Asana · Learn with a teacher

Halasana

Plough pose

Plough pose. From shoulderstand, the feet lowered to the floor behind the head.

Awaiting subject reviewWritten from our source material and not yet checked by a teacher of this practice. Read it as reference, and learn the practice from someone who teaches it.

Meaning: hala = plough, asana = seat or posture
Family: Inversion
Level: Intermediate
Gaze: Nose

Take care

The same cautions as Sarvangasana. Never press the neck toward the floor.

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This page is for reading. The practice itself should be learned in person from someone who teaches it, so there are no practice controls here.

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How it is done

1
Breathe out
From Sarvangasana, lower the straight legs over the head until the toes touch the floor.
2
Breathe freely
Interlace the hands on the floor behind the back, or keep them supporting the back. Stay for eight breaths.

Holding it

Around eight breaths.

Making it easier

Rest the feet on a chair or blocks.

What the tradition says it does

Stretches the back of the body
Turns the attention inward

As our source describes it. This is not a medical claim.

Variations

Sarvangasana
Shoulderstand
Shoulderstand. The body raised vertically, supported on the shoulders and upper arms.
Finishing · IntermediateLearn with a teacher
Karnapidasana
Ear pressure pose
Ear pressure pose. From plough, the knees bent down beside the ears.
Finishing · IntermediateLearn with a teacher

Sources and tradition

YOG Union App Content Map, 2 November 2026, p. 4

Also known as Plough pose, Plow pose.

Awaiting subject review · revision 1 · updated 5 November 2026