Shoulder stands were never my favorite. I always felt like i was just flailing my legs ups and crunching into my neck. It was also boring to me. But I decided to learn them all over again,
Shoulder stands offer a wide variety of health benefits, by directing pranba and blood flow up your body, .It also helps balance out hormones, particularly improve thyroid function, And if held long enough i found that it strengthens key muscle groups particularly the core and legs. After practicing shoulder stands for 5 minutes every morning, I was able to maintain better posture throughout the day. As with all poses, its best to practice with focus on the breath and channel the direction of prana to the relevant body parts. In shoulder stands, its keeping they eyes closed, breathing slowly and completely, with exhales longer than inhales, and imagining the prana moving upwards.
Some tips on proper alignment
Maintain balance on shoulders not neck. Keep all vertabrea of teh back and neck off of the floor.
Engage the legs and the abs to support the posture to prevent collapsing and pressure on joints and back.
Keep hands up the back to support the back, but weight should not be on the hands.
Ujayi breathing.
