Learning Yoga for Health #4 : Halasana

Practicing this posture stimulates the thyroid gland and strengthens the immune system. Helps tone the legs and stretches out the shoulders and spine. Yoga brings together physical and mental discipline to increase muscle flexibility and body tone while also eliminating stress and anxiety.

Image source

Halasana, Pose position

Attention! The description of the exercises is focused on a healthy person who is familiar with safety techniques. To start yoga is better with the help of an instructor. Inexperienced independent practice can be useless and even destructive for the organism.

Halasana

Technique of execution

• 1. Turn on the back. Straight arms through the sides of the back and pull out behind the head.

With an exhalation without the help of hands! Pull your knees to your chest and roll (do not jerk!) To move your feet behind your head.

• 1. Place the body weight on the shoulder blades, but in no case on the neck!
• 1. Grasp the palms of the feet, pull the heels further back, and the rounded back - in the opposite direction.
• 1. Straighten and stretch your legs.
• 1. Breathe smoothly, relaxing the lower abdomen and "wrapping" the thighs inside.
• 1. Stay in the pose for 1 minute, eventually increase the duration of performance to 3 minutes.

Tuning

• The neck should be free! The head should easily turn to the sides.
• The legs are straight at the knees and tense.
• The palms hold the feet firmly.
• The back is round, "stretches" back.
• he pelvis "stretches" towards the head, increasing the tension of the spine.

Subtleties

It is important to learn Halasan gradually! Start with a light version (see below), then over time round your back more, leading your heels further behind your head. If the instructions are followed, the back will gradually gain mobility: first in the lower back, then in the thoracic region and, finally, in the cervical region. If you perform in the "classical" version: pushing your hands from the floor to move your feet behind your head at once and throwing your entire body weight on an unprepared neck, you can "earn" a pinching of the nerve and displacement of the vertebrae in a few sessions.

Wrong

• Leaving your legs behind your head, do not use your hands as a lever!
• Do not put weight on the neck.

How to facilitate

• At the preparatory stage, instead of Halasana, perform a roll on the back: hands are stretched behind the head, knees are tightened to the chest. Do inhale, on exhalation raise the pelvis and aspire to lead the feet back. It does not work out - try again. And so, until you train the muscles of the press.
• Put a chair behind you, having mastered the "roll", lower the feet into a chair. Make sure your body weight is on your shoulders and shoulder blades.

How to deepen

• Put your feet on the palms of your hands. Put the feet on the floor. Join the palms together.
• With a confident fulfillment of the complicated variant, after the Halasana one can perform Niralamba Sarvangasana to deepen the "opening" of the transition between the thoracic and cervical spine.

Image source

Effect

Halasana refers to the posture of yoga, which is curative for the spine. Gradual development of the posture cures osteochondrosis of all parts of the back. Halasan strengthens and rejuvenates the entire nervous system, enhances cerebral circulation, promotes the development of thinking, attention and memory. Stimulates the pituitary gland, stimulates all the glands of internal secretion, as well as the liver, spleen and adrenal glands. Strengthens, restores and rejuvenates the muscular system. Eliminates fat deposits in the hips and abdomen. Stimulates digestion, strengthens and stimulates the work of the sexual organs. As all turn up poses, gives rest to the heart muscle.

Indications

Osteochondrosis, all kinds of curvature of the spine, menstrual irregularities, disorders of the urinary and genital system, headaches, fatigue.

Contraindications

High blood pressure, menstruation, pregnancy, neck injuries, pain in the neck and shoulders, arteriosclerosis (loss of elasticity of the arteries), asthma. Because of the hormonal effects, Halasana is not recommended for children under 12 years old.

"Hala" is a plow. Pose of the plow.

Important: exact adherence to the instructions will allow you to avoid neck injuries, which is easy to get if Halasan is not performing correctly.

---

---

Thanks for reading.