Yoga pose of the week - Shoulder stand or Salamba Sarvangasana

The pose has several variations, the simplest and most accessible of which for most people is to lie on your back on the floor and, while keeping your lower back in contact with the floor, simply lift your straight legs up (you can even support your legs against a wall like this if needed).

A second variation is to help your hips up with your hands and let them rest on your hands (photo below)

As a more challenging variation, you can shift your body weight onto your shoulders and try to align yourself in a straight line with your shoulders (photo below).

In case you want to test your balance, you can start to take your hands off your back one by one

Always choose the variation of the pose according to your own body awareness. It shouldn't be painful, but a little discomfort is a normal feeling.

This yoga pose is characteristic of Vinyasa, Hatha yoga styles, and you can also get a thorough overview of the exercise in the online yoga beginner's course "A Journey to Yourself".