Halasana: The "plough" pose

Halasana, or popularly known as the "plough pose" is one of the most classic yoga poses of all time. It involves pulling your legs over your head to form a plough like structure, as the name so explicitly suggests. But what exactly are its benefits?

Improved blood circulation

The complete inversion of the lower body allows a greater circulation of blood back to the heart (also known as the venous flow). Venous flow is crucial as it promotes normal blood pressure, ensures efficient circulation of oxygen and nutrients and also reduces the risk of blood clots. Therefore, it also helps reduce swelling in the lower limbs.

Improved posture and greater spinal flexibility

Poses such as Halasana plays a significant role in spinal flexion, which is necessary for maintaining good posture and reduce stiffness. A study published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies (2015) found that inversion poses like Halasana reduced chronic low back pain and improved spinal flexibility. The bending of the spine forward while bringing the legs overhead ensures that the the spine is being flexed and simultaneously, releases tension and stretches the back muscles and the vertebrate.

Relaxes and calms the nervous system

Our nervous system is central in controlling all the bodily motor functions and emotions as well. Practicing Halasana promotes the parasympathetic nervous system, which is key in promoting stress reduction and relaxation. As per a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2016), people practicing inversion poses like Halasana benefited greatly from stress reductions and also improvements in mood, suggesting that this pose has a calming effect on the nervous system.

Stimulates the thyroid glands

Thyroid is a tiny, butterfly-shaped gland that is primarily involved in regulating the body metabolism and production of regulatory hormones, which regulates various aspects of the body's metabolism, as the name suggests. While practicing the pose, the throat region is compressed, which stimulates the thyroid and parathyroid glands. This can help in an increase in metabolism and also calcium balance in the body. Its stimulation is necessary as the hormones released by this gland control processes like heart rate and body temperature.

Last but not the least, here's a short video on how you can do the Halasana under 30 seconds!

REFERENCES:

Raveendran AV, Deshpandae A, Joshi SR. Therapeutic Role of Yoga in Type 2 Diabetes. Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2018 Sep;33(3):307-317. doi: 10.3803/EnM.2018.33.3.307. Epub 2018 Aug 14. PMID: 30112866; PMCID: PMC6145966.

Polsgrove MJ, Eggleston BM, Lockyer RJ. Impact of 10-weeks of yoga practice on flexibility and balance of college athletes. Int J Yoga. 2016 Jan-Jun;9(1):27-34. doi: 10.4103/0973-6131.171710. PMID: 26865768; PMCID: PMC4728955.

Cronkleton, Emily. “Benefits of Halasana.” Healthline, 23 June 2021, www.healthline.com/health/fitness/benefits-of-halasana#how-to-modify.