Sirsasana
Sirsasana is nothing but Tadasana on your head. The actions in the pose are essentially the same, though they feel different to you when you are doing them upside-down. As you work in the pose, try to feel as though you are standing in Tadasana. With repeated practice, this pose fosters equanimity.
Medical Uses:
First and foremost, Headstand, when practiced correctly, oxygenates
the brain and helps those with memory loss. When practiced incorrectly,
it can damage the neck, so be sure to study with a qualified yoga
teacher.
This pose strengthens the back; it helps those with arthritis of the
lower back, dorsal region and shoulder joints as well as dealing with
lumbago, sciatica, and general backache.
It also works on the legs; any experienced yoga practitioner who has
had the misfortune of spraining a knee or an ankle knows how effective
this pose is at bringing down a swelling or inflammation in these
joints. Varicose veins, and coccyx pain and displacement can also be
reduced.
Diseases of the respiratory system, lungs and heart such as
palpitations, asthma, breathlessness, bronchitis, nasal catarrh, chills,
cold and cough, and (after medical treatment and rest) pleurisy and
pneumonia, can all be tackled by standing on your head.
Headstand also brings relief for those suffering from digestive
problems; constipation, acidity, colic and colitis can all be
ameliorated with this and other poses.
Always practice this pose regularly in equal measure with your shoulderstand.
It can also boost low blood pressure. Other conditions that greatly
benefit from Headstand are diabetes, displaced uterus, epilepsy,
umbilical hernia, inguinal hernia, impotency, anemia, appendicitis,
insomnia, kidney problems, menstrual disorders, prostrate problems,
tonsillitis and duodenal ulcer.
- Start by practicing against a wall. Kneel down in front of a
wall.Interlace your hands. Place your elbows a shoulder width apart on
the floor and then place the outer edges of your interlaced hands on the
floor, touching the wall. Place the crown of your head on the floor,
inside your hands.
- Raise your hips and straighten your legs. Pull your upper back away
from the wall, press your forearms down and lift your shoulders away
from the floor.
- Come up, one leg at a time.
- Place your feet but not your buttocks on the wall. To avoid
compressing your neck, secure a strong base: continue raising your
shoulders up and pressing your shoulder-blades in toward your st. Touch
the inner edges of your feet together and stretch your legs up.
- Gradually move away from the wall, a few inches at a time until you
can balance without support. Don’t be in a hurry to do this. Work
diligently and methodically to develop strength and balance.
Practice Note:
Sirsasana is not for beginners. Iyengar yoga teachers really are
second to none when it comes to teaching inversions! Learn this in an
Iyengar level II class. Until you are ready to begin learning headstand,
practice Standing Wide Leg Forward Bend Pose (Prassarita
Padottanasana).
Contraindications for Practicing Sirsasana:
1.) The first, and most obvious contraindication to practicing headstand is
high blood pressure.
A normal blood pressure at the level of the head is 100/60 (Coulter).
But someone suffering from high blood pressure will already have a level
higher than that while standing. Sirsasana increases the pressure in
the head to about 150/110, but in those students who have high blood
pressure, going upside down can increase it to a dangerously high level.
It is advised that the teacher mention this prior to instructing
sirsasana if there are new students in the room.
2.) Another obvious reason to abstain from practicing sirsasana is if the student has suffered a
recent neck or back injury.
If the structures of the cervical spine have gone through a trauma,
there can be no advisable reason to invert into sirsasana. Even though
the forearms are on the ground, they are primarily used for support, and
considerable weight is placed in the head. If the muscles and
structures in neck are weakened or compromised due to injury, sirsasana
becomes a risk.
3.)
Excess weight:
this is something that is often not discussed in yoga classes.
Unfortunately, it has become somewhat of a taboo for people to express
concern for overweight individuals, even if they are our friends and
family. It is a yoga teacher’s duty, however, to advise a student that
is struggling with being overweight not to practice headstand. First of
all, excessive weight increases the risk for high blood pressure, so
that alone would prevent you from doing the pose. It also increases the
pressure on the muscles and structures of the neck, increasing risk of
injury. There is also more weight on the spine, which can compress the
vertebrae and take the integrity out of the pose. A much better
recommendation for a student who is overweight but wants to invert would
be dolphin pose. Encouraging the student to strengthen the shoulders
and arms is a more positive way to discourage sirsasana. Ultimately, the
yoga classroom should be a safe environment for all students, and even
if a teacher feels uncomfortable, as though they are “singling out” an
overweight student when the rest of the class is practicing headstand,
it is ultimately
more beneficial to that student to get the proper assistance they need as opposed to ignoring the issue.
4.)
Fear: for me,
this is the BIGGEST contraindication to practicing headstand in those
students who are otherwise physically ready for the pose (meaning they
do not suffer from the above three conditions). I think fear is not
addressed enough in yoga classes, and students that are fearful of
inverting may not be willing to speak up in front of the class and let
the instructor know. When fear takes over the body, sympathetic nervous
system takes over and the “fight-or-flight” response is activated. Heart
rate can increase, blood vessels can constrict (bad for a pose that
increases blood pressure), and the body can involuntarily shake. All of
these are bad news for going up into headstand. Fear therefore becomes a
huge risk for injury and should be genuinely discussed in the class.
Instructors can offer techniques to minimize a student’s anxiety about
inversions, such as seated meditation or pranayama before inverting,
sustaining the preparatory posture without actually lifting the legs,
asking them to visualize the pose instead. This can help the student get
used to the feeling of being inverted, while still being grounded.
5.)
Menstruation: I
will not discuss at length about this, mainly because there is a wealth
of conflicting information out there and very little scientific evidence
that either confidently supports, or firmly cautions practicing
headstand while menstruating. I myself feel comfortable doing it,
whereas many women do not. I think this is ultimately a personal
decision, and many traditional views on why not to practice are not
rooted in scientific reasoning.
6)
Pregnancy: My
opinion is to err on the side of caution and don’t practice sirsasana.
Many sources will tell you to consult your doctor, but not all doctors
are experienced yogis. I have known a women, who had a very strong
practice prior to her pregnancy, who continued to practice headstand
well into her second trimester without complications. I have also have
known pregnant women in one of my classes who said inverting was
uncomfortable even in her first trimester. Again, I say go with caution:
there are plenty of other phenomenal asanas out there that are
perfectly safe to practice during pregnancy.
