Plough Pose: Gives an Excellent Stretch To The Spine And Shoulders

By Patricia | November 12, 2008

Plough Pose - Halasana

For people who complain of stiffness in the neck and lower, particularly resulting from stress, tension and bad sitting posture, the Plough Pose helps you stretch the muscles of the lower back and neck. At the same time you achieve a new structure in your back. This pose is also excellent for digestion; besides this it also stimulates the working of the liver kidneys, and gall bladder.

1.  To start, move from the Salamba Sarvangasana, or from Shoulder stand exhale and bend backwards from your hips. Slowly take your legs all the way behind your head till your toes are touching the mat behind your head. As far as possible, keep your legs stretched to the fullest, and back perpendicular to the floor.

2.  Once you have rested your toes on the mat behind your head, heave your thighs and buttocks toward the ceiling and pull your groins into your pelvis. Continue pulling your chin away from the chest and relax your throat.

3.  Keep your hands flat on your mat, behind your back, pushing your back straight up. Or you can use them to push or support your back and prop you up.

4.  The Plough Pose is normally done immediately after the Shoulder Stand for 1 to 5 minutes. To come out of the pose support your back again, rise up into the Shoulder Stand then, exhaling deeply, roll back down and relax on your mat.

3 Important Movements Of Plough Pose

1.  You stretch your upper back to the top of your collar bone, which means that you don’t let it sink down and never bend or slouch your back.

2.  Throughout the upward motion you get a movement in your upper back in the direction of your collar bone

3.  Your pelvis is stretched up from your tailbone. As a result your collar bone gets so much more space. In this pose make sure that you never lose these 3 connections. Rather, work on improving them.

Benefits Of Plough Pose

  • The Plough Pose gives an excellent stretch to the spine and the shoulders.
  • It activates the thyroid gland and abdominal organs, helps calm the brain and reduces stress and tension.
  • Plough Pose is also effective in relieving symptoms of menopause and is highly therapeutic for headaches, backaches, sinusitis, insomnia and infertility.

Contraindications:

  • Plough Pose must be avoided during menstruation, diarrhea and by those who have a back or neck injury
  • For those suffering from high blood pressure or asthma, they are advised to practice this pose with their legs supported on props.

During pregnancy, you can continue doing the pose late into pregnancy if experienced with the pose. Again, learn or start practicing this after becoming pregnant.