Supported Shoulderstand
सालम्ब सर्वाङ्गासन
Sālamba Sarvāṅgāsana — an advanced inversion that works the shoulders, abdominals, spinal erectors.
How to do Supported Shoulderstand
Read all of it before starting, and read the cautions further down before starting at all.
Stack two or three firm folded blankets and lie with the shoulders on the edge and the head on the mat below.
Bend the knees, press the arms down and roll the hips up until the legs come overhead.
Bring the hands to the mid-back with the elbows shoulder-width apart, fingers pointing up.
Extend the legs towards the ceiling, stacking hips over shoulders, and keep the weight in the shoulders and upper arms.
Hold with the neck free of load, then lower the legs slowly and rest flat before sitting up.
Hold: 1–3 minutes, built up gradually. Keep the breath moving throughout — if you are holding it, the pose is too much for today.
Muscles worked
Where the effort and the lengthening land. Primary groups do most of the work; secondary groups assist or are stretched.
What Supported Shoulderstand does
Described mechanically — what the movement does to muscle and joint. Not a list of conditions it treats, because a pose does not treat conditions.
- Stacks the body vertically over the shoulders, which the upper arms and back must hold.
- Trains the trunk to keep a long line against gravity with the hips above the chest.
- Loads the shoulders and triceps isometrically for the whole hold.
Supported Shoulderstand is one of 20 inversions in this library and one of 61 poses rated advanced. Poses where the head sits below the heart. The group that needs the most care and the most teaching.
Who should skip Supported Shoulderstand, or change it
- Glaucoma or raised eye pressure, and uncontrolled high blood pressure.
- Neck or cervical spine injury of any kind — the neck is flexed under load, which is why the blankets are not optional.
- Pregnancy — this is not a pose to begin in pregnancy; continuing an established practice is a decision for you and your doctor.
- Menstruation: many traditions omit inversions during a period, which is a personal choice rather than a medical rule.
- Recent or current ear infection — and learn shoulderstand with a qualified teacher setting up the props, not from a page.
General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts. If you are pregnant, recovering from surgery or managing any health condition, ask your doctor before starting a practice, and learn the pose itself from a qualified teacher who can see you move.
Common mistakes in Supported Shoulderstand
What tends to go wrong, and the specific correction — not "engage your core".
MistakePractising on a bare floor so the neck flattens fully under body weight.
FixAlways stack blankets under the shoulders with the head lower, so the neck keeps its curve.
MistakeTurning the head to look around while inverted.
FixKeep the head absolutely still throughout; turn it only once you are flat again.
What a practice like this costs in energy
Nobody has measured a single asana in a metabolic cart. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values per style of practice, so Supported Shoulderstand is mapped to the nearest published code — 02175, yoga, Power, 4 MET — and the figures below are for a practice of that kind, not for holding this one pose.
| Time practising | 10 min | 20 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 49 | 98 | 147 | 221 | 294 |
Calculated as MET × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200 kcal per minute — the standard ACSM relationship, shown in full on the method page. Scale it to your own weight by multiplying by your weight in kilograms and dividing by 70. The whole activity dataset, including every non-yoga activity, is at BurnLab.
Questions
How do you do Supported Shoulderstand?
Stack two or three firm folded blankets and lie with the shoulders on the edge and the head on the mat below. Bend the knees, press the arms down and roll the hips up until the legs come overhead. Bring the hands to the mid-back with the elbows shoulder-width apart, fingers pointing up. Extend the legs towards the ceiling, stacking hips over shoulders, and keep the weight in the shoulders and upper arms. Hold with the neck free of load, then lower the legs slowly and rest flat before sitting up. Hold for 1–3 minutes, built up gradually.
What does Supported Shoulderstand work?
Primarily the shoulders, abdominals, spinal erectors, with the triceps, glutes, upper back assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: stacks the body vertically over the shoulders, which the upper arms and back must hold.
Who should not do Supported Shoulderstand?
Glaucoma or raised eye pressure, and uncontrolled high blood pressure. Neck or cervical spine injury of any kind — the neck is flexed under load, which is why the blankets are not optional. Pregnancy — this is not a pose to begin in pregnancy; continuing an established practice is a decision for you and your doctor. Menstruation: many traditions omit inversions during a period, which is a personal choice rather than a medical rule. Recent or current ear infection — and learn shoulderstand with a qualified teacher setting up the props, not from a page. This is general information, not medical advice — if any of these apply to you, ask your doctor and learn the pose with a qualified teacher rather than from a page.
Is Supported Shoulderstand suitable for beginners?
No. Supported Shoulderstand is rated advanced. The shape itself is rarely the problem — arriving at it years too early is. Work through the beginner and intermediate inversions poses on this site and learn this one in person.
How many calories does Supported Shoulderstand burn?
The honest answer is that nobody has measured a single asana. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values for styles of yoga, not for individual poses. Supported Shoulderstand sits closest to Compendium code 02175, yoga, Power, at 4 MET — about 147 kcal for 30 minutes of that kind of practice for a 70 kg adult. Holding one pose for a minute is a rounding error either way.
Related poses
More inversions — first at the same level, then the rest of the family.
Asana names are traditional. Every step, benefit and caution on this page is written for YogaPath rather than reproduced from any book, studio or other library — see how this site is written. Energy figures derive from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts.