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The truth about shoulder stand: why it’s NOT the Queen of Asana

The anatomy of shoulder stand from “The Anatomy of Yoga” by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews

“Never do headstand, shoulder stand or plow” so was quoted Glenn Black, a well-known teacher and body worker in the yoga community in a Huffington Post article. If you’re a yoga practitioner or a yoga teacher, maybe this statement causes you to panic. Maybe it makes you want to throw a “he doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about” his way. As a reader of this blog though, you’re likely ready with the tools of listening and critical thinking.

Pow! You rock.

Do you remember that article in the New York Times on “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body” written by the same guy who wrote the book “The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards?” Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. But it stirred the celestial pot of controversy.

Why? It questioned some claims yoga teachers make that have been passed down through generations. T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N (said like in that musical number from “Fiddler on the Roof”).  It also accentuated the division between the so-called, left brained, creative, intuitive types and the right brained, analytical, practical thinking types. The questioning has merit.

Let’s take a look at shoulder stand through a critical thinking lens.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence

-Carl Sagan

The claims, and the evidence
In the book, Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar describes shoulder stand (a.k.a. Sarvangasana) as the mother of all asanas.  “… this asana strives for harmony and happiness in the human system. It is a panacea for most common ailments.”
If you are in a yoga class and practicing shoulder stand you might hear about the benefits of this posture. These might include:

  • Balances the thyroid
  • Reduces constipation
  • Decreases varicose veins
  • Combats the common cold

The problem with this is there is not enough evidence to support all of these claims about shoulder stand. It doesn’t mean that they couldn’t be true. It means that we don’t actually know enough yet.

Why don’t we?

Well, as discussed in previous posts (read about “the gold standard” here), it’s hard to design a research study to test these claims. There also is limited funding for this kind of research because much of our funding dollars are coming from the private sector with particular self-interests. Big pharma isn’t in business to lose sales.

What we know, and what to do or teach instead

Ahhhh… Legs-up-the-wall as an alternative to shoulder stand.

The cervical spine (your neck) is made up of seven vertebrae. It is the most mobile part of your spine. These vertebrae are smaller than the other vertebrae in the spinal column. Their purpose is to support your skull, protect your spinal cord, and enable a wide range of head movement.

Shoulder stand, even with prop modifications as taught by Iyengar, likely places an inordinate amount of pressure on these delicate vertebraeWe do know that elevating your legs can help ease pain and prevent varicose veins from getting worse, and improves symptoms of leg swelling. It also helps prevent deep vein thrombosis. (more at the Mayo Clinic) So, shoulder stand, as with any position where the legs are above the heart, helps the circulatory system and takes the pressure off the veins in your legs.

I don’t teach shoulder stand in group classes. Why? Most people in the culture I live in spend their time in positions that are harmful to their necks. Just look around and see how people are sitting. Are they hunched over their computers? Is the head carriage aligned while they are doing this? How about when they are looking at their phones? Is the spine in alignment? Will this posture benefit my students? The benefits do not outweigh the potential damage.

Instead, consider Viparita Karani or legs-up-the-wall. It is a restorative posture that allows the legs to be above the heart. There are many variations of this posture that are fun to play with, and that produce a calming effect. One variation you can try is placing a block under your sacrum.

As you practice be mindful of your own body and ask yourself, why am I doing what I am doing?  A good yoga teacher will not only challenge you but help you keep your practice safe, and yoga in general is very safe for healthy individuals. For those coming to this or any other movement practice with pre-existing injuries, talk to you healthcare provider about ways to adapt.

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