Halasana Yoga pose That Transformed My Sleep and Soothed My Back
I would lie in bed and my head would go flying, and my lower back would be sore due to a hard day behind a desk. It was like a far-off dream to sleep. I did all that, but a yoga teacher has shown me a new pose that initially appeared to be challenging: Halasana or the Plow Pose. This one-pose pose, which is named after a plow of a farmer, not only did not change my yoga practice, but it actually transformed my health.
In this article, I would like to take you through my experience with the Halasana yoga pose, the breakdown of its deep-seated advantages, and demonstrate to you how I was learning to do it safely and effectively. In case you, like me, have problems with tension, stress, or restless nights, then this may well be the key you are seeking.
What is Halasana? My First Experience with the Plow.
When I was introduced to someone in the full expression of Halasana, I was doubtful. The practitioner was bent with the toes touching the ground behind his or her head, and it seemed more of a show in a circus than a therapeutic position. My spine was too stiff to achieve such an action. My teacher, however, informed me that Halasana is a standard inverted posture in Hatha Yoga.
It derives its name from a Sanskrit word, Hala (plow) and Asana (pose), because of the posture which the body assumes, like an old-fashioned plow plowing the soil of your body to get ready to grow. I have also come to know that it is not about being perfect but about the process and the amazing internal perks.
Reasons I fell in Love with the Halasana Yoga Pose: The Changing Life Benefits.
Once I used Halasana, the results were impossible to deny. The advantages that I have enjoyed were not mere flexibility. This is what made me bring myself back to my mat:
Breath of Life: Halasana has turned into my stress reliever when it comes to relaxation of my whole back. It offers a mild, but profound, stretch of the spine, shoulders and neck. I was able to experience years of hunching at the desk melting.
Calmed My Anxious Mind: This position is instinctively a calming pose since it has the effect of calming the nervous system. I discovered that after spending a few minutes in Halasana, I silenced the thoughts that tended to keep me awake. It was a potent, organic cure for my stress.
Supercharged My Sleep Quality: This is something that changed the world for me. The relaxation of my brain, as well as the release of physical energy, facilitated the feeling of sleep and made my sleep more productive. It was my pre-bedtime ritual, which was not negotiable.
Boosted My Metabolism: The intense abdominal massaging is a massage to my internal organs, such as the thyroid gland. I felt that it served as a jump-starter to my digestive system and a normalizer of my metabolism.
Enhanced My Circle Run: Halasana, being an inversion, the circulation of fresh and oxygenated blood to my face and upper body is easily circulated, which makes my body feel refreshed and energized at the end of the practice.
My Step by Step Guide to Halasana Practice in Safety.
This is because safety is the most important factor and the pose is one that involves the neck. The following is the precise order of actions I adhere to in order to make my practice effective and injury free. Above anything, listen to your body.
Start by Lying Down: Starting with me lying flat on the back on my yoga mat, arms placed beside my body with the palms facing down.
Engage and Lift: During an inhalation, I will make slight involvement of core and pull my legs up off the floor using my abdominal muscles to the level of a 90-degree angle.
Support Your Back: This is a shoulder-length position whereby I support my back with my hands and the elbows are positioned shoulder-wide. This position resembles Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana).
Lower Your Feet: I reduce my toes slowly and in a controlled manner towards the floor behind my head. I do not force it. I want to get my toes on the floor, but they need not do so, that is alright. I maintain straightness of my legs as far as my flexibility permits.
Find Your Final Pose: When in this position, I release my hands and bring my fingers together on the mat, and straighten my arms to form a stable base. I maintain the pose between 5 and 10 deep and slow breaths.
To Release: This is crucial. My hands gradually come back to the lower back. I core my spine, one vertebra at a time, and roll it down. I neither jerk nor snap out of the pose.
Critical Advice and change in my practice.
My body does not always seem the same, and I have had to make the changes. The following are the changes that have been the most beneficial to me:
When You See Your Toes Not on the Floor: I usually have a blanket that I fold and use a block behind my head to put my toes. This initially was a change of game in my life.
Should Your Neck Have Strained? I make sure that the burden lies on my upper arms and shoulders and not on my neck. In case of pinching, I straighten up the pose.
To be so gentle: I do it with my knees bent and resting on my forehead. It is a superb method of achieving the advantages without the deep hamstring stretch.
Who Should Avoid Halasana? My Experience With a Notice on Safety.
Halasana is an incredible pose but not everybody can do it. I talked to my physician and teacher prior to the beginning, and you should do the same, particularly in case you have one or more of the following:
High blood pressure
Glaucoma or severe eye problems.
A neck or back injury
Pregnancy (after the first trimester)
When you are diarrhea-ing or in your menstrual period (several teachers do not recommend inversion in this period)
My Last Reflections: Halasana: Making Halasana the Part of Your Life.
The Halasana yoga pose became one of the most effective choices I made in terms of my physical and mental well-being, as I have made it one of the parts of my evening routine. It made me patient, taught me to listen to my body, and the ability of a simple inversion. It is an attitude of giving up and letting go. I invite you to come to it with curiosity and benevolence towards yourself. As I found out, the rewards are indeed transformative.