Avoid being a bobble head in Shoulder stand

The bobble head doll’s head was shaking all over the place. Up and down, side to side, left and right it went. It never stopped moving.

Alice’s yoga teacher told her she should never be a Bobble Headed Doll in Shoulder stand. Moving your head one way is excellent, but the rest of the movements of your head in Shoulder stand can be disastrous.

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What is Shoulder stand

The Sanskrit name for Shoulder stand pose is Sarvangasana.

Its full name is Salamba Sarvangasana. It is pronounced sah-LOM-bah sar-van-GAHS-anna. Salamba translates as “with support” and Sarvangasana means all limbs.

Salamba Sarvangasana is the first of a series of poses that are done on your back with your hips and legs up in the air over your shoulders. This series of poses is traditionally done as part of the closing series in Ashtanga Yoga.

Moving into Shoulder Stand pose calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression. It also stimulates the thyroid and prostate glands and abdominal organs.

Not surprisingly this pose stretches the shoulders and neck while it tones the legs and buttocks.

Eventually your hips are going to be directly above your hips which requires a lot of flexibility in your shoulders.

How to do Shoulder Stand

You begin by laying on your back on your mat. Your legs are together and your arms are at your sides. Look straight up.

As you exhale bring your legs off of your mat and take them beyond your head and up in the air.

Once your legs start moving lift your hips up in the air as well. This is where the supported part of the pose comes in.

Bring your hands to your back just below your hips. Support the weight of your hips in your hands. Keep your elbows in line with your shoulders. Do not let them move out to the side.

Depending on the flexibility in your shoulders bringing your hips directly over your shoulders and your feet directly above your hips.

As you hips move up and above your shoulders move your hands further away from your hips and closer to your bottom ribs.

With almost all of your body above your shoulders in this pose you need to take steps to protect your neck.

Now is not the time to act like a Bobble Head doll. Nodding your head in one direction is the best action at this point.

Nodding your head in Shoulder Stand

You nod your head by lifting and lowering your chin. The same thing happens in Shoulder Stand except that you lift your chin only.

Once you are in Shoulder Stand, lift your chin up and move it slightly away from your chest.

This small movement causes the back of your head to press into your mat. At the same time your neck lifts slightly. The nodding movement engages the muscles of your neck.

Why nod your head

When you lift your chin in the nodding movement you are lifting your neck slightly off of your mat. This small movement takes pressure off of your vertebra. Getting your vertebra off of your mat protects it from injury. The pressure that was on your neck is now at the back of your head and your shoulders.

The second thing that nodding your head does is that it engages your neck muscles which provides additional protection to your neck.

By nodding your head you are protecting yourself from a common problem, the rest of the Bobble Head Doll’s movement.

Do not shake your head side to side

It is fine for the Bobble Head Doll to move its head all over the place. When you are in Supported Shoulder Stand it is really bad news to be moving your head all over the place.

Turing your head from side to side can result in injury to your vertebra, the muscles in your neck and your nerves.

Your safest plan is to do the half nod and look to your toes that are directly above you. Continuing to look at your toes makes it really difficult to bobble your head around.

Summary

Alice bought a Bobble Head Doll for her yoga teacher. The gift reminds her of what he said about protecting your neck in Salamba Sarvangasana “Avoid the Bobble Head.”

Only nod your head up. No down movement or from side to side.

Doing a half nod is the best movement possible. The half nod lifts your neck vertebra off of your mat, engages your neck muscles and prevents Alice from turning her head from side to side.

Next Step

The next time you do Supported Shoulder Stand ask your teach to check your neck. They can help you to protect vertebra from injury.