It is an easy pose however requires a considerable amount of practice to perfect it. One can follow the following steps to perform this pose.
To make the pose easy take about 2 to 3 blankets and fold them into a rectangle measuring approximately 1 foot by 2 feet and stack them on top of each other.
After this lie down on the blankets with your shoulders and part of your back on the blanket but with your head touching the floor.
By this your arms should lie by your side on the floor and then bend your knees ensuring that your feet are flat on the floor and your heels are close to your buttocks.
Now exhale and press your arms against the floor while pushing your feet away so that your hips lift and your thighs are drawn into your torso.
After this continue to lift your pelvis and your lower back away from the floor so that your knees come toward your face.
Now bend your elbows and bring your hands up to your lower back so that the palms are flat against the back. Your upper arms should be flat on the blanket.
Keep raising your pelvis ensuring that your torso is almost perpendicular to the floor.
Now slide your hands downwards without spreading your elbows too much. In this position your hands should be comfortable placed to support your torso.
Now inhale and straighten your legs so that your legs are now pointed straight up towards the ceiling.
For support you are press your arms and shoulders into the blanket and try to lift your upper spine away from the floor.
In this pose your shoulder blades should be firm against the back and your chin should be pressed into the sternum and your thighs should be in line with your torso, almost perpendicular to the ground.
Hold on to this pose for about 30 seconds, this pose is known as Salamba Sarvangasana or Supported Shoulder stand.
From this pose you can now move onto Halasana by slowly bending from your hip while simultaneously exhaling, bringing your legs backwards over your head and slowly lowering your toes to the floor behind your head.
Keep your legs fully extended and keep your toes on the floor. Now lift the top of your thighs and tailbone upwards towards the ceiling so that your torso from the shoulders to the hip is vertical.
In this pose your chin should be drawn into your sternum.
After this release your hands from your back and stretch the arms out so that they are flat on the floor opposite the legs.
In case you are not confident you can continue to use your hands to support your back until you are sure about your balance.
Stay in this pose for about 1 to 5 minutes.
You can exit this pose by exhaling and bringing your hands onto your back and lifting your legs back into the sarvangasana pose.
Then slowly bring your legs and torso downwards.
The therapeutic applications of this pose includes some of the following - gastric and digestive disorders, sinusitis, insomnia, infertility, backache and headache.
This is a highly beneficial pose, some of the benefits includes -
It helps to calm down the body and the mind.
It helps to stretch the spine and makes it more flexible and thus keeps it healthy.
It helps to stimulate the abdominal organs and also helps indigestion.
It is also beneficial for the thyroid glands.
It is good for reducing stress and fatigue.
For women it helps to relieve the symptoms of menopause.
Even though it is a very beneficial pose there are certain contraindications and cautions one needs to keep in mind while doing this pose. While doing this pose avoid jerky movements or else you might end up injuring your spine. Ensure that you do it slowly and gradually to avoid any unnecessary damages. Those who are suffering from liver or spleen disorders, asthma or hypertension, it is advisable to consult a trained professional before trying out this pose. Pregnant women who have not tried it before should not to do it in their late pregnancy. This pose should also be avoided in case you have diarrhea, menstruation or neck injury.
This is not a pose for the beginners and should be only tried by those who are at an intermediate level in yoga.
Variations for this pose includes the Parsva Halasana or the Twisted Plough Pose. You start this pose by getting in Halasana and while exhaling you need to walk your feet as far to the left as you can. Also try to keep your pelvis steady as one side of your hip may tend to sink lower and make sure that your hips are parallel to the floor. Hold on to this pose for about 30 seconds to one minute and then inhale and walk your feet back to the center.
Some of the preparatory poses for this asana are - Salamba Sarvangasana or the Supported Shoulder stand and the Setu Bandha Sarvangasana or the Bridge Pose.
You can follow up this pose by Adho Mukha Svanasana and the Paschimottanasana.