Sensation of pressure in the head in Supta Padanghustasana

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I begun to practice Supta Padanghustasana.

(So far my practice did consist of a brief warmup, Tadasana, Virabhadrasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Baddha Konasana, Bharadvajasana, and Savasana. These were chosen by me in order to counter the fact that I sit on a chair a lot, and I have sciatic aches … not radiating into the legs, but as a sensation of disconfort at the lower vertebrae level. It’s all working well, and my posture improved a lot.)

Reason I want to do this asana is to open my hamstrings, they are very tight indeed, and this way it is impossible to practice forward bends without hurting my back. So I am on it, now, mostly after I read InnerAthlete’s feedback to someone here.

My problem is that when I am doing this pose, with a strap around my upper feet, after a few seconds, I feel a tension, or pressure accumuating in my forehead. It is not a pain, but only a slight discomfort. My legs are long and the hamstrings really tight, so my upward leg is barely perpendicular to the foor, also I don’t feel a clear stretch in the hamstring but also in my lower leg, the backside of the knee and Achilles’ tendon. My forearms tire very fast holding the strap, so it is not just stretching but also a strenght training on my part.
What would be the recommended time for holding this pose ? I am trying to hold it for 15-20 seconds each time, three times, with a few minutes resting between them.

#2

You are taking one leg up at a time, correct?
And you are looping the strap around the arch of the raised leg, correct?
And holding the strap in the hand/arm on the same side as the raised leg?
You are keeping the other leg on the mat and straight?
And you are keeping the arm that is holding the strap straight?

If you are feeling tension in your forehead it is possible you are gripping with the neck, the face, and the jaw. The pose is not done, physiologically, above the collarbones.

It is also possible, in your zeal to open the hamstrings more you are going too far, not giving yourself enough slack inthe strap and thus pulling the the shoulder off the floor.

As far as the strap is concerned, try this:
Catcht eh strap with your hand and make a fist around it. Then, catch the tail of the strap and wrap it around your wrist, opening the fingers briefly to catch the tail in them, then close them up. In this way you are getting a loop around the wrist and it aides in the holding so the fingers don’t do all the work. (there are a variety of ways to do this so find one that works for you AND can be easily released).

Keep the raised leg straight and the quadricep contracted.
Do three breaths on each side, three times until you are able to hold for nine breaths each side, once.

#3

I completely concur with Inner Athlete. If your lower back bugs you, I would add, bend the leg that is on the floor and put that foot flat on the floor. It is not as intense a stretch with the on-the-floor-leg bent, either. It is really not optimal to strain or force things. Things I check for in this pose: are my shoulders on the floor? Is my head on the floor? Is my neck disengaged from the process, relaxed? Is my face relaxed?Is my entire spine extended along the mat? This “gets” the muscles along the back of the leg, in the low-lower back, and calf (if your strapped foot is flexed). Try seeing, also, if blending using the weight in your arms hanging from the (wrapped around your wrist) strap, your breath, and some strength, gentles the leg into a stretch instead of engaging as much “brute” strength.

#4

[quote=InnerAthlete;5203]You are taking one leg up at a time, correct?
[/quote] Yes.

And you are looping the strap around the arch of the raised leg, correct?
Yes.

And holding the strap in the hand/arm on the same side as the raised leg?
I was holding the strap with both ends with both my hands.

You are keeping the other leg on the mat and straight?
Yes.

And you are keeping the arm that is holding the strap straight?
No, slightly bent.

It is also possible, in your zeal to open the hamstrings more you are going too far, not giving yourself enough slack inthe strap and thus pulling the the shoulder off the floor.
Yes it happens but I push them back, when I notice this.

As far as the strap is concerned, try this:
Catcht eh strap with your hand and make a fist around it. Then, catch the tail of the strap and wrap it around your wrist, opening the fingers briefly to catch the tail in them, then close them up. In this way you are getting a loop around the wrist and it aides in the holding so the fingers don’t do all the work. (there are a variety of ways to do this so find one that works for you AND can be easily released).
I was not knowing this and because it is very hard to keep the strap with just one hand without this tehnique, I did it with both my hands. But I’ll try this, now, thank you !

Keep the raised leg straight and the quadricep contracted.
Do three breaths on each side, three times until you are able to hold for nine breaths each side, once.

This reminded me that I was probably unconsciously holding my breath because of the effort … that’s why I felt the pressure in the head. I’ll try to relax, and breath normally.

#5

What is the level of stretch one should feel in any asana ? I have a feeling that I am a bit masochistic, or impatient … I have to feel a good stretch otherwise I feel I’m wasting time. Is it OK if the stretch hurts a bit ?

#6

In my experience, yoga is a separate experience from stretching, although on the outside looking in, it is not obvious to the observer.
In Western culture, we tend to expect things quickly or instantly. Microwave ovens, cell phones, BlackBerries, e-mails, airplane travel . . .
and Western medicine often refers to the process of helping to heal the body in terms of a battle or a war. A struggle that needs to be dominated and won.
Yoga comes from an Eastern tradition that values patience and perserverence and a sense of unity and cooperation between mind and body. When we apply Western mentality to Yoga, we often get mixed results and can easily miss the gist of what yoga is about.
Two particular subtle changes can create the difference that makes yoga much more pleasurable and effective.
One, breathe with your poses. The breath “works” the pose deeper as Two, you release, let go, allow the muscles to un-bunch themselves.
The imagination is a powerful tool in yoga, creating a healing, beneficial mind-body connection. As you breathe in, imagine the breath flowing into the part of your body you are focusing on. Think of the in breath “softening up” the muscles in that area. As you breathe out, let the muscle tightness “flow out” of that area. Think of simply allowing that to happen rather than pushing, pulling or straining for changes. In this scenario, the breath is “doing the work” of loosening tight areas. The mind takes a breather (no pun intended, but hey, it’s not too bad as puns go!)
Another effective way to approach this is to think of the leg lengthening a little bit with the in-breath, and coming a liiiiitle closer forward with the out-breath. These changes can be so tiny that the eye cannot perceive them, but it is important to have faith that the changes are indeed happening, and will accumulate over time.

#7

Oh, and as far as hurting is concerned . . . that is different for different people, but I like to use the courage and compassion continuum with each pose. It’s like each pose has an “edge” to it, a place where I cry “uncle.” I like to use courage to approach these edges (how much courage I have varies depending on the kind of day I am having !) and then I use compassion to back away from the edge of the pose. In a way I am reassuring my subtle body that I respect its pain signals, and in that way on deeper level, my body can relax a bit more. And then, at that edgey-edge, I push the envelope using my breath. In and out, I sigh out stress, leftover emotion, like an internal massage I soften the edge. Feels nice.

#8

Thank you for sharing your own experience, it really helps a lot. I realized that I need to create time in my life so I can relax during asana practice because what I do is just a self imposed streching routine. I also have problems with breathing … I am far from being able to breath freely while doing asana, most of the time I am tensed and if I try to take a deep breath, I lose my focus on the pose. Tadasana is with my hands upwards (Talasana ?) is good example, if I focus to strech the abdomen, lift the ribcage, extend the spine, while having the pelvis in good postion, not tilted forward, knees extended, than I automatically stop breathing (retention of breath) and I only exhale when I relax. That’s why I can’t really hold the pose for more than 10 seconds. If I breath I have to sacrifice perfection of the pose. So I have to decide now, to breath or not to breath … :D.
I think the answer is obvious now, but it was not so until your posts. So thank you from the heart, both you and IA.

#9

The strap can be held with both hands. This is “okay”. No problem. However, the holding arm may not be bent. When the holding arm is bent the bicep is engage thus releasing the tricep. In this instance the head of the humerus can not be engaged with the shoulder joint compendium. In addition it makes the pose aggressive and angry.

The barometer for the effort or “doing” is the nature of the breath. When the breath becomes choppy or jagged the volume of the pose is too high (typically but not universally). So keep the breath smooth then work to find the point in effort where you do not lose the breath nature but do fell in the hamstrings. Remember that this IS an awareness practice and if you are not feeling something it does NOT mean something isn’t there to be felt. It merely means you are not the crafty feel hunter you thought you were. Look more dilligently.

And I believe the pose you are referencing a tadasana with the arms up is Urdhva Hastasana.

#10

Remember that this IS an awareness practice and if you are not feeling something it does NOT mean something isn’t there to be felt. It merely means you are not the crafty feel hunter you thought you were. Look more dilligently.

[B]Crafty feel hunter??![/B] That phrase just makes me irrationally happy, it tickles my mind[B] :cool: [/B]

#11

[quote=InnerAthlete;5228]
And I believe the pose you are referencing a tadasana with the arms up is Urdhva Hastasana.[/quote]

Yes it is … way back, at my yoga class they taught me that as Talasana, and when I looked it up on the net I did not find such name, that’s why I said it with a question mark. I don’t know where did they get that, probably a mistake, anyway it’s not important.

Thanks again. :slight_smile: