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Plow Pose
Also Known as Halasana
About the pose /asanaThis is an inverted type of asana. It is easy to perform asana.
Benefits of plow pose or Halasana
* It allows you to stretch your shoulders and spine.
* It stimulates the thyroid gland and the organs located in the abdominal region.
* It helps alleviate the symptoms of menopause.
* It helps you calm your brain.
* It helps in the reduction of fatigue and stress.
How to do Plow Pose or Halasana?
Step 1: Lie down on the floor on your back. Do not touch your head and neck on the floor, keeping them slightly off the floor all the time.
Step 2: Engage you abdominal muscles to lift your legs off the floor. Keep lifting your legs till they have actually crossed your head.
Step 3: Try to further extend your legs by making the toes touch the ground. You can make use of your hands to accomplish this final step. Place your hands under your back to facilitate the leg movement.
Step 4: Take your hand off the back and lock the fingers together. Place them underneath your back, touching the ground.
Step 5: Hold steady for about 1 to 5 minutes.
Step 6: Coming out of the pose should be attempted slowly. Care should be taken that both feet are together and the legs are straight.
Experience Improved Health
The Plow Pose helps in the therapeutic healing of the following symptoms:
* Headache
* Backache
* Insomnia
* Infertility
* Sinusitis
A word of caution!
The pose is not supposed to be performed if you are suffering from any of the following symptoms:
* High blood pressure
* Asthma
* Menstruation.
* Diarrhea.
* Neck injury
* Pregnancy: Do it only if you have been doing it before you got pregnant. Do not start it once you have become pregnant.
Modifying the Pose With the use of Props
For students who have just begun with the pose it might be slightly difficult to fully extend their legs and touch the floor. In order to facilitate this they can make use of a chair as a prop. Further, if the practitioners are unable to maintain their neck and head off the floor off the floor all the time then they can raise their shoulders. By placing a thick folded blanket underneath their back and shoulder they can get the requisite elevation.
For pregnant women, it is not advisable to fully extend their leg and touch the ground with their toes. Instead, they can make use of a block as a prop to cut short the extension of the leg.
Practicing the Salamba Sarvangasana pose before Halasana is an excellent option.
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