How To Do Shoulder Stand for Beginners

Here is a nice overview on how to do safely do shoulder stand in yoga. I walk you through two different ways you can modify the pose. If you're mostly practicing yoga at home, you should definitely take the time to understand the mechanics and develop a little bit of insight for your own practice. 

Shoulder stand has long be regarded as the 'king of asanas'...and headstand as the 'queen'...implying that they are the two most important asanas in the system. I don't often skip inversions, and I include a shoulder stand in just about every practice. But why?

Benefits of Shoulder Stand

1. Shoulder stand is great for reducing blood pressure. The very act of having your feet and hips above your heart improves veinous return and eases pressure on the arteries. 

2. Shoulder stand activates the parasympathetic nervous system and helps with heart health. Although your reducing blood pressure...that initial flipping upside down actually increases the heart output until your body regulates. When it does regulate, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest) and helps in an overall stress reduction strategy. 

3. Shoulder stand can improve thyroid health. Some say that the pressure that is put on the thyroid gland in this pose will create a squeeze and soak effect on the gland. When you release the pose fresh blood is flushed through the gland. There have been no studies that isolate this particular pose correlated to the statements, but those with thyroid issues have found better health through incorporating this pose daily in their practice. 

Here is the complete step-by-step tutorial and a recap of the benefits, along with the contraindications. This video has time stamps so you can skip forward or easily rewind the parts you want to see most. Enjoy.