These are 5 reasons that I am grateful for head stand!
- It helps me wake up!
- It really drains the sinuses!
- It helps me feel courageous and adventurous, but at the same time peaceful.
- It reminds me that I need to be careful, feeling whats going on in my body, particularly the crown and top of the head, so I do not injure myself.
- It helps break tunnel vision and negative thought cycles by literally turning my perspective upside down! :-)
These are benefits of sirsasana according to BKS Iyengar in his Light on Yoga.
- “Regular practice of sirsasana makes healthy pure blood flow throughout the brain cells. This rejuvenates them so that thinking power increases and thoughts become clearer.
- This asana is a tonic for people whose brains tire quickly. It ensures a proper blood supply to the pituitary and pineal glands in the brain. Our growth, health, and vitality depend on the proper functioning of these two glands.
- People suffering from loss of sleep, memory, and vitality have recovered by the regular and correct practice of this asana and have become fountains of energy.
- The lungs gain the power to resist any climate and stand up to any work, which relieves one from colds, coughs, tonsillitis, halitosis (foul breath) and palpitation.
- It keeps the body warm.
- Coupled with sarvangasana (shoulder stand) movements it is a boon to people suffering from constipation.
- Regular practice of sirsasana will show marked improvement in the hemoglobin (A red blood cell that brings oxygen to the vertebrates.) content of the blood.
- Regular and precise practice of sirsasana develops the body, disciplines the mind, and widens the horizons of the spirit.
- One becomes balanced and self-reliant in pain and pleasure, loss and gain, shame and blame and defeat and victory.” pg.190
CAUTIONS: Do not practice sirsasana if you suffer from any of the following: back injury, headache, heart condition, high blood pressure, menstruation, neck injury, low blood pressure (don't start with this pose), pregnancy (If you are experienced with this pose, you can continue to practice it late into pregnancy. However, don't take up the practice of sirsasana after you become pregnant.), do not practice without a sufficient amount of experience, this pose is considered an intermediate pose
Technique
- If you are a beginner to sirsasana or want additional support for the head, you may wish to have a blanket where you will press your head on the floor. Beginners might also want to start against a wall or in the corner of a room.
- Coming to an all fours position, then bending arms, resting elbows on the ground or near the end of the blanket if you have one, clasping the hands (Remember to keep the fingers lock throughout the balance to prevent unneeded weight from the body being placed on the hands.)
- Rest the crown of the head on the surface below, so that the back of the head fits into the clasped hands, move the knees toward the elbows slightly
- Begin to shift the weight onto the head gently, moving the gaze from down to back toward the legs, feel the legs and pelvis shift back slightly, straightening the legs as much as possible, touching the tips of the toes to the surface blow
- Take an inhale, then as you exhale shift the pelvis back even further (not so much as to fall over passed the back of the head) so that the legs are pulled a bit upward, the toes raise off the mat, and the core engages to pull the legs the rest of the way, shifting the body wight into the middle so that the legs and pelvis are eventually straight aligned with the head, neck, and torso
- Stay in this position for as long as you are able to trying to breath in and out through the nose (I do find this difficult in the morning because of mucus that has built up over night.)
- When ready to come back down, reverse the process, making sure to pay special attention to the shifting of the body weight, lowering the legs as the pelvis and bottom is slightly push beyond the back body, then legs come forward even more, pulling the rest the lower body till the feat are at rest on the ground
- Raise the head gently as you move to all fours, release the neck side to side, and rotate the head both ways in a gentle manner
- Then move the toes together, recline the bottom onto the heals, and stretch the arms forward, resting the forehead onto the surface below (Keep the head up slightly if you are particularly heated and wanting breath or sit in vajrasana, diamond pose, breathing in a way that would gently guide the breath to a nice even pace.) If able to focus and relax, while resting take some time to thank your body for carrying you through the practice, the ground for supporting you, and the vital breath which makes the union of mind, body, and spirit possible, which creates a tether and guide for us to follow as we participate in the practice of sirsasana and life in general.
- Rest in savasana if you wish or continue on with the rest of your asana sequence.
Have a wonderful day, my friend! Thank you so much for being amazing you! I hope that you enjoyed this first installment of “Thank You Yoga!” May sirsasana guide us to a balanced, harmonious lifestyle through all of life's pleasures and pains! Godbless, Hari Om Tat Sat! Love, Aaron :-)