I do the shoulder stand daily. It's easier for the non-athlete like me to master than the head stand (still haven't done that) but has many of the same benefits, especially for the internal organs. Here is an excerpt from my soon-to-be released book (next few weeks).
Copyright 2011
Shoulder Stand: (Sanskrit name is Sarvangasana)
Type of yoga pose: Active and passive inversion
Body parts targeted: Spinal column, upper back, abdomen, brain, circulation, eyes, ears, internal organs and glands (sexual glands and organs, thyroid and parathyroid glands, pituitary gland, and salivary glands)
How to do the pose:
1. Lie on your back on your mat and relax with your arms and hands at your sides.
2. Face your palms downward.
3. Inhale distending your abdomen and hold your breath while tightening your abdominal muscles and stiffening your legs.
4. Press downward against the floor and using the palms of your hands as a lever, slowly lift your legs off the floor while exhaling. Keep your knees straight. This is the same way you enter the plough.

5. Take at least 5 seconds to smoothly raise your legs straight up in the air until they are almost perpendicular with the floor. The more slowly you raise your legs, the firmer and stronger your abdomen will become. If needed, you may rock you knees and forelegs back and forth a bit to gain the necessary momentum to lift your lower back and buttocks off the floor.
6. Place your right hand against the kidney region of your back and brace yourself with it. Place your left hand also against your back for additional support.
7. Raise both legs together until your entire body is vertical with your elbows resting on the floor and both hands supporting your back.
8. Keep your legs and body as straight as possible with your chin nestled into the space in front of your collarbone—i.e., the jugular notch.

9. Hold the pose motionless for 15-20 seconds.
10. To exit the posture, bend your legs at the knees and gently lower your legs until your knees are about one or two inches from your face.
11. Place your right hand on the floor and brace yourself with it. Follow by placing your left hand on the floor and also brace yourself with it.
12. Keep the back of your head on the floor while bringing your lower back slowly onto the mat holding your buttocks in your hands.
13. Slowly straighten your legs until they are again vertical in the air.
14. Keeping your knees straight, slowly lower your legs until they are resting on the floor. You may wish to enhance the abdominal firming effect of this pose by holding your legs taut for a few seconds when they are one to two inches away from the floor.
Practice time: Hold the pose for 15-20 seconds during your first week of practice. Add 5-10 seconds a week until you can hold the pose for 3 minutes.
Number of repetitions: 1
Key benefits from this pose:
1. Benefits and energizes the entire body.
2. Massages and stimulates the spinal column.
3. Increases blood supply to brain to increase energy, tones the nervous system, and can improve mental faculties such as the memory.
4. Stimulates the thyroid and parathyroid glands, and enriches the pituitary gland.
5. This inversion repositions organs and glands into their proper place by countering the downward pull that gravity puts on the body.
6. Enhances circulation and helps to relieve strain placed on blood vessels when the body is upright for long periods. May alleviate varicose veins.
7. Can help regulate weight because the pose helps stimulate the thyroid gland.
8. Strengthens back and can build up chest.
9. Can eliminate headaches.
10. Stretches and strengthens shoulder and back muscles.
11. Stretches muscles and ligaments of the cervical region (the top part of the spine that consists of the seven vertebrae of the neck and the disks that separate them).
12. Strengthens entire nervous system.
13. Stimulates sexual glands and organs and boosts the libido.
Special hints and Laura’s experience with this pose:
If you have had a neck injury or shoulder problems or have high blood pressure, consult your physician or medical advisor before trying this pose.
Some yogis say the shoulder stand gives you almost the same benefits as the headstand. However, the shoulder stand benefits the thyroid gland more whereas the headstand increases circulation in the brain. Because this is an inverted pose and the blood flows downward, women should avoid this pose during menstruation.
Go up into the shoulder stand only as far as you comfortably can. People who at first find the pose difficult are often advised to use a wall to help get them into the position or at least to acclimate themselves to getting their legs vertically into the air. I never found this necessary. I simply raised my legs as far up into a vertical position as was feasible for me in the beginning and after several weeks I was able to achieve the hold in a complete vertical position.
However, if you find this pose difficult at first, yoga instructor Tara Fraser offers a suggestion. She recommends adding more padding under your shoulders and elbows by using folded blankets or a platform made out of four foam blocks. She says though, to avoid cushions because they are too squishy.
Come out of the shoulder stand slowly and smoothly to avoid hurting your spine or back. The shoulder stand flows naturally with the plough—do them back -to -back. As I exit the shoulder stand, I go right into the plough. Watch out—these two poses done in sequence can really amp up your libido!