Learn how to do muscle tone and endurance strength exercises. In yoga, the headstand is called shirshasana. The headstand and execution technique assumes that you will have support on your hands while standing on your head. It will be extremely difficult for you to maintain your balance at first, but over time you will master this position. For some, this is a completely unnatural position, but it should be noted that the headstand (the technique of which is observed) can be beneficial to health.
How can a headstand benefit the body?
It is with the positive aspects of the headstand (the technique of execution will be discussed by us a little later) that it is necessary to start a conversation.
- The entire body is rejuvenated. As soon as you accept this position, you immediately enter into an argument with the laws of gravity. As a result, the direction of movement of energy throughout the body changes. Many experts and simply admirers of yoga are sure that this helps to rejuvenate the body, helps get rid of wrinkles, and improves the quality of the skin. However, there is also a scientific basis for this positive effect of shirshasan. The moment you find yourself head down, blood rushes to it, which increases the quality of nutrition for all tissues and cellular structures can receive a large amount of oxygen. This fact will definitely have a positive effect on your general condition. In addition, the work of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland is stimulated, which contributes to the normalization of the endocrine system.
- Hair becomes beautiful and healthy. As we said, doing a headstand stimulates blood flow, which has a positive effect on the nutrition of the hairline. This leads to faster hair growth and stronger roots. As the hair follicles receive more nutrition, they grow faster and you reduce the risk of gray strands.
- The mood improves. The work of all systems is improving, including the adrenal glands. This organ synthesizes substances that are responsible for a person's mood. Under their influence, the body activates self-cleaning processes from all kinds of toxins. We can advise you to do shirshasana instead of drinking alcohol during depression.
- The work of the heart muscle and the vascular system is normalized. Due to the change in the direction of movement of energy flows, the power of the blood flow decreases, which leads to a decrease in the load on the heart muscle. In such a situation, the heart rests for some time, and, consequently, the risks of developing various diseases of this organ are reduced.
- A remedy for the prevention of varicose veins. This positive effect is directly related to a decrease in the strength of blood flow. As a result of this phenomenon, the pressure on the walls of the veins drops, and they do not stretch. This is what leads to a decrease in the risks of developing varicose veins.
- The work of the digestive system improves. When you do a headstand (the technique of execution must be strictly observed), the work of intestinal peristalsis is stimulated. In addition, due to the influx of large amounts of blood, the processing of food is accelerated. All this leads to the elimination of problems in the digestive system.
- A muscular corset is formed. Good posture will not only make you more attractive, but it is also very beneficial for your health. As soon as you do the headstand, the muscular corset is strengthened. This is one of the factors required to keep the spine in the correct position.
Contraindications for performing a headstand
Agree that the headstand has a lot of positive effects, but there are also some contraindications. When you exercise, it is very important to do it right so as not to harm your body. The same is true for the headstand.
If you have internal bleeding, then the headstand (the technique of execution in this case does not matter) is contraindicated. By the way, this also applies to menstruation in women. Also, do not perform this exercise with hypertension, the presence of craniocerebral injuries, retinal detachment and deformity of the spinal column.
In this case, you must correctly assess the level of your physical fitness. Quite often, a person who is poorly developed in terms of physical strength can get injured while performing shirshasana. To avoid this, when performing the headstand, the technique of the exercise must be correct and you should not rush. You need to master this exercise gradually.
Yoga experts do not recommend starting to master this movement for people who have been practicing for less than a year and a half. First, you should prepare your body and body, and only after that you can start mastering the exercise, which is quite difficult.
Headstand Exercise - Technique
We have already said that you must first assess your capabilities from a physical point of view. The headstand is a very difficult exercise that requires well-developed muscles in the neck, shoulder girdle, and arms. When mastering the technique of performing the headstand, it is necessary to distinguish between experienced and novice people. At first, it is enough to hold the position for twenty seconds and gradually increase this time. Moreover, it is very important to warm up well so as not to get injured, which can be very serious. Now let's talk about the technique of performing the headstand step by step.
Stand holding time
Never try to hold the stance for as long as possible. You must define for yourself the length of time during which you can easily hold the position. You should also learn how to properly exit the rack. Staying in the end position for a long time can cause injury.
Preparing for the exercise
First, while lying down (shavasana position), you need to learn to raise your head 1 centimeter from the floor until you feel discomfort. This movement should be repeated several times, observing all the principles of yoga. This will allow you to strengthen your neck muscles and prepare them for the headstand. As a result, you need to learn to hold the extreme position for two or three minutes. Until this result is achieved, further development of the headstand can be dangerous.
Head position in stance
Recall that you can proceed to this step of mastering the exercise only after the necessary result has been achieved in the previous one. If you look at those head position guidelines when doing a stance, they will be very different.
You can learn to stand on the crown or on the crown. However, there is a fairly simple way to determine the required place on which the head should rest. To do this, you will need any book and shavasana position that you need to take. After that, you need to attach the book to your head at an angle of 90 degrees. The point of contact between the book and the head is the desired place.
The rules for mastering inverted exercises (asanas) in yoga
Don't start learning the headstand technique right away. To begin with, it is worth studying the simpler inverted asanas, say, "Downward-facing dog". If you have problems with blood pressure, then inverted asanas must be performed carefully or even completely abandoned. Note that many of the inverted positions are nearly the same in terms of the health benefits of the headstand.
If you have learned to hold your head for two to three minutes in the prone position, then you can proceed to mastering the main exercise. Sit on your knee joints and fold your hands in a palm-to-palm position. After that, you need to take a position that resembles an upside-down dog.
Rest on the ground with the place that you determined with the book (you can first lean on your hands) and begin to straighten your legs. This position is very effective in strengthening the neck muscles, and you can first hold it without lifting your legs.
How to get off the headstand correctly?
This is a very important element in performing this asana, since if a mistake was made, there is a high risk of injury. Often, in order to get out of the headstand, people try to "drop" their legs to the ground with a sharp movement. This should not be done. Note that it is necessary to enter the position (raise your legs) at a slow pace, avoiding jerks.
Likewise, you should in and out of the headstand. Your feet should smoothly drop to the ground. If you are unable to do this, then most likely you do not yet have sufficient muscle strength. In such a situation, it can be recommended to work on the muscles of the back and arms, and then continue mastering the technique of performing the headstand.
Possible mistakes when performing a headstand
As with any exercise, people tend to make mistakes when mastering it. First of all, you need to monitor your sensations in the neck area, as it is very easy to injure it. It is necessary to rely on the head, but not on the fontanel. This is extremely important and must be closely monitored.
If you spread your elbow joints wide or your legs are too narrow / wide, then balance will be extremely difficult to maintain. Since the muscle corset will have a serious load during the exercise, your muscles should be tense. We also recommend that you master and perform this movement only in the presence of an assistant.
How to correctly perform a headstand and what mistakes are most often made in this exercise, see here:
