The Benefits of Sarvangasana and its Variations.

This week, we’ll be focusing on our hamstrings, and I’d like to dive into the benefits of Sarvangasana and its variations (photographed above Mr Iyengar in Eka Pada Sarvangasana), as highlighted in Yoga: A Gem for Women by Geeta Iyengar.

"Sarvangasana and its variations are useful for developing a healthy mind. The nervous system is calmed and one is free from hypertension, irritability, nervous breakdown and insomnia. They are a boon for combating the stresses and strains of our daily life. They give vitality and self confidence.

The inverted position of the body in all these asanas assist the flow of impure blood to the heart and in its purification.

The endocrine glands, especially the thyroid and the parathyroid, are benefited due to the increased blood circulation around them. By the regular practice of these asanas one is free from breathing difficulties, asthma, coughs, colds, bronchitis and diseases of the throat.

They relieve abdominal irritations like stomach-aches, diarrhoea, intestinal disorders and ulcers. They relieve abdominal irritation.

In all, Sarvangasana and its variations have a great curative value in diseases of the lungs, disorders of the chest and the throat, biliousness, acidity, diabetes, dysentery, complaints of the liver and the spleen, morbid conditions of the bladder, the uterus and the ovaries. They are valuable for headache, brain disorders, loss of memory and emotional problems.

After a prolonged and chronic illness, Sarvangasana stimulates the life force and helps one to recover vitality. A longer stay in these postures intensifies their beneficial effects.”