Headstand Question

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#18

I wanted to share my joy of making progress in my home practice with all you guys. All you guys have been very helpful in answeing so many questions I have had. There is no way I can thank you guys enough for all the help I get from you.

I wanted to specially thanks Baxton and Siva for your valuable replies that has made significant difference in the way I do headstand. When I had created this thread, I was not able to get into headstand slowly and gradually. I am very very happy to say that now I am able to very easily and slowly and grudually get into headstand. What a joy!!!

#19

yalgaar, you sound like a great student and a fast learner! You’re obviously paying attention internally, as well as absorbing ideas from others.

I’m new on the forum - finding it fun to read and learn, and enjoying the interaction with others. But… then I thought, how nice if we were all meeting up in a studio somewhere, sometime, to share our ideas in person and in real-time. Sigh… always a bit of a trade-off: I love being able to interact with people around the country and the ability write in at any odd hour of the day, but ultimately I suppose I still love hanging out with other yogis in the flesh!

Anyway, glad you are finding such satisfaction in your practice - always inspiring to hear from someone so clearly enjoying it.

#20

B.K.S. Iyengar produced a follow-up to Light on Yoga in 2001 ( his eighty’s ) called Light on Life. He says exactly the same thing about putting your weight on the crown of your head( pg.121 )as he did in Light on Yoga. According to a top Micro-anatomist with the award winning book " Anatomy of Hatha Yoga " David Coulter- the head can easily withstand the balanced weight of the body( pg 450 )- witness the huge weights regularly bourne by third world laborers et al. Iyengar also said , as I acknowledged, that until you acheive this balance , beginners should safe-gaurd the neck by putting weight on the arms as well. The goal remains to have the weight all on the relaxed head. I have been told my alignment is great and it feels great, and I feel no stress. I am relaxed and have been that way for decades. Iyengar style is most recognized for it’s emphasis on alignment and physical health as a priorty. I am all for everyone following whatever style suits them but I want the forum record to be right about what Iyengar says. You can find much support for this on various yoga websites. Namaste

#21

[QUOTE=TonyTamer;20718]You are probably correct, and I just got back from Barnes and Noble where ( and I suppose it wasn’t apocrypa ) a definitive book on Ashtanga by a David Scott said the headstand should have no weight on the head and all on the arms and shoulders. The point of agreement between two opposite statements seems like it must be the timing, as you say, and for my part I’ll say that I do get better alignment when I raise the shoulders into the push but overall my alignment is better served by the weight on my head. It feels more centered and I feel all-in-one piece and connected. Iyengar did not mention any stage that Hint #2 applied to. Namaste[/QUOTE]

I have been perplexed by this as well. When I have two conflicting expert opinions - I usually take the middle road. In this case, if the pressure I feel on my head makes me feel like like my head is being crushed or that my jaw is clenching, then I put more into my arms and bandhas until my head can relax.

Speaking of Iyengar - I used his advice to get my first headstands started - I used a corner of the room which acted as more of a cradle for the body rather than a flat wall. I definitely recommend using the corner and/or wall in headstand until one can get the legs up without kicking or jerking.
Peace to all you yogis!

#22

I am sorry, too many books and not enough focus on my part. The book I was referring to above is, Yoga, the Path to Holistic Health. Everything else is accurate. B.K.S. Iyengar wrote both. And to Ms. Adkins-Thanks for the reference of the corner of the wall as a cradle for the headstand-I’ll advise any inversion aspirants thereto herefrom. Namaste

#23

[QUOTE=Braxton;21278]yalgaar, you sound like a great student and a fast learner! You’re obviously paying attention internally, as well as absorbing ideas from others.

I’m new on the forum - finding it fun to read and learn, and enjoying the interaction with others. But… then I thought, how nice if we were all meeting up in a studio somewhere, sometime, to share our ideas in person and in real-time. Sigh… always a bit of a trade-off: I love being able to interact with people around the country and the ability write in at any odd hour of the day, but ultimately I suppose I still love hanging out with other yogis in the flesh!

Anyway, glad you are finding such satisfaction in your practice - always inspiring to hear from someone so clearly enjoying it.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for your kind words Braxton. I am also new to forum as well as yoga. I hear you. It would really be great to meet all the people here in real and do yoga together. It would be so enjoyable. If you happen to be in Central NJ ever, do let me know and I would be happy to do get together and do yoga. Would be so enjoyable and pleasure to meet yogis from here in real. Thinking of it brings a smile on my face.

#24

Hi Siva, you said doing leg lifts to prepare for headstand. Can you elaborate? I’m still not able to do half headstand. I can’t hold once i lift up my legs.

#25

michellew,

Leg lifts AND dolphin pushups. You need them both for the strength and control you will need.

Alternating Single Leg Lifts:
arms close to the body > palms down > knees straight > both feet stay flexed > prepare exhale > inhale straight leg up to 90 degrees with a count of 3 > exhale down with a count of 3 (through the nose of course )> left, right, left and so on.

Double Leg Lifts:
feet together > both knees straight > both feet stay flexed > lower-back pressed against the floor > prepare exhale > inhale straight legs up slowly to 90 degrees with a count of three > exhale down count of three.

Note: Avoid back strain. It’s very important to keep the lower-back pressed against the floor when doing double leg-lifts. If you cannot, then modify by bending the knees slightly. Start with 3 or 4, add one or two per week. If you find that after doing several your lower-back is arching off floor, then you’re doing too many, or need to modify.

Please don’t rush the headstand, do not kick up, and DO NOT USE THE WALL. Nothing to be gained there!

peace and good luck,
siva

#26

Interesting conversation, though we have gone a tad off topic. In regards to how much we weight we put on our heads, which is of interest more to the weight on our necks, my sports background tells me that one should gradually build up, giving the body time to adapt and though I am able to stay in the pose for a long time, I choose not to stay in it for very long. At what point do you feel that your class members are ready to progress from the supported headstand to others, such as the tripod headstand?

#27

mikesbytes,

I am not sure if this question is directed to me, however I will try to answer it as best I can.

Ask yourself. Do you feel compression, or suspension? Levity? Unimagined? It’s not about the neck or the head. It’s about the union of ascending and descending force and negotiating that while you’re circulating breath.

I can’t say it strongly enough, [B]save these advanced headstands for when you are truly a yoga master:[/B] when you have complete control over [B]kundalini[/B], have [B]ha[/B] and [B]tha[/B] completely defined and balanced and understand clearly and fully their union, how they are directed, together with breathing, to mechanically align and suspend the weight of the body (like it’s hanging from a thread). Otherwise you risk permanent damage. You may not find out until you’re 50 or 60, but probably much sooner.

You simply cannot “build up” to this kind of strength and control by stacking up your weight and waiting, praying. Never happen. If you can do an ordinary, armstand-type headstand, be happy. It may take you a lifetime to master, and is that not enough?

Always seek the guidance of a teacher who is accomplished in what they teach, and not just knows the moves. If your teacher or your classmates are encouraging you to attempt such advanced headstands, just say no. There is no point. Tell them Siva said so.

peace & love,
siva

#28

This is what headstand can do to you (one patient with displacement of cervical vertebrae and compression of the spinal cord after 25 years of daily headstand practice).

#29

I love my headstand that I try to rest on the crown of my head as much as possible ( as Iyengar says )-it feels great and I’m 57 ( almost ) and have been doing it for decades-at least 25 years. It feels better today than ever before. I have no problems with my neck and have very good and comfortable flexion there. You have this case study and I’m sure there are others but when compared with the long tradition of headstanding and the millions that have done it and praised it- a few case studies should give you pause to think about it, and in my case, a desire to do it as perfectly as possible. There’s a Franklin award ( for Science writing ) winning book,Anatomy of Hatha Yoga, by H.David Coulter, who has a Phd in Anatomy and teaches doctors( and has many years of yoga since 1979 having studied at the Himalayan Institute ) and on page 454 he says, it’s perfectly safe for anyone adequately prepared and goes on to advocate the weight on the head as opposed to the arms. I agree that one should have the utmost of respect for this posture, but as it is the ’ King of asanas ', we shouldn’t advise people against it. Namaste

#30

That case study gave very little information on the individual person, other than saying he had no history of previous neck trauma, that doesn’t address concerns about how he actually did his headstands, his history other than with doctors…meaning he could’ve been an ex-football player etc wherein he gradually diminished his neck’s normal capacity. I am not discrediting the case study completely, just that as it is, the case study doesn’t discredit the headstand for me.

#31

This single case study does not discredit headstand for me either. And I agree that the information presented is somewhat limited. I found this article recently and posted it as a matter of general interest. However, as you mention, the “king of the asana” should be approached with care. That goes for the “queen” (shoulderstand), and poses like plough and lotus as well. I try to be mindful of the contraindications and prepare properly for poses that take the bodymind beyond its normal range of motion.

#32

Thanks Siva. Yes with each headstand I’ve only done it under one on one supervision of an experienced yoga instructor.

#33

It sounds unmanly but I tend towards compromise a lot- I guess it comes from my coming from a large family and my 20 years as a bartender ( blending recipes is compromising one ingredient with another ). It can also be synthesis of the best of all that you know. I am thinking that I’ll start alternating headstand and shoulderstand every other day. One day headstand , the next shoulderstand. That’ll save me some time too. And my bias is towards headstand and sometimes I neglect shoulderstand-this should help even things out. Namaste

#34

And speaking of the Lotus- I decided one day to do my breathing exercises while still in lotus after my usual variations etc. and this ran into a lot of time in the lotus- now 2 weeks later my ankle is still strained and weakened. I need more compromise. Namaste

#35

tonytamer ,
Be interested to hear what others say,but if you take headstand in your practice,it is normal to take shoulder stand as a counter balance to headstand ,so would normally be beneficial to do both in your practice.the headstand brings energy up , the shoulderstand
calms the system but retains the energy without it going to head and causing overload,ie becoming hyper etc.
The king needs a Queen,the father needs a mother,the ying needs the yang,shiva needs the shakti.If you do practice like this be interested to hear your experiences energetically,emotionally.

om shanti

#36

It would be interesting to hear if there’s a palpable difference in the timing. A King needs a Queen but are they joined at the hip-so to speak-like amino acids combining to make a complete protein, they may not need to be ingested at the same meal, but that too is just the latest thing I’ve heard. Namaste

#37

The idea of doing headstand well is to be able to sustain the pose for quite a long time - even half an hour. You feel light and weightless.