Help your students find correct alignment and feel comfortable with this teacher's guide to Shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana).HomeTEACHYOGAAnatomyYogaTeachers:GetThatDirtoffYourShoulderstand5YogaandMeditationTeachersYouNeedtoKnowAboutMay28,20196SecretsofSuccessfulYogaTeachersJune11,20190YogaTeachers:GetThatDirtoffYourShoulderstandPublishedbyJulieBernieratJune4,2019CategoriesAnatomyPlanning&SequencingTeachingTipsTagsinversionssarvangasanashoulderstandteachingcuesyogaanatomyyogaposesItmaybeabeginner’syogapose,but Shoulderstand(SalambaSarvangasana) isstillachallenge.There’ssomethingaboutinvertingthebodythat’sinherentlyconfusinganddisorientingforbrandnewstudents.Helpthemfindcorrectalignmentandfeelcomfortablewiththisteacher’sguidetoShoulderstand.1.THEDEMOStartoutbygivingyourclassademo.RisingintoShoulderstandcanbealittleconfusingfornewbies;they’reoftennotsurehowtosupporttheirbackorwheretheirlegsshouldgo.Asalways,ademoprovidesvisualclarification.Duringyourdemonstration,pointoutthatoneshouldneverturntheirheadinShoulderstand—nomatterhowtemptingitistotakealookaroundtheroom.Thisisasensitivepositionfortheneck,andturningtheheadcanleadtoinjury.2.SETTINGUPHaveyourstudenttuckintheirT-shirtandthenliedownontheirback.Tellthemtoresttheirarmsalongsidethebodywithpalmsfacingdowntosetupfortheposture.3.LIFTOFFInstructthestudenttoinhaleastheylifttheirlegsandusemomentumtolifttheirhipsfromthefloor.Thentellthemtosupportthespinebyplacingtheirhandsonthebackofthetorsowithfingerspointingup.Atthispoint,manystudentsalreadyfeeluncomfortablebecauseofimproperalignment.Tellthemtowalktheirhandsdowntheirback,towardtheirshoulderblades,andbringtheirelbowstogether.It’sOKiftheirlegsaren’tata90-degreeanglefromthefloor,buttheyshouldatleastunderstandwheretheposeisgoing.4.ADJUSTINGALIGNMENTHere’swhereyoumayneedtogiveahands-onadjustment.Ifyourstudent’selbowsaresplayedouttothesidesandtheirspineissinkingtowardthefloor,askiftheywouldlikehelpgettingintothepose.Thenstandnearthebackoftheirlegs.Straddletheirelbowswithy