Salamba Sirsasana II (Supported Headstand II) registers as 5* on the scale of difficulty.
Salamba Sirsasana II requires greater strength in the upper arms than Salamba Sirsasana I and can therefore tell us a lot about the strength in each side of our bodies. I find that, in Salamba Sirsasana II, I tend to lean to either my left or right side, depending upon which side of my body feels more powerful that day. When you attempt this asana, take a moment to consider which arm feels like it’s bearing more weight. Then, actively press into the ground to help raise your legs back toward center, redistributing your weight evenly across both sides of your body.
Iyengar sees mastery of Salamba Sirsasana II as an essential stepping stone toward learning arm balances like Bakasana (Crow Pose), Urdhva Kukkutasana (Upward Cock Pose), Galavasana (Pose Dedicated to the Sage Galava), and Koundinyasana (Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya). Use your time in Salamba Sirsasana II to learn about your body’s strengths so that, when you attempt these types of arm balances, you arrive with a greater knowledge of your body’s innate power.
What has your practice taught you about your  inner strength?
Tags: arm balances, asana, Iyengar, Light on Yoga, Salamba Sirsasana II, Sirsasana, strength, yoga
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