Supported Shoulderstand · Salamba Sarvangasana
Salamba Sarvangasana · 살람바 사르방가사나 · 어깨서기
Primary Series · Yoga Chikitsa (Yoga Therapy) — Finishing Sequence
Breath: 10 · Drishti (gaze): nose tip
Take the legs overhead, support the back, and extend the legs vertical with the weight on shoulders and elbows, neck free. The chin's meeting with the chest forms a natural jalandhara bandha — the restorative inversion long called the mother of asanas.
Alignment
- Hands — palms supporting the mid-back, elbows no wider than the shoulders
- Feet — together and pointed, reaching straight up
- Knees — straight, inner legs squeezing into one column
- Gaze — the nose tip toward the chest; never turn the head sideways here
Entering the pose
- Take the legs overhead
- Support the back, extend the legs up
- Draw the elbows shoulder-width
Common mistakes
- A compressed neck (hard to swallow = warning)
- Turning the head sideways
- Drifting diagonal and loading the neck
Modifications & props
- Two or three folded blankets under the shoulders, letting the neck float, is the widely recommended modern setup.
- Legs-up-the-wall (Viparita Karani) delivers most of the inversion's restorative effect as a substitute.
- A diagonal body is acceptable — forty-five safe degrees beat a vertical line that loads the neck.
Benefits
- Returns blood toward the heart, easing tired, swollen legs
- Lengthens the back of the neck and shoulders
- Traditionally 'the mother of asanas' — deeply restorative
Role in the sequence
The inversion chapter of finishing begins here. The body that peaked in backbends is turned upside down, returning blood over the heart — the restorative shape tradition calls the mother of asanas. Halasana, Karnapidasana, Urdhva Padmasana, and Pindasana are all variations built on this base without coming down, so setting the shoulders and neck correctly here decides the safety of the four poses that follow.
Practice notes
Salamba means supported and sarvanga means all the limbs — the all-limb pose, named that way because it was held to act on the entire body. Tradition calls it the queen of asanas, the counterpart to Sirsasana, the king.
The finishing sequence opens here and stays for ten breaths. Where the rest of the Primary Series works in fives, the closing inversions stretch to eight or ten because the purpose of this stretch of the practice is settling rather than stimulating. The heating is already done; this is the cooling.
Weight must rest on the shoulders and upper arms and not on the neck. If the neck feels compressed, fold two or three blankets under the shoulders so the head lies lower than they do — this is not a beginner's modification but the standard arrangement for keeping a neck usable for decades.
Two checks: did you turn your head to either side during the ten breaths (turning compresses the neck while it is lengthened), and have the elbows drifted wider than the shoulders? Once the elbows splay, the support under the back disappears and the load drops immediately into the neck.
A blanket under the shoulders spares the neck; legs-up-the-wall substitutes.
Written by Choi Seongjin — 20 years of Ashtanga practice, currently teaching three classes a week. Last updated: .
This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, injured, or have a medical condition, consult a qualified teacher or physician before practising. Disclaimer & Legal Notice
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