I have been standing on my head and enjoying it with no apparent adverse effects for 40 years ; I also have apparent good health, so it is with a natural disinclination I post this article I just read about 8 myths of benefits from headstands by John Burras. ( I am 60 and have been bothered by fuzzy headedness for about 2 months sometimes amounting to a headache. I am going for a ct scan today. I may have a brain tumor, enlarged pituitary or migraines. There is history for all that in my family, including alzheimer’s and lou gehrig’s disease.The doctor has not given his opinions yet. this is my 1st examination for this. I see some holes in this guy’s arguments but also some sounds solid. Tell me what you think.http://www.jonburras.com/pdfs/EIGHT-MYTHS-OF-INVERSIONS.pdf
Very interesting and well-argued points by Mr Burras. He does not seem to be arguing against inversions, just presenting a more rational analysis of their function.
Traditional yoga texts often contain hyperbole and exaggeration, it is true; that is a stylistic feature of the tradition. They also contain much practical wisdom that has been tried and tested over a long period and verified by the testimony of many individuals.
Yoga practitioners seem to enjoy relatively good health; maybe a little better than the average; but they still move on from this body at about the same age as non-practitioners, from one cause or another.
Thanks, yes, I took a look at his website… he has written a lot of articles that seem to be very interesting.
one of the holes I saw was the lack of effect on the cardiovascular system and/or it being unnecessary for health in the anecdotal section about Jim Fixx etc. Because aerobics isn’t all good, and I don’t believe it is, doesn’t mean that it isn’t effective on some level and that cardiovascular effect isn’t a good one. In my experience I do get cardivascular health and fitness from yoga- esp headstands I believe- Burras didn’t address one of the major benefits of a headstand i.e. to breathe deeper. I have climbed mountains in a timed event and came in 3rd at age 58 with no real aerobic program in many years. His arguments for blood bathing the head are beyond me and I can’t criticize them- though I’d like to
Yes, I can attest that a regular vigorous hatha yoga practice has boosted my cardiovascular performance, which has improved my ability to do mountaineering, etc. However, I could probably achieve the same end by just doing more mountaineering; but, as I don’t get the chance to go to the mountains so often, yoga is my choice of exercise to do in preparation and I am happy with that choice. It also seems to produce many other mental and physical health benefits that I appreciate and which seem to suit my character and lifestyle.
Perhaps what he is getting at is that cardio fitness is relative to one’s lifestyle. If one raises one’s cardio fitness to a level which is more than what is needed for one’s regular lifestyle activities then this could begin to have some negative consequences.
In general, I find that regularly practising inversions reduces the occurrence of dizzy spells, etc, which I used to get more frequently when standing or bending. It is as if one is training the body to get habituated to these positions and deal with them without being shocked by the sudden change.
another hole I believe is the effects of gravity- he says we’d all be walking around with swollen ankles etc. Gravity’s effect on bodies take place over decades, the inner organs and then later the bones- we do reach old age as a group with noticeable gravitational effects written through our bodies
Yes, his discussion of gravity and blood flow is a bit technical. It really needs some more scientific analysis to measure flow rates and pressure changes. But his questions and arguments are intelligent and well put and are worthy of further investigation.
On the whole, hatha yoga seems like an excellent system of gentle and thorough physical and mental exercise that, if practised sensibly and in moderation, is likely to bring far more benefit than harm.
On a personal note - according to the ct scan I had today , my brain is normal- which will come as a surprise to all that know me- I still don’t know whence this 2 month fuzzy-headedness…must be the weather.
I own a Teeters Inversion Table and hang up side almost every day for about 10 minutes. All I can say is it feels great, my joints, hips, knees and feel my spine expanding. I don’t do any head stands yet because I don’t feel safe yet. However, IMHO, I think hanging upside is better and safer than yoga style head stands. My $0.02.
I hope your brain scans are negative!
While doing headstand or shoulder stand, I feel the need to be aware of my whole body, because even the slightest change of the muscle tension (especially during the head stand) may make me lose the balance. It is like this with most asanas, but with the above two this need is very prominent.
From trial and error my brain fog is food allergy related; eliminating dairy, wheat, gluten, corn, soy, peanuts and most processed foods was enough to eliminate it.
I am in the process of trying to figure my triggers- I am sure of cheap tequila and pretty sure of coffee so far ( I think alcohol in general will be )
Caffeine, alcohol and seasonal allergies use to exasperate the problem but after eliminating the common food allergens I?m able to drink green tea (loose leaf caffeinated) and red wine (merlot) no problems.
Tony,
Hoping all goes well with your scan and that it is nothing serious.
Regarding headstand, even though I can do it, I don’t practice it or teach it. So few can perfect the alignment needed. The article is quite interesting. It brings up some very good points, but doesn’t go far enough substantiating those claims. The “resources” at the end of the article leaves much to be desired.
according to the scan my brain is normal - at this point I am believing it’s diet or environmental- hopefully , it’ll feel normal after a while of better diet and with other inversions. I feel like my headstands were good ones- they were relaxed stable and enjoyable. If it was the headstand causing this I’d fault the daily doing of them for 40 years- I’m hoping I can go back to them in time. Thanks.
I found out that someone in my work environment is spraying a very toxic spray to overkill germs- and I’ve had a similar but worse reaction to a more direct exposure to the same stuff. I am happily back to headstands- think I’ll continue abstinence of coffee and cheap tequila though
People are awesome and able to do anything. I like Mr. Burras’ article. I think it’s the sadist in me, but I like when other people’s bubbles are burst.
Mark Whitwell taught me the counter pose to headstand is shoulder-stand which i do everyday in my practice proper sequencing is vital in a yoga practice imho
i hope you feel better
blessings
yes, I do the shoulderstand, not consistently, but knowing that it is complementary to the headstand; as the Uttana Padasana or fish, is to the shoulderstand. I think I am a bit better- I guess getting poison out of your system takes a while- today is the 5th day since they got rid od the steriphene II- which they sprayed as an air freshener- in direct contradiction to the directions on the back of the can.