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| Hello everyone, I'm new to this board and to Hatha yoga as well. So far, so good; Yoga it's just want I've been looking for to unclutter my mind.
However, my instructor helped my do the head stand three days ago. I felt ok, for a while. A couple of hours later I had the worst --and I mean, THE WORST-- headache of my entire life. I suffer from headaches and earaches regularly but this was so horrible. I had to skip class, go home, take the strongest thing I could find and try to sleep it off (I slept for two hours  )
I'm wondering, was this a coincidence or can the head stand give you such headaches?
Thanks
keeks |
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Expert Yogi
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| Keeks - there is a thread about headstand going on now in another thread. Look under Ashtanga yoga for the thread called "Headstands" and have a read! How long have you been practicing yoga? Has your teacher focused on how to lift the shoulders away from the floor to protect your neck in headstand? Also, a lot of time the first experience with a pose like that can cause problems simply because we are tense and nervous while we are doing it. And that is just natural! I got awful migraines after my first couple of classes (and we did not do headstand or anything like it) simply because I was tense and not moving properly. So check with your teacher and I hope you are able to learn to enjoy headstands. I think the y are fun  |
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Extreme Veteran
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Location: New Jersey | Hello, I was just recently able to headstand by myself for the first time, and I love doing it now. Did you try to do it near a wall? If you are tense while doing headstand, having a wall near may help you to be a little less nervous, and loosen up a bit. Also, I use a blanket to soften the surface a little. I've tried headstand prep without a blanket, and I don't think I'd be able to do it just on my mat. It would hurt my head too! Good luck! Samantha |
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| Keeks: I'm wondering, was this a coincidence or can the head stand give you such headaches? Thanks
===> No Keeks. It was NOT a coincidence. Your headache was definitely related to your Headstand you were put in. I am sure you know it well from your own heart. Learn the head stand properly and gradually and from a good instructor (which may be be true in your case already). And, you will succeed. You said you have headaches and earaches before starting Yoga. What is the reason for them?
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| Tourist: I'm off to check that thread. I should've checked the forum a bit more before posting but I'm a bit impatient when I'm on the Net  (one of the reasons I started Yoga is that I'm always 'on edge', even where there's no edge in sight).
Samantha: Excellent suggestions! Thanks a lot, I'll try them next time. But first I want to stick to the basics. I'm trying to take it easy.
Kulkarnn: I haven't the foggiest. I never had them as a child. My theory is that "something" came loose or broke when I banged my head agasint the pool's floor (it was an excellent dive, maybe too excellent).
Thanks y'all for the information!
Keeks |
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Expert Yogi
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| Keeks - no worries. I am impatient when searching for answers to pressing questions as well. I am happy to see sites like ehow and wikihow popping up where I can find out the "how-tos" of things quickly. |
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| Keeks wrote: Kulkarnn: I haven't the foggiest. I never had them as a child. My theory is that "something" came loose or broke when I banged my head agasint the pool's floor (it was an excellent dive, maybe too excellent).
===> Dear Keeks: I did not understand what you mean by 'havenot the foggiest'. Does it mean you do not know when you got first headache. ??? Anyway, you got the present headache during that yoga class. And, you say you get head and ear aches regularly. I hope your yoga teacher knew this. And, in future you have to be careful in terms of proper practice and proper instruction, and develop slowly. I do not think you shall find much by searching anywhere. |
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Location: Upstate NY | many people forget to tuck the chin in some, elongating the the neck somewhat before coming into sirsasana.................... doing this positions your head in just about the right area for placement........ |
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Expert Yogi
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| Then there are a bunch who tuck too much... The trick is to get on the top of the head. How to find the top of your head? There are many fun ways to measure that but essentially, if you put the palm of your hand on the top of your head, you have probably hit the spot just right. |
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Location: Upstate NY | I have found for most...that if they put the meaty part of their palm on the bridge of their nose...where the middle finger touches on the crown is where you should place your head......... again if you have small puggy fingers this wouldn't work to well. |
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| Hi Keeks ,
May be you dont do it right... I dont know.. Some time back Yoga guy gave some really good instruction about " How to do a proper Head Stand" ( I have saved that for me and my students those days (- Im no more yoga teacher))
Yoga guy , Hope you dontmind me pasting it here again for Keeks .....
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“There is no hopping, jumping or kicking into headstand. Period. End of story.
You are risking severe injury to your neck every time you jump or kick up. It's your ego that's insisting that you get up into headstand by whatever means possible. If you keep practicing the wrong way you will always do it the wrong way. If you learn it the right way and practice it the right way then you'll make progress.
Keep strengthening your core until you can float the feet up slowly and steadily.
Practice lowering and lifting the legs in shoulderstand to get a feel for it. It should be slow and controlled--NO MOMENTUM, i.e. no kicking or hopping or jumping. Bent knees first then gradually straighten the legs. Do lots of hamstring stretches: forward bends, etc. Do all manner of core strengthening: navasana, situps, salabasana, situps, vasistasana, situps, leg raises, etc. If you do other exercises at the gym, do deadlifts and romanian deadlifts, hyperextensions, reverse hyperextensions, L-sits, hanging knees to elbows or toes to bar.
As you are upside down with your toes on the floor before you go up. Walk your toes in as close as you can get them with your legs straight. Then instead of thinking about going up, think about pulling the knees into the chest. If you can pull the knees in to your chest using your abdominal strength your toes will come off the floor and you'll be in a child's pose headstand. Once you are comfortable with that action and can do it with balance and control, then you can straighten the legs up to the sky. Eventually as you get stronger, you can float the legs up straight. But you should be able to lower and lift very slowly and be able to stop at any point along the way and hold it.
Someone asked why headstand B is easier for some people. The reason is because of the shoulders usually. In HS-A you have greater flexion of the shoulders as the elbows raise over your ears. If someone is tight in the shoulders, then they will compensate by bending their back. Thus they will usually put their forehead down for HS-A instead of the top of their head. So you can see that they are already out of alignment going into it. Then to compound matters, you have to learn to balance on your forearms and because your shoulders are fully flexed you have limited strength and mobility so it's hard to make minute compensations as your muscles are already taxed by being so stretched.
However in HS-B, you have a wider base with the hands and the head. Also most importantly, the shoulders are only slightly flexed as the elbows are at the same height as the shoulders. Therefore when you place your head down, it goes down with better alignment because the back doesn't have to compensate for the shoulders. And the hands, although smaller, have greater sensitivity and can make minute corrections much more easily. That's why some people find HS-B easier than HS-A. If their bakasana is good, then they can usually land their head in the right place. However, if you come up without bakasana you have to worry about people not forming a triangle with their hands and head and their base diminishes. “
------By Yoga Guy
Edited by Thushara 2006-06-05 7:48 AM
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| It is possible to get a headache while doing yoga. It is also possible to get a headache sitting in a quiet, empty room.
Was your headache definitively from your practice of Sirsasana? Definitively, no way to know. It's possible. Therefore it is to be watched (by you).
I don't know the nature of your practice so it is difficult, nearly impossible to surmise.
I know that's disappointing. It simply requires more of you. More info for the board and more awareness in this pose (and your practice as a whole).
I want to weigh in on placement of the head in Sirsasana since it's mentioned elsewhere in the thread.
There is an optimum placement point which is where the anterior fontanel was located on the skull. However there are students that require a different placement. For those with reverse cervical curve the placement would be a more anterior location (toward the forehead) so it's immperitive to assess the student visually before making a placement instruction.
Similarly there is assessment for preparedness for Sirsasana. If the student's shoulders are not at or below a line connecting the wrists with the hips in Adho Mukha Svanasana then said student is not ready physiologically for Sirsasana. Prep perhaps, depending on what the prep is (as it's mentioned without description in the thread).
If a yoga teacher is aware of your health history (headaches and ear aches) as they should be, and they are well trained, you would have to meet some pretty stringent requirements over time in preparation for going up into the full pose.
The preps for this pose and the safety precautions/concerns are fairly involved for most folks - for some teachers too. So it's best to use care and move forward slowly, without agression or the desire to "do". Ask for modifications or an alternative pose.
Keeks - 2006-05-13 7:44 AM
Hello everyone, I'm new to this board and to Hatha yoga as well. So far, so good; Yoga it's just want I've been looking for to unclutter my mind.
However, my instructor helped my do the head stand three days ago. I felt ok, for a while. A couple of hours later I had the worst --and I mean, THE WORST-- headache of my entire life. I suffer from headaches and earaches regularly but this was so horrible. I had to skip class, go home, take the strongest thing I could find and try to sleep it off (I slept for two hours )
I'm wondering, was this a coincidence or can the head stand give you such headaches?
Thanks
keeks |
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| keek,
when you do sirshasana or headstand , you are not supposed to carry the entire weight on your neck.most of the weight must be on your hands and shoulders.do not allow the instructor to pull you up.it takes time.first practise to balance on half headstand.when you gain strength you can remain in sirshasan comfortably.In the initial stage remain in head stand only for few seconds then slowly increase the time.Remember it must be effortless effort. |
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| Hi Keeks,
Since you say you suffer from headaches and earaches regularly, there could be something else going on that the headstand irritated. It's especially possible since you've had head trauma in the past.
Have you had your neck checked out my a doctor or medical professional you trust?
Pamela
Beginner Yoga Video
Cairns Yoga |
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| I am not far enough in my practice for headstand, but what did you mean by HS-a and HD-b? You comments are great, especially about shoulderstand, which I find myselft kicking to get into. I will stop and concentrate on just raising the legs (if I can?) Thanks. Michelle
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| My Hatha teacher never showed us the headstands or talked of them,
it was not in her text book and dvd of yoga poses
so i am taking notes, here on the board (i am new)
the day i do those
i better be relaxed, it seems like such an advanced pose/posture
wow
headaches?
not good.
Good Luck....
Edited by DrRevYogi 2007-05-31 7:04 PM
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| Hi Leslie,
Actually the headstand is not an advanced pose. Though it should still be learnt from an experienced instructor.
Jonathon
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| Another Yogi told me the same thing,
during the hatha class on campus,
(she was an experienced yogi and Psychology Professor at UofM Ann Arbor, MI)
she had the headstand in her 1st class of Downtown, Ann Arbor
1st class
she wanted to spot me and i said no,
she did show me a few times,
as if was the easiest pose, no troubles,
me
i was not comfortable
and followed my teacher from campus
My teacher was an Experienced Himaylayan Institute Graduate of Penn.
she followed their Himaylayan Press Text book beginning to end.
Two class levels,
on level 2 was a lot of Yoga Psychology
the Book only includes tons of warm-ups, poses, and yoga stretches, est.
came with the class dvd for home practice,
but no headstands-lol
is a headstand apart of basic, Classical hatha
or another style??
Not all teachers are the same,
even in the same city/area of Ann Arbor
there are Yoga teachers and studios all over the place
they
will debate each others class format-lol
just for my Yoga updates,
as a trainee i am needed some light here??
Topics like this
is why i am expanding my styles-lol
not every teacher has the same background,
and it will show in my training if i do not experience
other formats.
I try to use lately, Yoga Alliance teacher as well,
here is the (Sandra A) book we uses and the Teacher's Institute
- http://www.himalayaninstitute.org/
- http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Mastering-Flexibility-Stength-Balance/dp/0893891835
- http://www.allbookstores.com/book/9780893892401/Sandra_Anderson/Yoga_Mastering_The_Basics.html
I feel like i need several degrees or Certificates before i can teach as an instructor???-lol
Take Care
Namaste'
Edited by DrRevYogi 2007-06-01 9:10 AM
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Head Stand, cool but it hurts?
