Ask the Yogi Manouso Manos

“When I come down from Sarvangasana and am resting on my back, I notice a tightness in my mid back that causes my exhalations to be very shallow and almost painful, sort of like the feeling you get when the ‘wind gets knocked out of you.’ The only thing that really helps is to sit up and not put pressure on my back for about five minutes. Have you dealt

with this before? Any suggestions?” —Anonymous

The problem you are describing typically takes place when the diaphragm gets restricted in an aberrant fashion. B.K.S. Iyengar used the translation of Salamba Sarvangasana as “whole body pose.” Anga being the part that represents the whole.

You are probably gripping the diaphragm to hold yourself in the pose. Often, this comes from too much arm and hand work and not enough lift from the lower torso.

Take a closet rod in hand while doing Sarvangasana, being careful not to strike people or furniture around you. Move the hands away from each other and the elbows toward each other, thereby bringing yourself higher up on the shoulders, with your hands wider apart than your shoulders. The stick should be close to but not on the bottom of your shoulder blades. From there, lift your quadriceps up and attempt to get the spine and legs perpendicular to the floor. Do not rest on the stick. Though this may demand more extension from your neck, it should solve the problem. After several practices this way, get rid of the stick but let your body find these actions without that prop.

Manouso Manos is certified at the Advanced Senior I level and lives in San Francisco, CA.