The exercise "birch", well-known among our compatriots, is nothing more than one of the yoga asanas, which is called Sarvangasana. It belongs to the group of so-called inverted asanas and is quite difficult to perform, but the effect is worth it.
What does "birch" affect
- Due to the inverted position of the body, there is a powerful blood flow to the brain, it is saturated with oxygen.
- The thyroid gland is stimulated, which normalizes the activity of hormones and strengthens the immune system.
- The pressure in the pelvic area is normalized, which eases the suffering of hemorrhoids.
- The pose helps to concentrate, relieve fatigue, find harmony of body and soul.
There is also an opinion that Sarvangasana is especially useful for women who dream of a child. The pose of a birch, supposedly taken immediately after intercourse, promotes conception. However, this fact has not been verified.
How Sarvangasana is performed
Before performing Sarvagasana, it is necessary to prepare the muscles, warm them up. To do this, you can do several exercises before performing. If the asana is performed in combination with other yoga poses, it must be done at the end of the lesson.
Those who are doing this exercise recently should take care to reduce discomfort in the neck area. It is better to perform the asana on a special yoga mat or on a thick blanket to reduce possible pain.
Pose technique
The full name of this position sounds like "salamba sarvangasana 1"
1. Lie on your back.
2. Bend your knees and pull them up to your chest.
3. Raise the pelvis, supporting the body from behind with arms bent at the elbows. In this case, the knees may touch the forehead.
4. Slowly, without jerking, straighten your legs.
5. Make sure that the legs are perpendicular to the floor, for this try to move the pelvis forward. The arms help to hold the body in the correct position. The main load should be on the shoulders, and not on the cervical spine.
6. You can stay in this position until you feel discomfort. Ideally, you can take up to 10 breaths and begin exiting.
7. To get out of the asana, you first need to bend your legs, then lower your pelvis, and then straighten your legs to a prone position.
The asana is performed at a slow pace, breathing is even.
There are also more complex options for performing sarvangasana:
- salamba sarvangasana 2 - hands are removed from the back and extended parallel to the floor (you can twist your fingers into a lock);
- niralamba sarvangasana 1 - straight arms are transferred to the position behind the head;
- niralamba sarvangasana 2 - hands are placed along the legs.
If you wish, you can master these asana variants as well. It is better to do this in the order in which they are listed, sequentially moving from the easiest pose to the most difficult.
You should not practice this asana for people with high blood pressure, as well as for those who have suffered injuries of the cervical spine.
