hai,
i did headstand dis morning and suddenly feel sharp pain at my upper back when i try to balance. from then i feel pain at my upper back and back of my neck. i feel more pain when i try to move my head around. is there any solution for dis. any massaging oil to overcome dis? thank u
seivan,
STOP doing headstand! Please take caution and pursue a thorough understanding of the posture. You’re most likely stacking all your weight into your head and neck, WHICH IS NOT A HEADSTAND!!!
As many know, I have posted adnauseum about this and the pitfalls of doing headstand incorrectly. Here is a previous thread I hope will further inform you, as well as an outline for building up the necessary strength and control to do headstand properly, safely. Also, I’m including a couple of x-ray and mri images from a headstand gone bad, to emphasize just how important this issue is.
Don’t rush the headstand. Get help from a qualified, accomplished teacher. If they take you to the wall, RUN AWAY!
Best of luck,
siva
If they take you to the wall, RUN AWAY!
Even [B]I[/B] find this to be extreme, not to mention inciting panic.
The rest of the post I agree with. However do you have some expectation that such a post will not frighten the OP? Wouldn’t a gentler approach speak volumes for the practice?
Do you have a teacher who can explain headstand properly and help you do it safely?
Doing headstand near a wall is not necessarily safe…in fact it can lead to problems when students just rely on the wall and just "throw"themselves up and lean on the wall without using any control.
If your neck and back are still hurting then you should go to a Physiotherapist or Sports injury therapist or maybe acupuncture.
And please do not do headstand without an experienced teacher.
Headstand should not hurt!
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;65486]Wouldn’t a gentler approach speak volumes for the practice?[/QUOTE]
Ask the people in the mri and x-ray. They speak volumes of a “gentler” approach.
siva
That seems like a deflection from the question I’ve asked - and that is entirely your right.
An answer for one person (the subject of your MRI) and an answer in perpetuity on a web site for a beginner may be radically different. Furthermore I have no idea as to the length and nature of the practice in the body of the person whose MRI you’ve posted. Do you? Ergo for me to draw conclusion from it would be irresponsible.
The question is “should a teacher of yoga speak in such a way as to frighten students of yoga?”. And " Is there an onus of responsibility on a teacher of yoga to find a middle way of communicating - a way in which students can be both at ease and forewarned?"
A student properly taught at the wall and properly taught to come away from it should sustain no cervical damage whatsoever. While this may not be a fact in the world it is most certainly a fact in my body.
Hi Gordon and siva
A yoga teacher should NEVER speak in a way to frighten students!!!
The majority of adults I have taught have felt some fear about going upsidedown…the LAST thing I want to do is make that worse!!!
Headstand should be taught very carefully by an experienced yoga teacher so that students/clients can feel that headstand is something that they can do without frear and without any danger of getting injured.
If I have a client/student who does not want to do headstand out of fear I will not push them…but will ask them to think about why they have fear…and give them alternative asanas to do to build towards headstand…asanas to increase the strength and balance needed etc…
Hi siva your thumnail is very well explained about this matter.
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;65523]The question is “should a teacher of yoga speak in such a way as to frighten students of yoga?” [/QUOTE]
IA,
You mean frighten other TEACHERS of yoga like yourself? Don’t you? I am not surprised, and you should be.
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;65523]And " Is there an onus of responsibility on a teacher of yoga to find a middle way of communicating - a way in which students can be both at ease and forewarned?"[/QUOTE]
You mean I should ask them twenty questions and lead them around like a pony first? LOL. So I sound like an authority? Right?
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;65523]A student properly taught at the wall and properly taught to come away from it should sustain no cervical damage whatsoever. While this may not be a fact in the world it is most certainly a fact in my body.[/QUOTE]
“SHOULD sustain no damage???”
“SHOULD sustain no damage???”
That’s not good enough when the consequences can be serious, even permanent. There’s a difference between fear and education Gordon: it’s called “knowledge.”
siva
Siva’s approach to headstand should be considered in all flamboyant poses in yoga class or home practice.
Always ask yourself, What is the goal? What is the intention?
You may find that your goal is not aligned with your intent.
If you want to accomplish headstand for the benefits of the inversion. Consider many of the other inversions that are equal in the context health . wide legged forward bend, savasana with legs up the wall, shoulderstand, forearm balance…
As students, we must always question our intent when nearing our edge of comfort and safety in asanas.
I’m perfectly capable of headstand and handstand without utilizing the wall or a spotter, yet I never endorse the asanas to other students. I also “sit out” any side-plank pose as the risk of injury to the roator cuff is too in my opinion.
I hurt my neck from doing headstand. I seldom do yoga (2 times a month) and was requested by instructor to do headstand in one of the class in fitness club. Immediately after doing it, i felt sharp pain on my neck.
I have yet seen any doctor or do any scan. I am currently very worried about the consequences from this and how serious it could be as it affect the rest of my life. I cant sleep well and i feel the pain especially turning head.
For those who yet tried headstand, should be smarter to learn all the important ways and have experienced /qualified teacher guiding you before ever doing it to protect your own body.
This is my advice.
if you have idea about how to recover from the injury, pls share me the info.
Cannot help but notice that siva has still not answered Gordons very reasonable questions…and is being a little unpleasant and confrontational with Gordon…not very friendly or yogic…
No I mean frighten students with projections and dogma. I don’t particularly care what one says to teachers as they are “trained” and “expert” (in theory). And I’m not frightened by you nor your words. Quite used to them I am.
No I do not mean ask them questions or led them like ponies. I can’t magine where you’ve conjured that from. I simply asked a relevant, introspective question that teachers of yoga commit to asking themselves every day. I’m asking if a teacher on the path of yoga should monitor the effect of their words on the consciousness of their students, period.
As for “should” most would agree it’s a very strong term. The only yoga teacher who can state that no student will every risk harm in class is one who offer a practice with no effect. Sirsasana properly taught is not only safe for the student but also necessary in the practice - presuming it is not contraindicated by their current state of being.
Agreed.
Injury can occur in seemingly simple poses.
Injury is possible even in passive poses. A great example is supine badacanasana. The reason for placing blocks under the knees in this pose is to prevent injury.
For the record ( and because I can’t find the old thread that argues against headstands esp. those with the weight primarily on the head ) I am still standing daily on my head with the weight on it not the elbows etc. for 5 minutes at a time since my 20’s and I am 61; I still have great mobility in the neck and no pain. I am at least one who doesn’t understand those nay-sayers against headstands. Iyengar also says weight on the head- Namaste
of course- safety is paramount- if it’s a safer route go from elbows to head or even stay on elbows but only as a safety measure- the headstand was probably meant to be primarily on the head
Hai everybody…how things going…
sorry i’ve not log into this yoga forum for years…anyway im so thankful for all of your replies to my post…whatever the replies and arguments i believe it brings towards the best solution for all…i still remember after few days i stop doing head stand…my pain gone away…and then start doing again and i feel better…and now im doing headstand almost everyday…i believe its all in the mind control…if we keep thinking of the pain…then we will feel the pain even if its not there…but if we forgot of it and focus on something else…then the pain will subside and goes away…also a relaxed and normal breathing during every yoga pose can avoid injuries…Thank You
[QUOTE=selvan;65430]hai,
i did headstand dis morning and suddenly feel sharp pain at my upper back when i try to balance. from then i feel pain at my upper back and back of my neck. i feel more pain when i try to move my head around. is there any solution for dis. any massaging oil to overcome dis? thank u[/QUOTE]
Stop doing headstand. I think it might be quite dangerous.Sometimes,when your bones suffer from the loss of calcium, it might be quite easy to get fractura.Actually, I usually avoid this.:-o
I have stopped doing headstands everyday and may only do a short one once a week since hearing that I am close to glaucoma- eyesight is great now and the glaucoma parameters haven’t changed in a year of doing daily headstands but I am playing it safe. Paradoxically, my neck seems a tad, not much, but a tad stiffer since I quit daily headstand- still pretty good.