The study of an inversion, SARVĀṄGĀSANA सर्वाङ्गासन

This pose should not be done in the following cases:

Sarvāṅgāsana

This balance pose requires good muscle tone of mainly postural ("brick") muscles (deep back muscles, buttocks muscles, abdominal muscles...) to be able to withstand the inversion of gravity.

Problems inherent to this pose

1- This pose is on the shoulders and not on the back of the neck
2- It involves finding the center of gravity
3- It requires strength in arms and wrists
4- It will be more difficult for overweight people

Joint reflection Jaya and Claire-Lise Cotté-Garneau

The osteopath’s point of view

The weight of Sarvāṅgāsana lays on the C7-D1 hinge: risk of reversed neck curve

A spasm of the anterior neck muscles (long muscle of the neck, deep muscles) can push C3 and other vertebrae backward and there is no physiological lordosis any more.

The ideal support

Indeed, if Sarvāṅgāsana is regularly held with the back of the neck fully extended and the body weight laying more on the cervical vertebrae than on the shoulders and the back, there will soon be a risk of cervical problems, and of reversed neck curve on the medium term. Solution brought by BKS Iyengar : use of a folded blanket under the shoulders to free the cervical vertebrae.

The elbows should be drawn shoulder-width together. In other words, the shoulders should be open. The practitioner can exercise himself by putting a rope inside his elbows and having it tightened shoulder-width. Do not keep the rope for too long, otherwise you may have blood circulation problems (cf. Props). Hands should firmly hold the sides of the torso and be placed at the lower tips of the shoulder blades, and not at the waist (otherwise, we go into half shoulder stand (cf. Don’ts) or the variation of another inverted pose (cf. viparita karani).

Benefits of Sarvangasana. People who have a slouch posture resulting in a saggy belly and a closed rib cage have trouble maintaining their organs in place around the diaphragm and are prone to saggy belly and breathing difficulties. Thanks to this pose which helps restoring physiological pressures, they find relief from their weight by strengthening the diaphragm.

One of the benefits of this pose is that it helps reaching optimal body weight if practiced assiduously. So don’t get discouraged. In case of weak abdominal muscles, weight can be indeed problematic when going into the pose. Namely, some people find it impossible to lift themselves up into the pose. This can also happen to much thinner people with weak muscles. If this is the case, use a wall as a support when you go up (cf. Props and How to use them).

Pregnant women. This pose can be performed until the third month of pregnancy without any problems by women with little practice. The decision whether to continue practicing it will depend upon the size of the belly (which may block the diaphragm and impede breathing), but most importantly on your agility. If you are an advanced practitioner, you can go on practicing this pose as long as you feel at ease.

Laurence at eight months of pregnancy

Harmony :

Redirecting energies toward upper chakras

Viśuddha cakra can be activated through Jālandharabandha जालन्धरबन्ध, Viparītakaraṇī विपरीतकरणी, Sarvāṅgāsana, and prāṇāyāma प्राणायाम techniques.

Viśuddha represents the part of consciousness related to higher balance.

As a symbol of purity, it is the purification center of psychosomatic functions.

Sarvāṅgāsana brings harmony and joy in the body. It is a cure-all for most common disorders. This asana expresses perfect body balance, peace of mind, and the spirituality of realizing the soul in the body.

When the navel area is above and the palate below, the "sun" is above and the moon below. The moon not only represents bindu बिंदु, but also consciousness. The Sun represents maṇipura cakra मणिपुर चक्र, but also PRÂNA in the body. Consciousness and Prâna thus flow faster to the brain.

Usually, the gravitational force naturally draws all body fluids toward the lower part of the body. By inverting the body, all fluids flow back to the head. This pose enables to redirect the energies of lower chakras toward upper chakras.

In Vēdānta Yoga योग वेदांत, the 5 prāṇa प्राण play an important role in poses. Sarvāṅgāsana activates these five prânas also called "vital airs", and, this way, controls all the organs of action.

Inversion reverses the polarity of the electromagnetic field created within the upright body.

The energy field generated by the electrical activity of the brain is integrated with the geomagnetic field of the earth’s surface. This has a revitalizing influence upon the human aura.