Category: Inversions
Level: intermediate
Hold: 30 seconds building to 3 minutes
Type: Asana
Breath: Slow, soft breathing; the throat is gently compressed, so keep the breath unforced.

Supported Shoulderstand

Salamba Sarvangasana — "supported all-limbs posture"

Also known as: Candle Pose

An inversion balanced on the shoulders and upper arms with the hands supporting the back. Traditionally a calming, cooling pose — but it flexes the neck strongly, so careful setup with blankets matters more here than in almost any other pose.

Step by step

1Learn this pose with support: stack two or three folded blankets and lie back so your shoulders are on the blankets and your head rests on the floor below them — this protects the natural curve of your neck.
2Lie on your back with arms alongside your body, palms down.
3Press your arms into the floor and swing your legs up and overhead until your hips lift.
4Bend your elbows and bring your hands to your mid back, fingers pointing up toward your hips.
5Walk your hands down your back and lift your legs toward the ceiling, stacking feet over hips.
6Keep weight on your shoulders and upper arms — your neck should feel free, and you should never turn your head while you are up.
7To come down, lower your legs partway overhead, release your hands to the floor, and roll down slowly one vertebra at a time.

Benefits

✓ Offers a full inversion without weight on the head
✓ Stretches the neck and upper back
✓ Often feels settling and quieting toward the end of practice
✓ Builds the control and awareness needed for plow and its variations

Make it yours

· Always use folded blankets under the shoulders while learning — the head lower than the shoulders keeps the neck safe.
· Practice half shoulderstand: hips supported by your hands, legs angled over your head at 45 degrees.
· Try the pose with your hips on a block and legs vertical for a restorative, low-effort version.

Take care

Avoid this pose with neck injuries or ongoing neck pain.
Full inversions are generally not advised with high blood pressure, glaucoma or other eye conditions, or during pregnancy; legs up the wall gives much of the same rest without the neck load.
Never turn your head to look around while in the pose.

This is general practice guidance, not medical advice. If something hurts, ease out of it.

Practiced in

Props that help here

Yoga blanket — Folded under the hips in seated poses, under the knees in kneeling ones, under the shoulders for shoulderstand. A firm household blanket works too. find one
Wrist wedge — Reduces the wrist angle in plank, chaturanga, and arm balances. Worth trying before concluding your wrists can't do this. find one

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