Stretching With the Feet Behind the Shoulder

Plow pose in yoga, which is also called Halasana, involves stretching the legs with the feet extended behind the shoulders. It is an example of an inversion. This means that unless you are double-jointed, you have to turn the body almost upside down while lying face up to effect the movement. To maintain stability and to keep from falling over to one side, you have to fully engage the abdominal muscles. If you bend forward and touch your toes, you stretch the paraspinal muscles in the middle to lower back. When the move is inverted, the force of gravity increases the stretch for maximum lengthening.

  1. Risks

    • To do plow pose, exercisers lie on their backs and roll their legs upward and backward from the hips until their feet are touching the floor behind their head. If their body weight is born by the neck, it could damage vertebral discs and sprain cervical ligaments. Variations of the plow pose, when done correctly, reduce the risk of spinal injury.

    Safe Execution

    • To stretch the legs and feet behind the shoulders without injuring the spine and neck, you have to rest your body weight on the mid-deltoid muscles so that the chest muscles remain open. The shoulder blades must be held firm against the back. For comfort and to relieve some of the pressure of the body's weight, rest your shoulders on a small pile of folded towels or blankets. You may support your lower back with your hands by bending your arms at the elbows. Pressure on the spine can be relieved by resting your feet on a chair. The extension of your legs will still ensure that your feet surpass your shoulders.

    Contraindications

    • Pulitzer Prize winning yoga practitioner, William Broad, noted in an interview with "The Star" that the lining of the vertebral artery that runs through the neck can undergo tears during extreme stretching. A tear can lead to a blood clot or even a stroke if the clot moves to the brain. This is partially why this exercise is strictly contraindicated for people who have previous neck injuries. Due to extreme abdominal muscle engagement, stretching with the feet behind the shoulders is also contraindicated if you are undergoing menstruation or have diarrhea. If you have asthma or high blood pressure, don't do plow pose.

    Therapeutic Benefits

    • Yoga practitioners who seek to relieve stress and fatigue will undertake the plow pose as it is attributed to calming the brain. Further, while it is contraindicated for women undergoing menstruation, it is recommended for the relief of menopause symptoms. In addition to abdominal organ stimulation, it also activates the thyroid gland. Overall, stretching the feet behind the shoulders in the correct manner is considered therapeutic for insomnia, backache, sinusitis, infertility and headache.