What are the physical benefits of doing the yoga posture Halasana?
First let’s understand how Halasana (Plow Pose) is done.
- From Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand), with a deep exhalation, bend from your hip joints and slowly lower your toes onto your mat, above and beyond your head. As far as possible, keep your legs fully stretched and your body perpendicular to the floor.
- You may either press your hands against your back, pushing them up toward the ceiling, as you press your upper arms and elbows down into your mat, or let go of your hands or stretch them out on the mat behind you, in the opposite direction of your legs.
- You usually do Halasana (Plow Pose) after Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand), for from 1 minute to 5 minutes.
- To come out of the pose take your hands to your back once more, with an exhalation, rise up into Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand), and then gently roll down onto your mat, with another exhalation.
Benefits
- Halasana (Plow Pose) is best for making your spine flexible. It stretches the spine like no other Yoga pose or exercise does, pulling and opening up every spinal disc and stretching all the vertebrae, every single one of them. It even stretches every spinal muscle and ligament. This makes the Plow Pose extremely beneficial for people suffering from arthritis, neck or back stiffness or aches and pains in these areas. The regular practice of Plow Pose even goes so far as to prevent these disorders.
- By rejuvenating the whole spine, since all spinal nerves go to every part of the body, the Plow Pose helps rejuvenate the whole body.
- It stimulates and stretches the abdominal organs shoulders and helps improves digestion
- It activates the liver, spleen and, thyroid gland
- Relieves symptoms of menopause
- Reduces stress and tension
- Highly therapeutic for headaches, insomnia, infertility, high blood pressure and sinusitis
- Helps relieve tightness in the shoulders and elbows
- Sends extra blood to the spine to help relieve back aches
- Helps cleanse the abdominal organs and relieve gastritis
- Due to the exercise of the abdominal muscles, in case of Constipation or Dyspepsia, they are normally easily corrected through the practice of Plow Pose
- Plow Pose is also proven beneficial in certain types of diabetes.
- You will experience the maximum benefits of Plow Pose when you practise Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) immediately after this.
- Highly beneficial for people suffering from muscular rheumatism, obesity, enlarged spleen and liver.
- Calms the mind.
Contraindications
- Plow Pose should be avoided during menstruation, like all other inverted poses (where your legs are raised over your head).
- People suffering from neck injury, stiffness in the spine or cervical spondylitis should be careful when attempting the Plow pose.
- In cases of High Blood Pressure and Asthma, practice Halasana (Plow Pose) with your legs supported on props.
- You may continue practicing it late into pregnancy only if you are already experienced with the pose. However, never start the practice of Plow Pose after you are into your pregnancy.
