Anatomy of a posture
- supported shoulder stand

“Salamba Sarvangasana
sah-LOM-bah sar-van-GAHS-anna
salamba = with support (sa = with, alamba = support)
sarva = all
anga = limb
The term 'salamba' distinguishes this variation of the shoulder stand from the
unsupported ('niralamba') version.
classification and level: basic supine inversion
joint actions
Spine cervical flexion; thoracic flexion; lumbar flexion moving toward neutral
extension; sacroiliac joint nutation; hip neutral extension, adduction, neutral
rotation; knee extension; ankle neutral extension; scapula adduction, downward
rotation, elevation; glenohumeral joint external rotation, extension, adduction;
elbow flexion; forearm supination; wrist extension (moving toward flexion as the hands press into the back).
working
Spine: The intrinsic muscles of the spine (intertransversarii, interspinalis, rotatores, multifidi, spinalis, semispinalis, splenius capitis and cervicis, longissimus, and iliocostalis) are all active in the shoulder stand to keep the legs from falling toward the face. The psoas minor, obliques, rectus abdominis, and transversus are very active in the pose to keep from falling backward.
Working eccentrically in the neck: rectus capitis posterior major and minor, obliquus capitis superior and inferior.
Legs: To maintain a neutral alignment of the legs against the pull of gravity, the adductor magnus and hamstrings hold the legs together and extend the hips. The vastii extend the knees. The medial fibres of the gluteus maximus act to extend the hips (without external rotation).
Shoulders: The rhomboids work to adduct the scapulae; levator scapulae elevate the scapulae (in this case, to press their upper edges into the floor), and also medially rotate the bottom tips of the scapulae (which angles the glenoid fossa downward toward the hips). The trapezius acts to adduct, elevate, and medially rotate the bottom tips of the scapulae. The pectoralis minor is also active to downwardly rotate the scapulae. (Again, the more adduction of the scapulae, the less the pectoralis minor is active.)
Arms: The infraspinatus and teres minor externally rotate the head of the humerus; the subscapularis and coracobrachialis work eccentrically to protect the front of the joint from protraction; the long head of triceps and teres major act to extend the shoulder and adduct the arm; the posterior deltoid works to extend and externally rotate the arm; the biceps brachii and brachialis act to flex the elbow and supinate the Triceps forearm; the flexor carpi radialis, ulnaris, and flexor digitorum superficialis and profundus work to press the hands into the back...”

The article continues with sections on lengthening, obstacles and notes and breathing, and is reproduced courtesy of the book YOGA ANATOMY by Leslie Kaminoff, published by Human Kinetics. Available on SPECIAL OFFER to readers of Yoga & Health magazine. Please see page 15 of the October 2007 issue.