Asana · Learn with a teacher
Sarvangasana
Shoulderstand
Shoulderstand. The body raised vertically, supported on the shoulders and upper arms.
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
- sarva = all, anga = limb, asana = seat or posture
- Family
- Inversion
- Level
- Intermediate
- Gaze
- Nose
Take care
Learn this with a teacher. Avoid with neck injury, high blood pressure, glaucoma, during menstruation if advised by your tradition, and in pregnancy unless your teacher guides you. Do not turn the head while in the pose.
Learn this with a teacher
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.
Find a teacherHow it is done
- 1
Breathe out
Lie on the back with a folded blanket under the shoulders, the head on the floor.
- 2
Breathe in
Lift the legs and hips and support the back with the hands, elbows close.
- 3
Breathe freely
Raise the legs toward vertical. The weight rests on the shoulders, never the neck. Stay as long as is steady.
Holding it
Traditionally held for some time. Ask a teacher what is right for you.
Making it easier
Legs up a wall, hips on the floor.
What the tradition says it does
- Reverses the pull of gravity on the body
- Calms the nervous system
Variations
Related
Sources and tradition
- YOG Union App Content Map, 2 November 2026, p. 4