Sirshasana (Head stand)
'Sirsh' in sanskrit
means 'head' and we can thus speak of this as he head stand.
Procedure:
1. Lie on your belly with your hands alongside your torso,
palms up. (You can lie on a folded blanket to pad the front
of your torso and legs.) Exhale and bend your knees, bringing
your heels as close as you can to your buttocks.
2. Reach back with your hands and take hold of your ankles
(but not the tops of the feet). Make sure your knees aren't
wider than the width of your hips, and keep your knees hip
width for the duration of the pose.
3. Inhale and strongly lift your heels away from your buttocks
and, at the same time, lift your thighs away from the floor.
This will have the effect of pulling your upper torso and
head off the floor. Burrow the tailbone down toward the
floor, and keep your back muscles soft.
4. As you continue lifting the heels and thighs higher,
press your shoulder blades firmly against your back to open
your heart. Draw the tops of the shoulders away from your
ears. Gaze forward.
5. With the belly pressed against the floor, breathing will
be difficult. Breathe more into the back of your torso,
and be sure not to stop breathing.
6. Stay in this pose anywhere from 20 to 30 seconds. Release
as you exhale, and lie quietly for a few breaths. You can
repeat the pose once or twice more.
Benefits
1. Stretches the entire front of the body, ankles, thighs
and groins, abdomen and chest, and throat, and deep hip
flexors (psoas)
2. Strengthens the back muscles
3. Improves posture
4. Stimulates the organs of the abdomen and neck
Contraindications/Cautions
1. High or low blood pressure
2. Migraine
3. Insomnia
4. Serious lower-back or neck injury
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