."[7]
Focusing attention during the exercise
In the so-called static, i.e. stationary final position of the posture, André van Lysebeth directs attention to the complete immobility of the body or to the steady flow of breath.[2]
Attention can also be focused on a thought about the meaning of the shoulder stand:
The picture and the meaning of the exercise
To the picture and the meaning of the exercise Heinz Grill formulates the following imagination [8]:
- "In this pose, less emphasis is on the strict, specified linear form, but more on the natural growing in energetic lightness out of the central heart. This growth is an aesthetic gesture of the feminine element of the personality. Not the forces of will-power, the extraneous, powerful impulses, but the invigorating ether forces with their unobtrusive, pure and joyful power of levitation give this exercise its expression."[9]
Health aspects
Swami Vishnudevananda explains that in the shoulder stand, the chin lock by the chin on the chest exerts an extra pressure on the thyroid through which its secretions are kept at par. Furthermore the exercise gives the thyroid a rich supply of blood.[10] He explains that the asana is a good substitute for modern thyroid treatment.
André van Lybeth mentions that there are favourable reactions on the veins of the legs. Furthermore it helps to remedy ptosis or prolapsus, and drains the abdomen…..eliminating at least temporarily, congestion in the lower abdomen.[2]
Based on many years of experience, B. K. S. Iyengar states: "It is no over-statement to say that if a person regularly practices Sarvangasana he will feel new vigour and strength, and will be happy and confident. New life will flow into him, his mind will be at peace and he will feel the joy of life. After a long illness, the practice of thisasana regularly twice a day brings back lost vitality."[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 B. K. S. Iyengar: Light on Yoga. 7th edition. Nikol Verlag, 2017, ISBN 978-3-86820-175-8, p. 205; p. 2o5; p. 208; p. 213.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 André Van Lysebeth: Yoga Self-Taught’' 1971 Harper & Row Publishers New York , ISBN 06-465073-1 p. 79; p.93,p. 95, p. 101.
- ↑ Finishing Sequence In: https://www.liveandbreatheyoga.com.au/, Retrieved 18 January 2026
- ↑ Erling Petersen: ‚'Yoga - Das große Übungsbuch für Anfänger und Fortgeschrittene (Yoga - The big exercise Book for Beginners and advanced practitioners). 3rd edition. Heyne ISBN 3-453-17963-3, german p. 124 ff.
- ↑ The Sivananda Yoga Center: The Sivananda companion to yoga First Fireside Edition, New York, 2000, ISBN 0-684-87000-2, p. 40.
- ↑ Sri Swami Sivananda: Hatha Yoga. 5th edition, The Divine Life Trust Society, Sivananda Nagar, p. 33
- ↑ Heinz Grill: Der freie Atem und der Lichtseelenprozess (Free Breathing and the Light Soul Process) in German. Heinrich Schwab Verlag, 2017, ISBN 978-3-7964-0268-5, p. 179.
- ↑ "The word imagination does not mean illusion and also has very little to do with fantasy." Rudolf Steiner coined the term for a form of thinking that is pictorial and has a lively spiritual connection. This pictorial thinking is not only typically intellectual, but also relational and includes spiritual and mental truths in its consideration. Imagination therefore provides spiritually real, content-related representations."
"
Heinz Grill: "Übungen für die Seele" (Exercises for the Soul) in German - 3rd, expanded edition. Synergia Verlag, 2022, ISBN 978-3-906873-33-6, p. 182. - ↑ Heinz Grill (2024): "The Soul Dimension of Yoga." ISBN: 978-1-916732-32-2
- ↑ Swami Vishnu-Devananda: The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga Edition Three Rivers Press, New York, , ISBN 978-0-307-78620-3, p. 70.
