Salamba Sarvangasana
(Supported Shoulderstand)
QUEEN OF ASANASW
hen I announced to the class during a workshop
I was teaching a few years ago that it was time
for Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand),
an elderly woman slunk out of the room, quick ly followed
by her yoga teacher. Moments later they came back. Later,
I learned that the student had left because she’d never been
upside down in her life and was scared to try; her yoga teacher
had gently persuaded her to return, telling her that this was
the perfect opportunity. Hesitantly, the student had agreed.
I helped her up, kept her there for about 15 seconds, and
carefully brought her down. She stood up, smiled, and gave
me a big hug. The next day the first thing she said to me
was, “Can you take me upside down again today?” I’ve been
told that she has happily practiced inversions during every
class since. At a spry 82, this woman had faced her fears,
empowered herself, and made herself more able in old age
than she had been in youth.
Since we rarely, if ever, purposefully turn ourselves
upside down, an aversion to inversions is natural. But
it’s a shame to let fear keep us from so many benefits and
delights. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “He has not
learned the lessons of life who does not every day surmount
a fear.” What better time to discard an old fear than today?
ROLE REVERSAL
Because of their myriad benefits, Salamba Sirsasana (Supported
Headstand, pronounced shir-SHA-sa-nuh) and Salamba Sarvan-
gasana (Supported Shoulderstand, pronounced sar-vaan-GAH-
sa-nuh) are con sidered the king and queen of asanas, respectively.
Sir sasana develops our capacity for action (fire element) and
enhances our ability to create (air element). Sarvangasana nur-
tures our capacity to stop doing and get grounded (earth element)
and fosters our ability to be still and reflective (water element).
Sirsasana makes us more alert and focused; Sarvangasana
makes us calm and receptive.
Inversions set yoga apart from other physical disciplines:
Psychologically, they let us see things from an alternative
inversions