Halasana and neck stress

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Been practicing shoulder stand into halasana (plough) for some weeks now. I am quite comfortable in shoulder stand for many minutes but am having trouble moving into halasana without feeling a lot of pressure on my neck. In halasana the trunk is supposed to be perpendicular to the floor but when I do this, all my body weight transfers to my neck and I immediately stop for fear of hurting myself. I feel much more comfortable angling my trunk as the weight then shifts to my shoulders. What is the best way to do this to avoid neck injury? Am I not positioning something right?

Thanks.

#2

http://www.yoga.com/ydc/enlighten/enlighten_document.asp?ID=447&section=9&cat=122

also have your feet up on a chair…pile of blocks or books…and keep legs active…

not the best picture or the best explanation ever…but got bored of searching…

but it gives you a good idea of where to start your research…
going to a TEACHER would be the MOST helpful thing as he/she could SHOW you and TEACH you.

#3

First my standard caveat with this sort of post -

[I]Such questions should be posed to the person you’ve selected to convey the practice to you safely and effectively.[/I]

Sarvangasana (shoulderstand) is best executed with a levelized prop across the shoulders such that the 7th cervical vertebra is supported before going up. Said propping can be done with meticulously folded blankets or foam pads wrapped with a sticky mat. This setup presumes a healthy curvature in the cervical spine (neck).

Halasana (plough) should be done on the same setup. This also presumes a healthy cervical curve AND open hamstrings.

For students that do not have either or both, the setup would be different.
Such a setup is designed to prevent injury to the cervical spine.

If you are not using said propping then the short answer is “use appropriate propping so you do not harm yourself in the moment and over time”. If you are using said propping and still having issues with Halasana, consider a bench or chair to rest the quads on or do the pose close enough to the wall so that your feet can be on it.

gordon