Comments | yoga: a tail of two headstands

michimusic in yoga

a tail of two headstands

Mar 01, 2011 11:34

Once upon a time, I accidentally ended up in an acro-yoga class. I had intended to go for Vinyasa Flow, but the studio was doing a special workshop that night at the same time. I hadn't called ahead, so I gamely tried everything except headstand against the wall. Even so, I ended up feeling broken and had significant pain in my shoulder. I couldn' ( Read more... )

patience, headstand, persistence, iyengar prop, yoga

Comments 6

openscarf March 2 2011, 17:03:47 UTC

It was the best of times and the worst of times...

I'm impressed and happy for you. I practice at home and don't have a clear or big enough wall to practice hand or headstands, that's down the road for me. Congratulations! How did it feel other than accomplishing it?

great profile pic! michimusic March 2 2011, 19:24:34 UTC

Thanks, as MaryAnn said - it was invigorating. She says inversions are good for cleaning out the grunge that builds up in your cells - and I sure needed it, being pre-menstrual!
Afterward, I didn't feel 'broken' like I always have before. That said, I am definitely sore. My hands and back are a bit tight (but then I'm also having the cramps right now, so it's to be expected that i'd be sore everywhere!).

Also - on practicing in a small space. You can practice on the side of a couch. Another of my favorite yoga teachers showed me this. It takes off most of the weight, so might be challenging enough for you - but it's a fun way to get upside down. You probably did it as a kid! Just put your stomach over the edge of the couch (or bed, if it's high enough). Keeping your legs on the couch, put your hands on the ground. Whalla!

Re: great profile pic! openscarf March 2 2011, 22:51:24 UTC

That is a great idea! I think my bed would work great. I'll keep you posted.

I do a lot of backbending, but not the complete inversions, so I'm kind of excited!

Thanks!

Re: great profile pic! michimusic March 3 2011, 15:46:20 UTC

caiasm March 3 2011, 17:51:06 UTC

That's great!! *bounces for you* I remember how proud I was of my first "alone" headstand *grins* You don't have short hamstrings, though, do you? Because I do and I don's see that prop working for me, as it gets the head even highter than when on the ground! Different kind of challenge...

You put weight on your hands? You do it like... tripod, then? (I'm not sure what to call it, when your palms and the top of your head are on the ground and your elbows are bent at 90°) Have you tried with your forearms on the ground and your head tucked between your hands? We're taught that version before the tripod one, 'cos aparently (I've been told) it's safer for the head as if you press with the forearms you can actually lift your head off the ground (a little bit, but enough so there's not weight on it)...

Anyway, woohoo! for your headstand!! Now that you know that you can do it, keep practicing and you might not need the prop one day!!

Do you mind me asking, how did you hurt your shoulder?

hehe michimusic March 3 2011, 19:06:15 UTC

Thanks! My hamstrings are the least stretchy part of me. Yes, it was a bit tight getting into the little padded upside-down chair, but I really wanted to do it. I bent my knees as I bent into it, to relieve that stretch. The second phase of the pose (and this really helped!) was to put my knees up on the 'arms' of the chair, after my head and shoulders were on it. Then, I straightened up from there. Much much easier than any other way I've tried.
I've had tendinitis since high school. I play waaaay too much violin in corsets, for sometimes up to 10 hours at a time. I've avoided occupational therapy, but I've gone to massage therapy and chiropractors for about 10 years. I pretty much have constant pain on the right side. This might give you an idea of what my chiropractor is dealing with - http://www.flickr.com/photos/sneetchie/5402529298/