Halasana / Plough pose

I do ....Getting Quiet in Practice: Halasana

I can hardly do this pose in the morning even after warming up

but I can do it in the evening with ease. ..I think ..Halasana is an energetically cooling pose.

Halasana is one of the best poses for stretching every part of the spine, especially the upper part of the spine.a stretching-cum-bending posture that enables to exercise our entire body. There is no huffing or puffing. we just have to lie down face up, arms are by side. Breathe easy, and relax.

It is commonly practiced as a concluding variation of the ‘sarvangasana’ (shoulder stand). However, it can be practiced as a stand-alone pose for all the benefits that it provides (see under ‘benefits’ below)

The word "hala" in Sanskrit means a ‘plow’ (also spelt ‘plough’), a basic implement in the old days used to till the soil. In its final position, it resembles a wooden plough which is pulled by one or two oxen or horses in the field. The mention of the name ‘plough’ brings back memories from my own childhood days while I was growing up in the villages of Punjab where this was a common site in the fields.

Step by Step

From Salamba Sarvangasana, exhale and bend from the hip joints to slowly lower your toes to the floor above and beyond your head. As much as possible, keep your torso perpendicular to the floor and your legs fully extended.

With your toes on the floor, lift your top thighs and tailbone toward the ceiling and draw your inner groins deep into the pelvis. Imagine that your torso is hanging from the height of your groins. Continue to draw your chin away from your sternum and soften your throat.

You can continue to press your hands against the back torso, pushing the back up toward the ceiling as you press the backs of the upper arms down, onto your support. Or you can release your hands away from your back and stretch the arms out behind you on the floor, opposite the legs. Clasp the hands and press the arms actively down on the support as you lift the thighs toward the ceiling.

Halasana is usually performed after Sarvangasana for anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes. To exit the pose bring your hands onto your back again, lift back into Sarvangasana with an exhalation, then roll down onto your back, or simply roll out of the pose on an exhalation.

SOURCE FROM .( www. abc yoga .com )

• Must be understand that flexibility reduces with age and obesity. Therefore, do not stretch our body too much, flexibility will improve gradually with regular yoga practice and diet control.
• It is recommended that for 2-3 weeks take less of tamasik food. Eat more of raw foods, boiled vegetables, fruits, fresh fruit juices and nuts.
• Try more repetitions of easy asanas which exercises the spine and back muscles till your flexibility improves.
• Easy asanas for improving your flexibility can be a sequence comprising of surya namaskar, tadasana, trikonasana, pawanmuktasana, janushirasana, paschimotanasana, bhujangasana, shalabhasana,dhanurasana and any other asana you like to do.
• Practice above listed asanas for 2-3 weeks and then try sarvanghasana and halasana. Also try to sit for more time in padmasana. If you are not able to do padmasana, it is better to take help from a yoga teacher who can personally guide you.
• You can benefit more by increasing the number of repetitions or by increasing the duration you are holding the asana. It is recommended to use a judicious mix of number of repetitions and holding period of an asana depending on your body. Another option can be to practice yoga two times a day.

For The Basic Halasana

Step-by-step

1. Lie down flat on your back with the arms alongside the body, palms facing down.
2. Keep the legs straight and together throughout the practice of the basic pose.
3. Relax the whole body and mentally prepare for the pose.
4. Slowly raise the legs to a vertical position; try to use abdominal muscles more than the arms while raising the legs up.
5. At this point you may use the support of the hands behind the back to raise the legs further.
6. Exhale and continue to raise the legs over the head, bending at the waist, lifting the back and buttocks.
7. Make an effort to bring the feet all the way down until the toes touch the floor directly behind the head.
8. If you cannot touch the floor with your toes, hold them as close to the floor as possible and continue to exert a gentle effort to lower them, without causing any strain.
9. Keep the feet together. If the lower back is supported by the hands try returning the arms flat to the floor with the palms facing down. If you are unable to comfortably place the arms on the floor continue to support the lower back with the hands.
10. If the arms are on the floor, try to join the palms, interlock the fingers and gently pull the hands away from the body.
11. Keep the knees straight. Maintain your natural breathing pattern and hold the posture for about 30 seconds. At no point you should be straining yourself to hold the pose.
12. With practice, over a period of time, you may begin to increase the holding time for the pose.
13. To come out of the pose, begin by first lowering the back to the floor, one vertebra at a time.
14. When the tailbone touches the floor, begin to release the legs down. Try to keep the legs straight and use the abdominal muscles to support the downward movement of the legs.
15. Finally rest in shavasana for a few breaths.

Benefits

1. All of the muscles and ligaments in the calves and thighs are stretched resulting in greater flexibility of the legs. People suffering from leg cramps will find great relief from the halasana.
2. Since the abdominal area is contracted, blood compressed out of this area releases toxins. When the contraction is released the area is flooded with richly oxygenated blood. The contraction also helps to relieve gas and stimulates a sluggish digestive system. All the abdominal organs – liver, pancreas, gall bladder etc are massaged.
3. Similar effects take place as the neck and chest area is compressed benefiting the throat, thyroid, parathyroid and the lungs.
4. Upper and lower back pain or discomfort is relieved due to the forward stretching of the spine. Halasana makes the whole spine supple, stretches and loosens the back muscles and the vertebrae and tones the nerves.
5. Many of the benefits of the sarvangasana (shoulder stand) also apply to the halasana, with the added benefits detailed above. In fact, as mentioned above, Halasana is commonly practiced as a final variation of the shoulder stand.

Contraindications

1. Those suffering from hernia, slipped disc, sciatica, high blood pressure (not controlled with medication) or any serious back problem should avoid Halasana.
2. While in the final pose, make sure not to move the head around. Any movement of the head can result in neck injure.

As I mentioned here, Halasana is usually practiced as an extension of the shoulder stand.

do it slowly !!!..When starting to halasana pose take it slow and easy.

Don't force our body into the different postures all at once.

do it as slowly as we like....as my Guru says ...Yoga has the power to purify you 'internally'. It improves flexibility, postures and it deepens respiration. You should practice the poses very carefully and slowly...!!!

started slowly.....H A L A S A NA pose .... and feel the sensation...^^..^^