Easy Supported Shoulderstand

How to do Easy Supported Shoulderstand

1. 1Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the mat hip-width apart, and arms resting alongside your body.
2. 2Press firmly into your feet to lift your hips just high enough to slide a yoga block or bolster underneath your sacrum.
3. 3Lower your pelvis onto the prop, ensuring your lower back is free and your sacrum feels broad and stable.
4. 4Draw one knee at a time toward your chest while keeping your neck long and your gaze fixed softly toward the ceiling.
5. 5Extend both legs straight up over your hips, stacking your ankles above your pelvis without locking the knee joints.
6. 6Relax your shoulder heads down toward the mat, rotate your palms toward the sky, and soften your chest.
7. 7Hold the posture for one to five minutes, allowing the support to bear your weight as you breathe quietly.
8. 8To exit, bend your knees, set your feet onto the floor, press down to slide the prop away, and gently roll your spine down.

Benefits

• Promotes healthy circulation and lymphatic drainage from the lower limbs.
• Relieves pressure, heaviness, and fatigue in the feet, calves, and ankles.
• Activates the parasympathetic nervous system to support deep relaxation.
• Gently decompresses the lumbar spine through passive pelvic elevation.
• Improves body awareness by establishing vertical alignment with minimal effort.

Common mistakes and cues

• Prop placed on lower back

  Slide the support directly underneath the broad, bony sacrum rather than the lumbar curve to prevent overarching your low spine.

• Turning the head

  Keep your neck centered and your gaze directed straight upward to protect your cervical vertebrae from shearing forces.

• Over-gripping leg muscles

  Find a vertical balance point where your legs stack naturally over your hips so you do not need to grip tightly with your hip flexors.

• Collapsing across the chest

  Broaden your collarbones and anchor the backs of your upper arms to maintain an open chest and unrestricted breathing.

Modifications and props

• Legs against a wall

  Place your prop a few inches away from a wall and rest your heels along the vertical surface for total muscular release.

• Strap around thighs

  Secure a yoga strap around your mid-thighs at hip width to keep your legs effortlessly together without active effort.

• Lower prop height

  Use a folded blanket or a block on its lowest setting if an elevated block creates pinching in your lower back.

• Bent knee resting shape

  Keep your knees bent toward your chest or resting in a loose angle if hamstring tightness pulls your pelvis out of alignment.

Cautions

• Cervical spine issues

  Keep your head stationary and avoid lifting your pelvis higher than your comfort allows if you have a history of neck injury.

• Elevated eye or blood pressure

  Avoid prolonged inversion holds if you have glaucoma, detached retina, or unmanaged high blood pressure.

• Acid reflux

  Lower your pelvis to a flat surface or exit the shape if elevating the hips triggers heartburn or esophageal irritation.

If you are working with an injury, pregnancy or a medical condition, check with a qualified professional before practising this pose.

Practise this for

Classes that teach this pose

Upcoming Restorative classes where this shape shows up.

Teachers and studios for this practice

Related poses