Some yoga practitioners, including some seasoned practitioners, refrain from this pose. Some of the reasons may be:
- Glaucoma, or a similar medical condition that contraindicates inversions of any sort
- Chronic neck pain or a neck injury
- Shoulder pain, tightness, or injury
- Menses
- Fear, for a variety of reasons
If you’re on your period, inversions in general are contraindicated, because gravity can cause too much pressure on reproductive organs, resulting in cramps or heavy bleeding. In general, we encourage the downward flow and expulsion of the uterine lining during menses, instead of going against the flow.
Similarly, certain medical conditions could be aggravated by the slight increase in blood pressure in the neck and head region while inverting. Even though jalandhara bandha (the chest to chin position) puts a brake on the blood flow, it’s normal to experience increased circulation to the head and throat. In fact, this is one of the benefits of the pose: stimulation of the thyroid gland in the throat region.
Using adequate height under the shoulders (a blanket stack or foam pads) prevents neck and shoulder pain. If you look in Light on Yoga, BKS Iyengar’s classic guide to yoga āsana, you will see that he is doing Sarvangāsana flat on the floor. However, as a teacher, Mr. Iyengar noticed that the firm chest to chin position of jalandhara bandha was impossible for most people. Hyperflexible folks who could easily flex the cervical spine ended up flattening their cervical vertebrae, if constantly practicing Sarvangāsana with no blankets, even though the cervical spine is designed to have a curve to absorb movement.
If you came to Iyengar Yoga from a different yoga tradition, you might be accustomed to practicing Sarvangāsana flat on the floor, and might dislike using blankets. If you’re only holding the pose for 20-60 seconds, and you don’t have any neck/shoulder pain or injury, it may not matter much whether you use blankets or not.
However one of the hallmarks of Iyengar Yoga is the duration of the poses. In the beginning, you might only hold Halāsana or Sarvangāsana for 20-30 seconds. However, as you build strength, flexibility, and capacity, we increase the hold in Sarvangāsana and variations, to 2, 3, 5, 10 minutes or longer. In order to build stamina in the pose, a blanket stack of 2-3 inches will help to keep the spine lifted and the mind quiet. Without this support, even skilled practitioners will find it difficult to stay on the crown of the shoulders, and will likely find themselves rolling back toward their shoulder blades, rounding their backs, and muscularizing the pose instead of finding balance and ease.
Using height under the shoulders will prevent pressure on the neck, and help compensate for shoulder tightness. The upper arms need to externally rotate, but if this is difficult, or if you have bulky shoulders, the blankets will definitely help. Use as many as you need in order to move the back muscles away from the neck, and press the corners of the shoulders down. Ask your teacher to help you.
Why do we stay so long in inversions? Geeta Iyengar points out that the first 5 minutes of an āsana benefit the physical body. After 5 minutes, the physiological and mental benefits develop. And just what are the physiological benefits? This article explicates them nicely. Just ask any seasoned practitioner, and they will give you their own list of benefits. In addition to what’s already listed, I would add the cardiovascular benefit. Whenever we’re upside down, venous return, of the blood back into the heart and lungs, is enhanced. Although the arteries have the heart pumping the blood through the entire body, the veins do not have a pump. Veins require movement to encourage the flow. When we’re inverted, it hastens the flow of blood through the veins by virtue of gravity, enhancing overall cardiovascular health.
Even with all this information, coaching from your teachers, and all the props in the world, some folks may feel fearful when Sarvangāsana is announced. Going topsy turvy may be disorienting, confusing, and uncomfortable. Lucky for us, Iyengar Yoga provides us with an endless array of modifications and variations. One of the most accessible ways to become confident and overcome apprehension is to use the rope wall (see photos at the top of this page). Set up between a pair of low ropes, and pull on them as you hoist your hips up into a Chatush Padāsana variation, with your feet on the wall, and practice lifting your hips over your shoulders. Once this becomes easy, try Ardha Halāsana and Ekapāda Sarvangāsana.
Sarvangāsana is such a powerful, useful, and healthful pose, that I hope every practitioner can become proficient at it. Experiment, dabble, play around with it, until you feel an understanding, connection, and appreciation for the pose. May your practice be enlightening and healing.
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