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img
United Kingdom
45 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 16 2012 : 10:39:26 AM
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I had a strange conversation today.
A gentleman in my gym said that he can't do sirsasana because he is too heavy. He is around 6ft and probably weighs 220-230lbs.
OK, so he's not a skeleton, but this doesn't really seem to be heavy enough to be relevant. I decided to ask at this forum first before saying anything to him.
What do you think? How heavy is 'too heavy' for sirsasana? |
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Victor
USA
910 Posts |
Posted - Feb 16 2012 : 3:02:40 PM
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| That doesn't sound too heavy to me, just needs to learn how to go up and down with control. its a slow process to develop the required strength and balance, I did notice that some people who have alot of fat have difficulty breathing in shouldertand which is the counterpose to headstand. This could be more of the actual issue since I was taught that headstand should not be practiced unless followed by shoulderstand |
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HathaTeacher
Sweden
382 Posts |
Posted - Feb 16 2012 : 3:38:15 PM
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With beginners, core, spine and neck strength are critical. They might understand theoretically that 80-90% of the weight are on the elbows, but they stand on the neck anyway, with elbows too wide apart. Elbow stand is less risky to the neck, but there's a higher risk of rolling over.
INversions are easier for the male body, because our lower body is lighter than a woman's. |
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img
United Kingdom
45 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2012 : 05:20:59 AM
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Thank you very much, Victor and HathaTeacher.
I have now told the gentleman at the gym that he isn't too heavy and that, with practice, the headstand is attainable by someone of his weight/height. His question was, is there a video or a YouTube clip that explains and guides towards sirsasana.
Personally, I followed Iyengar's advice and can't say it was smooth sailing. The problem was that, at some point, while following just Iyengar, I was completely stuck with no progress whatsoever. After this, deciding to back down for a while and practising just pranayama, one day I decided to resume the headstand work, and, without any other preparation and with much surprise, found that I could lift the legs, just like that. I don't undertsand how this could have worked, hence I'm not in a position to advise anyone.
However, the experts on the forum are likely to know of more effective and sure ways to proceed. If so, please could you share your knowledge?
Thank you. |
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HathaTeacher
Sweden
382 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2012 : 11:29:07 AM
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good: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XY6QrTxqok
preps: www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6ADUzKziho
(progressing one self-paced step a week or a month is more yogic, and less risky)
quite good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1scxNSP6EpM
(the block suggestion helps you stay stacked, but it's actually easier for most beginners to keep the knees bent fully; also, the measured-up distance between the elbows is an upper bound, IMO, because having them an inch too wide apart is both more shaky/risky and a more common mistake than an inch too close).
The first one is inspired by/prepares for Sivananda, and the last one Astanga. It's best to practice mostly the one that makes your neck, core and pelvis stacked vertically, including most of the entry. The fewer (or smaller) body parts deviate from vertical, the easier the balance.
Either way, the Iyengar & Astanga "mantra"  applies, saying you should become able to allow the teacher to slip a sheet of paper between the crown and the mat while in Sirsasana, so the upper arms and shoulders do 90% of the work.
I agree that quite often, taking a "vacation" from an asana for a while helps. Pushing it toward milestones and goals overloads the mind, at the expense of awareness and breath.
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Edited by - HathaTeacher on Feb 24 2012 11:32:58 AM |
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img
United Kingdom
45 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2012 : 3:33:33 PM
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Thank you, HathaTeacher, all noted and passed on.
Apparently there are some teachers who tell students from the beginning that the head shouldn't even touch the ground, ensuring thereby that the upper arms and shoulders are doing the work. It's kind of helpful to tuck the head somewhere out of the way though.
There are more questions, I'm afriad... 
What's your opinion on headstand practice twice a day (morning and evening)?
Does it interfere with sleep?
At the moment I am doing around 20 min of headstand as part of the morning asana practice, but would be interested in learning the benefits of an evening practice and how to set up one. |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2520 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2012 : 4:04:06 PM
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quote:
At the moment I am doing around 20 min of headstand as part of the morning asana practice,
20 minutes is too much...what are you trying to achieve by holding this posture that long?...remember practices are a tool and not an end by themselves..
asanas are very good to improve sleep...but it is better not to do them right before bed time |
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img
United Kingdom
45 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2012 : 01:57:27 AM
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I gradually built up to 20 min and noticed that with longer holds the feeling in the pose changes, and it's really interesting.
At first, when I just learned the pose it was purely physical, as it's not an easy pose and muscles need to adjust to this way of holding the body, so my work was directed at keeping myself up.
But then, once the pose itself became easy and casual, it became very dynamic inside. On the outside, of course, I stand still upside down, but the longer I stand, the more ideas come to mind, solutions to problems I am working on. For me this first happened at about 5 min hold and became very pronounced at about 10 min, when the novelty of the pose wears out and a bit of boredom sets in. So in this way you could say that I use the headstand as a tool. But currently, at around 20 min I begin to feel tired and a bit hot, the physical aspect takes over again, and this is when I come down from the pose. I'd like to build up more hold time so I can have longer problem-solving time to work with.
But not sure if headstand improves sleep though. It makes me more focused and alert when I do it in the morning.
With the above in mind, what would you recommend for the evening practice? |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2520 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2012 : 02:26:05 AM
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the solutions you are getting to problems are coming from inner silence ...inner silence is developed through asanas but it is mainly developed through DM...so keep up your twice daily DM sittings(are u doing DM?)
as for asanas you can follow ayp asanas starter kit
http://www.aypsite.org/asana.html
or if you have time and if u want something a bit more challenging …you can follow Sivananda asanas sequence,
http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....D=9102#88562 |
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img
United Kingdom
45 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2012 : 03:21:57 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by maheswari
the solutions you are getting to problems are coming from inner silence ...inner silence is developed through asanas but it is mainly developed through DM...so keep up your twice daily DM sittings(are u doing DM?)
Could be, although I was getting much from the headstand long before I learned of AYP and its philosophy. We are led to our next step by the previous steps.
Padam padam
prati padam
arhati ithi
pratipadikam
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reshmita
India
2 Posts |
Posted - Apr 18 2012 : 1:24:08 PM
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That guy who's heavy weight has to at first concentrate on reducing his weight. Then he has to start practicing Shishasana. That guy probably is not able to go to the required pose because of the excessive fats. But, what I feel is, it's not only him, everybody has to take expert's advice to perform yoga therapy. It's recommended to know Shirshasana in detail before actually trying it. For required information on Shirshasana you can look here:
http://www.mothernature4u.com/yogat...shirshasana/ |
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LittleTurtle
USA
342 Posts |
Posted - Apr 18 2012 : 6:47:28 PM
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| 20 minutes of sirasana can cause overload. Or it may be just wonderful for you who knows. But be cautioned. Sirasan can create lots of changes in the body and the pranic system. Self pacing is in order. |
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Sirsasana
