** Posture: Hala-asana - The Plow Pose ** Translation: The Sanskrit term Hala signifies plow, as in a classic horse-drawn or ox-drawn plow. When you're in this position, your body looks like a plow. ** Pronunciation: hull-ah-sa-na ** Difficulty: (5) ** Instructions: 1- In shava-asana, lie flat on your back (the corpse pose). 2- Take a deep breath in through your nose. Place the palms of your hands on the floor, facing down. Exhale while bending the knees and bringing them up toward the stomach, keeping the hips on the floor. 3- Inhale, then lift the legs straight up perpendicular to the floor while exhaling. Depending on how comfortable it is, you can either support your hips with your hands or leave your arms flat on the floor. 4- Exhale and elevate the legs above the head, bending at the waist and elevating the back and buttocks until the toes are squarely in front of the head. Keep your feet close together. Return the arms flat to the floor with the palms facing down if the lower back is supported by the hands. If you can't comfortably rest your arms on the floor, use your hands to support your lower back. 5- Maintain a straight line with the knees. Hold the stance for many minutes, breathing softly through your nose. If you can't touch the floor with your toes, try to keep them as near to it as possible while continuing to lower them. 6- Return to shava-asana by reversing the steps. ** benefits This pose, like sarvanga-asana, has various advantages. Leg flexibility is improved by stretching all of the muscles and ligaments in the calves and thighs. The hala-asana will provide significant relief to anyone suffering from leg cramps. When blood is squeezed out of the abdominal area, toxins are eliminated, and when the contraction is relaxed, the area is inundated with abundantly oxygenated blood. Additionally, the contraction relieves gas and promotes a sluggish digestive system. The throat, thyroid, hyperthyroidism, and lungs are all affected in the same way when the neck and chest area is squeezed. The forward stretching of the spine relieves upper and lower back stiffness or discomfort. It is strongly advised that this pose be followed by sarvanga-asana. In fact, many of the sarvanga-advantages asana's also apply to the hala-asana, along with the additional benefits listed above. Although some people may find it more challenging in the morning, the hala-asana is a good morning pose. During sleep, the spine can become compressed, causing tightness or stiffness in the back. The hala-asana will instantly restore spine flexibility and enhance alertness with a few repetitions. ** Duration/Repetitions: Hold the hala-asana for as long as you feel comfortable. For your first few efforts, 20-30 seconds should enough; as you gain confidence, progressively extend the time. ** Variants: There are various variations of the fundamental hala-asana, each requiring more spine and leg flexibility. These variants can be tried once the asana has been mastered. Swinging the arms around and contacting or holding the toes with the hands is the first (1). After then, the posture is maintained in this position. (as depicted above) Dropping the knees to the ground and positioning them near to the ears while maintaining the arms outstretched on the floor is another version (2). Finally, the arms are swung around and positioned behind the knees, and the hands are clasped and forced down on the knees to keep them firmly planted on the floor (3). All three versions should be held while slowly inhaling through the nose. ** Cautions/Restrictions: As with all inverted positions, the hala-asana should not be attempted by women who are menstrual (where the legs are raise over the head). There are no further limitations.