The yoga is considered to be the best exercise for body and mind. Many of the yoga poses help our body battle daily stress and its ill effects. Of all the important poses (the asanas) the king of the Asanas is the Sheersasana (the Head stand posture). The pose is difficult to attain at first but once a person masters it, he/she can benefit a great deal from practising it daily. A beginner must aim to hold the pose for a minimum of ten seconds and practise daily to extend the duration each day by 5/10 seconds. Ideally, this pose must be retained for three minutes.
The Head stand pose: This is done right when a person holds his/her arms in the right position. The arms form the strong foundation which bears the weight of the body. The head is brought into the inverted position to help ease the blood circulation to it. The hands must be clasped loosely, it forms the strong base when the body weight shifts on to it. The hands must seem to hold an imaginary cup or a billard ball and the arms must form a perfect V shape on the ground and be aligned with the shoulder. If a person is scared of falling back, he or she must do it near the wall. you can see the below are the Benefits of HeadStand Yoga Posture.
Benefits of HeadStand Yoga Posture
- The head stand helps improve blood circulation to the head and face. This rush of blood helps prevent premature greying of hair, relieves stress in a person, and helps overcome migraine headaches which occur due to compression of a blood vessel in the brain.
- This posture helps clean the adrenal glands, nourishes the nervous system, regulates thyroid, and helps overcome nervous and glandular disorders.
- Fluid retention in the feet/legs is drained by the daily practice of this pose. It also helps cleanse intestines and blood congestion.
- It strengthens the shoulder and arms.
Additionally, this pose has offered many benefits as it aids in easing the working of the heart. The heart is known to pump blood harder in order defy the pull of gravity to supply blood to the brain. This pose helps the heart function easily as the blood need not defy gravity to reach the brain.
How to Attain the Perfect Headstand Posture
To a beginner, this pose may seem to be risky and advanced, but in reality, it is not so. It is a simple posture, which is held in place by correct positioning of arms around the head. It is good to remind oneself to draw the shoulders away from the ears and pull the outer arms inside every time he/she begins to prepare for the headstand pose. It gives enough balance to overcome the backbend fall.
In order to get over the fear of backbend slip, one may practice certain poses which help him/her prepare for the final headstand posture in gradual steps. Listed below are few methods and poses, to begin with, before practising the actual headstand posture.
Find the Head Crow Pose :
The head will have a flat surface which can balance any flat object on it easily. Once a person finds the crown of his/her head, he/she must rest that part of the head to the ground to proceed for the headstand pose. Finding the crow helps ease the stress on the spine and hence, make a person get over the fear of backbend.
The Child Pose:
The child pose helps one release the pent up stress and relax the person. Sitting on heels, a person must take a deep breath and bend down to the ground so that the forehead touches the floor. Deep exhalation is recommended while the forehead makes the contact with the floor. This form of breathing technique helps ease tension and relax one’s body and mind.
The Bound Headstand Pose –
This pose is a preparatory pose for the actual head stand pose. The arms must be close enough to interlace the fingers leaving out the pinky finger to curl within the palm safely. The palms must have enough space to hold a billiard ball. Resist the temptation to clasp the hands or hold the head. This causes one to fall over. The knees must rest on the ground and the arms and the head crown must be held into the head stand position. Next step is to tuck the chin into the chest, curl the toes and straighten the knees. Take at least 8 deep breaths when in this pose.
The Dolphin Pose:
This pose is similar to the bound headstand pose, except for the position of the head. This pose can be practised before the bound headstand pose, to give strength to the arms. In this posture, the weight of the body is balanced on the curled up toes and the arms, which are positioned as in a plank exercise. To get into this pose, one must sit on the heels, place the elbows on the mat, bring them in the same level as the shoulder, curl the toes, and straighten the knees. One can inhale deeply before going into this pose and exhale slowly when in this posture. Repeat it until one is able to do it perfectly for 4 to 10 times. This posture gives strength to the arms and spine.
Bound head stand with a knee tuck/leg bound on the wall: This pose begins with the dolphin pose and proceeds into the bound headstand pose. The next step is to, tuck one knee into the chest and hold it for five deep breaths. One can switch the knee and practice it.
Alternately, one can use the wall for support and put the legs onto it in a straight line. The thighs must be parallel to the ground, while the hands are in the headstand pose. After mastering this pose, one can proceed to the complete headstand pose, by lifting each leg up in the air, slowly one after the other. A beginner need not stress to hold this pose for a longer duration. As soon as it gets uncomfortable, he/she can recline to a relaxing posture.