History Of Halasana
There are many ways of looking at Halasana in search of deeper meaning and guidance. As with many yoga asanas, Halasana/s name is suggestive of the basic shape of the pose, which resembles the traditional plows found in Tibetan and Indian culture.
Symbolically, the plow is represented in the myths and traditional stories of Egypt, China, Tibet, and India.
In the Ramayana, King Janaka uncovers a beautiful baby girl as he is plowing the earth in a sacrificial ground. He adopts the baby and names her Sita, and later becomes the beautiful wife of Rama. This story relates to the power of the plow as a tool for revealing.
Benefits
Regular practice of the Plow Pose nurtures and rejuvenates the body’s whole structure. Halasana helps nourish the thoracic and lumbar areas of the spine by increasing circulation and suppleness. It helps release stress in the neck and throat.
This pose can also alleviate the accumulation of phlegm or mucus in the sinuses and respiratory system – gradually assisting in increasing lung capacity.
Halasan has a calming, restorative effect on the sympathetic nervous system, and also assists in balancing the glandular secretions of adrenaline and thyroxin, which better the removal of toxins in the digestive and urinary tracts.
People with higher blood pressure may find relief from hypertension with this pose. In the inverted position of Plow Pose, the brain is flushed with blood promoting mental clarity and increased energy.
Before You Begin…
You should learn to move into Halasana without excessive muscular exertion. The lifting of the spine should be done with suppleness, not force.
Halasana (Plow Pose)
(hah-LAHS-anna) | hala = plow
Step 1
From a supported shoulder stand, exhale and bend from the hip joints to slowly lower your toes to the floor above and beyond your head. Keep your torso perpendicular to the floor and your legs fully extended, as much as you can.
Step 2
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.
Step 3
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.
Step 4
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.
Watch a video tutorial here: Halasana (Plow) Pose
Pose Information
Sanskrit Name
Halasana
Contraindications and Cautions
- Diarrhea
- Menstruation
- Neck injury
- Asthma & high blood pressure: Practice Halasana with the legs supported on props.
- Pregnancy: If you are experienced with this pose, you can continue to practice it late into pregnancy. However, don’t take up the practice of Halasana after you become pregnant.
- With the feet on the floor, this pose is considered to be intermediate to advanced. It is not advisable to perform the pose in this way without sufficient prior experience or unless you have the supervision of an experienced instructor.
Modifications and Props
Most beginning students can’t comfortably rest their feet on the floor (nor is it advisable for the neck), but you can still practice this pose with an appropriate prop. Brace the back of a metal folding chair against a wall (if you like, cover the seat with a folded sticky mat), and set one long edge of your support a foot or so away from the front edge of the seat.
The distance between the chair and support will depend on your height (taller students will be farther away, shorter students closer).
Lie down on the support with your head on the floor between the blanket support and the chair. Roll up with an exhalation, rest your feet on the seat, then lift into Salamba Sarvangasana first before moving into Halasana.
Beginner’s Tip
In this pose (and its companion, Salamba Sarvangasana) there’s a tendency to overstretch the neck by pulling the shoulders too far away from the ears. The tops of the shoulders should push down into the support, they should be lifted slightly toward the ears to keep the back of the neck and throat soft. Open the sternum by firming the shoulder blades against the back.
Variations
Parsva Halasana
(PARSH-vah) | parsva = side or flank
This pose can only be performed with the feet on the floor. Perform Halasana, keeping your hands on your back. With an exhalation walk your feet to the left as far as you comfortably can. One hip or the other may sink toward the floor, so try to keep the pelvis in a relatively neutral position, hips parallel to the floor.
Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then inhale the feet back to the center. Take 2 or 3 breaths, then exhale the feet to the right for the same length of time, come back to center, and release Halasana.
