Yoga is the ancient and oldest system practised since the second century AD in India. It is practised for various health purposes that help with improving various factors of body systems like movement, flexibility, strength, balance, focus, concentration, and other techniques like breathing. You can see that, just like modern exercise emphasizes proper form and technique, yoga also underlines the importance of various exercises with respect to their posture and alignment and benefits of performing the poses.
In this article, we will talk about the most practised, advanced yoga posture “Sirsasana” (Sirsa – asana)
What Is Sirsasana?
Sirsasana is known as the ‘King of the Asana’s’. ‘Sirs’ means ‘Head’ and ‘Asana’ means ‘Posture’ or pose. It is also called the ‘Head Stand’ pose.
In this pose, the forearms and head are the main parts whereas the rest of the body is supported in an inverted position. It looks like standing on the head and hence one should have good forearm strength, focus, and precision with the posture. The head is the foremost part to be stabilized. The cervical spine (C-spine) with its natural curvature is designed for flexibility, extending or rotating the neck. When performing this yoga asana, this curve is disturbed and that’s the key to maintain this natural curve, to prevent neck injuries.
It has to be learned under an experienced yoga mentor and it is not an easy task to master the technique overnight. Balancing and maintaining the head within the folded palms with fingers interlocked around the head is the foremost step to mastering it. The C-spine leads to the vertebral spine, which in turn leads its arteries to the brain to supply the blood. Hence, the alignment of this headstand posture should not be compromised, otherwise, the blood flow through the arteries can get blocked leading to dizziness or blurred vision.
The whole body is slowly turned upside down with the precise balance of head, neck along with the arms, and also the wrists. Hence, it is also necessary to build strength in the arms to hold the entire body weight in the upside-down position.
The Sirsasana has many variations based on posture and body part usage. A beginner can use the support of the wall (‘Salamba Sirsasana’) to practice the alignment and then the balance.
Sirsasana has no muscle lengthening, but all the parts either contract or stabilize over one another in a single plane.
Sirsasana Yoga Benefits
With so much effort of practising any asana, there should be some claimed benefits.
- Practising sirsasana, it is said, improves the circulation of blood to the brain and heart. They receive adequate and well-oxygenated blood, which helps relieve stress and further improve focus, and cardiovascular function.
[In one of the very early studies (Rao, 1962), it was found that the amount of oxygen consumption while practising sirsasana is 48% higher than that of standing erect. Though theoretically, there should not be any difference, but the experiment conducted shows differently.]
- It is also said to provide good nutrients to the scalp for better hair growth.
- It helps with the proper flow of blood to the eye.
- Improves blood flow to the brain, which might result in the proper supply of nutrients.
- Reduces fluid retention in the legs, feet, and ankles.
- Said to improve digestion by reversing the body to the effect of gravity.
- Stimulates the adrenal glands that reduce the production of stress hormones.
- Helps vitalize the lymphatic system by removing toxins.
- Helps to strengthen your upper body (core and arms) and its muscular endurance.
- Helps improve flexibility and balance.
Sirsasana practice provides benefits for any healthy individual, but it needs to be learned. It needs to be performed under the supervision of an experienced yoga practitioner for those with certain health conditions. Beginners can start with performing the pose for 30 seconds and progress up to 15 minutes. It can be practised daily.
Precautions to be Followed
- Sirsasana must be learned and performed under the guidance of a yoga expert.
- Children under 7 years of age are not advised to practice this asana as they are prone to injuries.
- It takes time to master the posture, so it is necessary to practice slowly to avoid injuries to the head and neck.
- Beginners should start learning with the support of a wall or a pillow until they master the balance.
- Persons with certain conditions like spondylitis, heavy body weight/obesity, vertigo, older population, high blood pressure, and heart conditions should avoid this posture.
- People with glaucoma should avoid inverted posture.
- Those suffering from aneurysms also should avoid the headstand pose.
- Persons with musculoskeletal disorders and scoliosis should avoid it (Campos et al., 2017).
- Women during the menstrual cycle and in pregnancy also should avoid it.
Take away
Yoga is a continuous learning process, and only with the continuous practice for a long time can one get hold of all the postures, and can reap benefits from each of them. The advanced techniques of yoga can be recommended by medically trained yoga experts to people with certain physical and mental ailments. Also, yoga should not be performed while the person is under psychoactive medications. The only challenge with any advanced postures is the balanced approach with safety to avoid injuries.
Author: Praveena Kuchipudi (INFS Faculty)
References:
Sagwan, N. (2019) ‘Physio-anatomical exploration of shirshasana and its benefits in the body’, 4(10), pp. 114–116.
RAO, S. (1962) ‘Metabolic cost of head-stand posture’, Journal of applied physiology, 17, pp. 117–118. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1962.17.1.117.
Hector, R. and Jensen, J. L. (2015) ‘Sirsasana (headstand) technique alters head/neck loading: Considerations for safety’, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 19(3), pp. 434–441. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2014.10.002.
Campos, M. H. et al. (2017) ‘The geometric curvature of the spine during the sirshasana, the yoga’s headstand’, Journal of Sports Sciences, 35(12), pp. 1134–1141. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1211310.
Baskaran, M. et al. (2006) ‘Intraocular Pressure Changes and Ocular Biometry during Sirsasana (Headstand Posture) in Yoga Practitioners’, Ophthalmology, 113(8), pp. 1327–1332. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2006.02.063.
Cramer, H., Krucoff, C. and Dobos, G. (2013) ‘Adverse events associated with yoga: a systematic review of published case reports and case series’, PloS one, 8(10). doi: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0075515.
https://www.harithayogshala.com/blog/benefits-of-sirsasana-headstand
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