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?"