We dont lead headstands at Strala. This is partly because safety is not as basic as maintaining correct alignment. Of course the vertebrae move coming in and out of the pose, and when that movement is sudden (for example, when people are quite eager to be somewhere other than where they are!), the force is multiplied in line with our favorite old high school physics equation: F = ma. Were extremely careful in our design to create ways of moving that are safe for Everyone: every size, age, weight, history, background - Everyone! Do no harm is an important starting point for yoga. This doesnt mean you shouldnt do headstands if you love them! But its worth mentioning that I get a lot of mail, because of Taras work around the world. Aside from a general point of interest, I mention this because its pretty frequent that people hurt their necks in headstand-related events. Sometimes its an acute injury from a sudden mishap. More often its chronic pain from strain over time. For all you yoga teachers out there, remember that it matters more whats actually happening to people, than any theoretical rules we may have learned about alignment and safety. In case useful, Ill share a recent response to a neck-pain question here. When it comes to neck pain, there are so many possible causes - including just sleeping a bit funny one night - that its probably not worth diagnosing right away. The good news is, with a little time your body will likely fix itself just fine, regardless of treatment. As a general guideline, it matters less what you do, and more how you do it - on both the prevention and healing sides. Whatever you do (in yoga and everywhere) do it easy, without straining or pushing. If you can balance the stress equation in your favor - allowing stress to leave your body rather than entering and making a home in you - youll allow your body to shift from defense into healing mode. As an example, headstands can be nicely aligned, but if youre quite tense and rigid in your body, theres a good chance some kind of pain or difficulty may pop up later. As a healing approach now, try to move everything youve got, easily, in every direction you can. A great cat cow that lets your head hang easy and rolls your hips and body around in every explorable direction is a great place to begin. To let your body move this way, relax! Rather than holding your arms stiff, let your elbows bend, roll around your hips, and allow the rest of your body to go along for the ride. Give this a shot for a few days, along with just taking it easy (leave off putting any weight on your head), and let me know how it goes. If you want some extra help on injuries and healing, plus more yoga with Tara and me in general, we have an online course now; Ill give a link below in case useful. :) Mike
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 02:29:12 +0000
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