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Sirsasana, the headstand posture: which pourposes and how to practice?

I would like to introduce this Post with a connection what I jokingly put as the first picture .... Hatha Yoga has been for millennia a set of systems and methods practiced by mind and body; for the body any means of help was given by an outside person or any tool.
Why so?
Not because, as many might think, once there weren't all the nice useful things that we can build now.... but because each posture is acquired through the practice applied with proportionality of time and efforts; which means "always" the Asana should be in proportion to what is already acquired by the body and what is the capacity of management of the same.

An external tool goes to mislead the knowledge of what one is aware of what you do and which is your body capacity at that time.
Many other considerations with regard should be made, but for reasons of brevity, I have to stop here.

 

The head stand posture is called in Sanskrit Sirsasana (sirsa = head; asana = static and comfortable posture )

The characteristics of this asana when becomes NOT favourable are:
 

1. you lean on your hands instead of elbows; this position practiced in this way becomes easier to maintain and implement, having a very broad base of support. But it creates, over time, problems to vertebrae, mainly due to the high pressure on the vertebral discs, that is too intense. Also the neck request a too high effort.
 

2. you have not formed a base in the shape of an equilateral triangle: if your elbows are too tight you can climb to the position more easily, but it has less lateral stability, if your elbows are too wide you go with much more difficulty up in the final position and it is more unstable back and forth. The base equilateral triangle allows an adequate and fundamental relaxation of body and mind, given that the posture is stable in an optimal manner.
 

3. you do not have the body a little bit 'arched”: if the pelvis is a bit 'more' forward in relation to body axis, the weight is distributed better on the base, the stability increases and the body is able to relax at the best
 

4. you do not relax the muscles as much as possible and particularly the legs and feet: especially if your legs and feet are in tension the blood fails to flow deeply and intensely to the parties who are now at the bottom. The purification processes is fulfilled in a very superficial way, the brain is not sprinkled, the higher chakras receive less energy, the mind is too active and can not relax in parallel to the body parts
 

5. you do not keep your legs in alignment to the top and you do strange positions similar to a dance: asana are not a dance, serve to create profound changes at various levels. If the legs are straight up, the gravitational mechanism is more effective and the blood flow undergoes pulse. The only variant that is valid is with the lotus position, where the blood flow is closed by the legs' joints, permitting to favor the rest of the body
 

6. you try to practice having security of a wall behind: there is a possibility to fall sideways, sometimes with negative effects for your neck. If you just want to try with a security behind, then stand in a corner of the room, which will allow you to not fall in any direction.

 

It is favourable to do:
 

 

1. The most appropriate method is to increase gradually the center of gravity at the top (see figure) which allows you to decide where to stop, until you have acquired, with an appropriate number of repetitions and time, good security and strength to be stable and have complete management of the situation. Do not go shooting up your legs and not even taking first on one leg and then the other. So do not EVER get in a hurry to get to the final position, but to be able to train at various stages in the progression over time
 

2. balance your relaxed body  to facilitate the flow of Kundalini to the upper psycho-energetic centers (Chakra)
 

3. for the more experienced it's okay practice in the lotus position to increase circulatory flow to the brain; so is triggered to produce more meditative capacity immediately afterwards


 

This posture would, for an initial evaluation of everyday life, much more useful in the morning instead of coffee that is carcinogenic and is a nerve stimulant that is why ruin the nervous system.
Sirsasana, if acquired gradually and proportionately, if held with all the essential features for exact times and, when accompanied by proper breathing and mental states, is leading to the opening of the third eye and therefore leads to profound intuitions, promotes wakeful mind and therefore all meditative states or simply you can get faster resolution of problems. And.... it is really profitful for the flexibility of veins and arteries, to maintain balanced blood pressure, to strengthen the heart muscle, for the health of teeth and eyes, good digestion and much more (all these therapeutic indications can be explained in detail to understand the real merits).

When you'll be able to practice it properly....
.... you'll certainly see the world in a different way....! 

...... and please don't confuse 
the practice for attaining Yoga, 
as it is done in 
RAM (Rishi Ancient Methods) 
(see www.allthebestinyourlife.com) 
with something done on the beach as a show or for exhibitionism....

 

I'll wait you for my next post which will be on: "What is actually the Kriya Yoga?"

Would you like to worsen your life? Practice "Stress Yoga"!

If you think Yoga is what you'll see here below, then I can assure you that it is not true; just read the books that explain in details the features of this practice ....
... and you will see how much you lose not to practice the ancient original systems....
*** Yoga is a set of methods and practices that do not stress your body with difficult contortions or positions that are not useful to build a balanced physical structure. These excesses are a miserable distortion of the reality of Yoga.
*** Yoga is not practiced by any instrument or tool because it uses the body consciously in proportion to the times in which it can be possible to have some progress, without being induced by external factors; if you do not respect the time that the body requires, the entire system receives a physical stress.
*** Yoga is a system:

• to balance the body in strength and elasticity, to harmonize the functioning of the organs
• to apply an anti-stress method, that it is not competitive, it is without a run-up to the
  results, is done to get used to remain calm and with inner peace
• to do that the vital energy is balanced going in and out, and that it can be carried in all points of the body;
• to balance the character through mental and physical inductions;
• to sharpen the mental states while keeping your mind focused on the conditions that you induce on the body during every exercise
• to increase the conscious state, training yourself by sensory perceptions:
• to interpret how to remove blocks, that does not allow the opening of the subtle centers of higher development

All this (and more, which I do not list now, to be only synthetic) cannot be realized with the systems which are applied nowadays! 

 

posture to look if your feet are clean

 

posture to read a boring book without falling asleep

 

posture to check if the floor is polished

 

posture to smell if you have foot odor

 

posture for Kamasutra

 

posture for picnic and relax on the lawn

 

posture against pain of the toes

 

joyful & smiling posture, because you'll save on the use of shoes

 

posture of the neck pain massage done with the foot

 

posture to smell if you have armpit odor

row of people hanging .... hams hanging

people hanging .... salami hanging

Yoga hanging ......   salami hanging

 

Yoga hanging  ...... cheese hanging

STOP these misconceptions!
Call these things with other names, but do not say that you are practicing Yoga!

 

We applaud everybody as circus exhibitionists, acrobats, fakirs ... but not as who believe that is practicing methods to achieve the Yoga condition ....

 

I hope nobody could get angry for as I put the pictures and maybe we can make a laugh over ....

 

If you're interested in original ancient systems, please visit www.allthebestinyourlife.com

I'll wait you for my next post on "The headstand posture: which purpose and how to practice?"
It is a very important position for Yoga .... be sure to read about!

Which use could have the techniques for Yoga in my daily life? Read 5 very important effects!

 

To have positive effects in everyday life: this is the first benefit deriving from Yoga techniques.
If you are unable to have favorable effects in everyday life, what other effects, most profound and difficult to obtain, may you think could be possible to acquire later on?
I mean, initially, practicing Yoga, everybody should be able to feel the effects in their daily lives, in their usual and normal life. 

 

And even if afterwards you will wish, because is become interesting, to have some other benefits going beyond the everyday life, then it will be upon you to continue with a broader range of practices and research how to obtain achievements that could lead you beyond the demands of everyday life.

In this post I would like, for now, to give a brief summary of benefits inherent everyday life, life in which everyone is involved every day.

I should, however, point out a first assumption.
The practice of Yoga today is done in various ways .... and every result (for anything) depends on the quality that is used to achieve it, that is .... "tell me what you do and I'll tell you which result you'll have".
So I would divide the effects and results in

TWO POSSIBILITIES:

FIRST

if Yoga practices are mainly oriented as gymnastics, contortions, such as those taught by Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois with the Ashtanga Yoga, the Yogi Bhajan with the so called Kundalini Yoga; or if simplistic systems as practiced by Ravi Shankar with Yoga in Daily Life; or the Hot Yoga teached by Bikram; or even the Power Yoga or the Grace Yoga or the Beauty Yoga; or by lesson given from some persons not deeply expert in the topic, however proposing themselves as teachers ...; or even if Yoga is teached in courses connected to Yoga Alliance, where mainly all is based primarily on the number of hours of teaching but without taking care care about the quality level or the contents.

SECOND

if Yoga is practiced in a holistic concept, as in RAM (Rishi Ancient Methods) for Yoga, taught by "Yoga in Your Life", which is connected with the original methods for acquiring the Yoga state, which requires application, in the same exercise, in many different characteristic and levels of the human being, that means not only physical level.

 

EFFECTS IN THE FIRST POSSIBILITY:  

 

*** Stretching of muscles and joints; but ..... sometimes using excessive forcefulness or pushing methods, to achieve fast results
- Effects: sometimes damage the joints or may bring, more advanced in years, disturbances in muscles and joints.
 

*** Increasing competitiveness towards the result you want to achieve, because .... you would like to make exercises more challenging than others.

Would you like to become a Fakir? 

- Effects: it brings you always feel in competition with the outside world or feel incapable (if you can not immediately reach the desired result), this method is going to forge internal qualities and so you will also live with the daily reality of these types of stress within, without realizing that could be also coming fron these kind of training, given to you in this way
 

*** Get in competitiveness even with themselves
Striving to do ...... what currently is not easy for the body to do.
- Effects: this leads to acquire the tendency to stress, which, without realizing how, you will also maintain the habit at work, in relationships, in moments of leisure; it will be done, at the same way, also with yourself, in a more or less intense forcing manner.
 

*** Follow the rhythms of the teacher, perform as indicated without processing by themselves, follow guided relaxation and mental exercises, etc. etc.
Passive participation ....
- Effects: it maintains or creates an addiction to what is told by others to do;  leads to being more prone to do what is suggested to you and not what is thought by you; guided relaxation forms a pleasant condition at that time but gives little results in the ability to be calm and not stressed in everyday life; mental states induced by guyided suggestions give little autonomy in cognitive abilities.

 

EFFECTS IN THE SECOND POSSIBILITY:
 

*** Physical conditions
- Acquisition:
balanced body that has no muscles or joints too much loose; the musculature is not rigid and not too highlighted, but it is proportional to the weight of the body and adequately developed in every smallest part of the body.
- Effects: the posture is absolutely correct and positive, the circulation becomes optimal, the internal organs are adequately perfused and work at best; so you feel good and appreciate more every thing you do.
 

*** Energy conditions
- Acquisition:
when the structure has been formed in a perfectly balanced manner; so the energy flow is not blocked by stiff or overdeveloped muscles; and so the energy is not dispersed outside in case of joints or muscles too flexible. The subtle energy centers, the Chakra, have the possibility to receive Kundalini more easily.
- Effects: the entire body receives adequate vitality in all parts and organs may work better, you feel more energized throughout the day and so you are able to do things better.
 

*** Psychic and emotional conditions:
- Acquisition:
having formed all characteristics of the positive position, as in correlation also to psycho-somatic concepts, you get a continuous positive psychic state; applying the ancient yoga practices properly you get used to forge mental balanced states (no rush / no slowness, no force / no laziness, no stress / no inertia, no exhibitionism / no fear of failure, etc.).
- Effects: inner balanced states, that is that you do not go to excess, consequently form a wise condition (... this is the first stage of wisdom that is acquired with the systems for Yoga ...) giving proportion to the commitments and things to do, meaning the ability to do what is necessary without never suffering consequences or negative feelings.
 

*** Character conditions:
- Acquisition:
no tendency to narcissism or self-centeredness, as everyone has to do in proportion to its practical features of the moment; there is no competition with others or with themselves because everyone is concerned with practices for Yoga making quality (...and not quantity ...); you get used to self-management of the relaxation 

-effects: it forms the conditions for having a character that allows not to get into conflict with themselves and with the others; so your daily activities are managed at best, without clashes and battles internal / external; you become accustomed to manage relaxation in standing and sitting positions, so as to avoid tensions as well as unnecessarily use of muscles that, if we could sum the waste of energy resulting, we can realize how much power has been spent unnecessarily and how much more fatigue instead usually is created without this knowledge.
 

*** Mental conditions:
- Acquisition: every practice for Yoga requires that thought has to be deeply conscious about themselves; the mind gets used to being permanently stopped on what you are doing at that moment.
- Effects: the mind gets used to being deep and not superficial, active and not passive, even computing and not just only executive; it is much easier, in your daily work or activities for personal pleasure to be creative and have a sharp mind, capable of making things with more immediacy; studying and learning are facilitated.

I stop here, to mental effects, as effects after these are derived only from the specific personal desire to study and understand more.
I hope it is understood that in the explanations that I have given, I had to give very general indications, which are not as thorough as you can have in the courses RAM, but may be sufficient as an idea to understand how intense and important may be what you could be able to obtain practicing the original methods for Yoga ... and how much can realistically change your life and live better!

I would like to emphasize again that the effects of the possibility B) can only be achieved if are followed the practices of training that take care of all (.. so not only one, that physical...) characteristics and levels of the human being. It is possible for everybody to be able, during the practice, to identify when are going to be formed inside these conditions and how much effectively each one of these points of view are growing in a balanced and positive way.

Everyone, during practice, is a witness of how each exercise can work within himself and be aware that all of these features are trained simultaneously, at the same time.
So .... these are just not only nice words .... these assumptions are not just only promises .... these are not written only something repeated of things written in the books ..... but practical facts that each one can test directly during the practices for Yoga!
But ..... the practice of Yoga should be done with the characteristics that form these elaborations! Why? 

Because ..... without adequate training pulses, nothing can grow! 

So, who would like to learn more and maybe learn the ancient methods that contain these potentials or even wants to become a teacher of RAM (Rishi Ancient Methods) for Yoga, visit my website www.allthebestinyourlife.com and open in the menu, the section of School "Yoga in Your Life".

If there are any doubts or questions, do not hesitate to contact me!
I'll wait you for my next Post, which will focus on: - Would you like to worsen your life? Practice "Stress Yoga"! -

Why to practice inverted postures?

To get the effects listed below the inverted postures must be practiced with the ancient features and not with the methods that have been invented over the last decades. The methods taught by Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois with the Ashtanga Yoga, the Yogi Bhajan with the so called Kundalini Yoga, or the one promoted by Ravi Shankar with Yoga in Daily Life, or even the Beauty Yoga (see picture on top!!) or Grace Yoga (see picture on side!!) or other not deeply experts in the topic, however, proposed themselves as teachers ... These are not connected with the original methods, which require application with very different characteristics. The techniques usually teached have absolutely nothing permitting to acquire the original ancient results;

these new methods resemble physical gymnastics, forcing body for getting power, hyper-stretching, exhibitionism of strange postures, etc. A lot of these schools have proposed, with the name of Yoga, something only copied from the 'images” of the original Asana and many times afterwards crippled.

 All Asana (static postures of Hatha Yoga) are connected to the results obtained on

6 points
(numbered below)

and, if properly applied, every position affects

6 levels of improvement

and each Asana will have, for each of the levels of improvement, naturally, different characteristics and effects.
I write below the 6 points related to the most important data of the inverted postures, as the title that I have proposed. For sake of brevity, I indicate below the data common to all inverted postures which unfortunately become a bit generic; specific directions, one by one, would be more accurately informative, but would require a lot of space:

1. Physical and postural (arising from a moderate, progressive and constant practice)

• prevent and treat varicose veins
• are a special flexibility gymnastic for all the veins and arteries of the body; form conditions of vasodilation and vasoconstriction; therefore allow to recover or maintain blood pressure at the best levels
• allow a special cleaning (as washing) of the tissues and cells of internal organs; this occurs via specific stimulations directed in areas of the body, permitting to receive more blood flow and then to do that blood could go to the purifying organs for allowing that the waste collected could be expelled; in other areas it is possible to do the opposite, that is a draining effect, with the flow of blood going out of an area of the body for receiving an influx of fresh, oxygenated and rich of nutrients blood
• are a gym for the heart muscle, given that when we are standing the heart must pump up till to the head, so with a force against gravity, for about 1/3 of the height of the body, while in the inverted positions must pump for about 2/3 up; this strengthens the heart muscle but doesn't stress it, because everything is done in conditions of minimal muscle activity and with slow breathing
• is given a healthy and deep massage the visceral organs; is promoted good digestion and the right functionality of the intestinal peristalsis
• promote extra blood circulation in the gums (for maintaining healthy teeth) and eyes (prevents the development of eye diseases, increasing micro-circulation and oxygenation of the retina without a corresponding increase in systolic blood pressure)
• performing a stimulation of the endocrine and lymphatic systems, thereby helping to stabilize the metabolism and activate the immune system; for example, the body weight gradually becomes balanced and proportional
• are not specifically useful for the postural, as instead they are a large part of Asanas
  
  

2. Psychological and emotional

• produce conditions of inner calm, consequently to the training condition of being static
• allay emotional impulses, when getting used to maintain brain slow frequencies
• consequently peacefulness becomes more present in daily life
  

3. Typological effects and on character

• are positions that, according to Ayurveda, produce a state of Tridosha, ie the balance between the types of Vata, Pitta and Kapha; this is for the benefit of character that results to be as it is consequently to “aggravation” or “lack” of one of these three dosha (ie, for example, who is too slow will have later on more sprint, who has fears will have more courage, etc.).

4. Vitalizing and energizing effects

• have an influence on the flow of vital energies that are brought to increment usually in areas where they are most needed, even managing to influence the higher Chakra of the subtle body. Two of the five inverted postures stimulate mainly the strengthening of coronary Chakra (Sahasrara or the thousand-petalled lotus), of the Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) and the other two of the Throat Chakra (Vishuddha)

5. Mental effects and on nervous system

• supply blood to areas of the brain, making it more awake and capable, totally different from what can be done by caffeine and theine; therefore useful for those interested in meditation, for students, for those who use mental processes to work, facilitate the situations of creativity
   

6. Spiritual and evolutionary effects

• physical well-being + the increase of energy flows + more mental capacity + increase the acquisition of inner tranquility + balanced character = lead to = depth of thought and knowledge + skills of discernment resulting in mental clarity + deep insight of things + ability of intuition .... lead away from conditioning, giving higher knowledge. All these are the presuppositions of evolutionary and spiritual states

The most famous inverted postures are 5:
1. The head stand posture or Sirshasana
2. On shoulders posture or Sarvangasana
3. Up leg and angled body posture or Viparita Karani
4. The tripod posture or Tripada Karani
5. The scorpion posture or Vrschikasana

Certainly a good motivation for learners is even if for each Asana is given the knowledge of the specific effects that are produced in each of the "6 levels of improvement"; so everyone can realize how much it is useful a practice, for a variety of ways, and how is gradually moving closer to the Yoga state, Yoga understood here in the translation of "subjugation" of all human components or levels (so, not only as a physical gymnastic) .
I think this should be a duty of a high standard teacher, so that learners can grow in knowledge, in motivation and in quality.
This type of knowledge is offered in RAM for Yoga (Rishi Ancient Methods for Yoga) proposed by "Yoga in Your Life" by residential seminars for self-improvement or for becoming Teacher/Master. If you want some more details, you can visit www.allthebestinyourlife.com

I wait for you with the next post where I'll write about "Which use could have the techniques for Yoga in my daily life?"