Salamba Sirsasana - The Headstand

King of all the postures, the Headstand is a fabulous pose - there is an effortlessness in it (believe it or not!) and it is easier than it looks. But it can be encounter with fear! This is because perfect point of balance, where you feel weightless, light, is just before the point of falling over backwards! For beginners this is a scary place to be, but as you gain familiarity with it, it will feel secure. The balance should be light, grounded through the arms, sure and steady. There should be no strain.

The arms and upper body need to be strong enough to carry all the weight (there is hardly any weight on your neck as you do this posture),and the abdominals (and moola bandha) need to be strong to lift the legs effortlessly (do not 'jump up').

Headstand should be preceeded by bridge (dwi pada pittam) posture and followed by locust (Salambhasana). (Many thanks to Yoga Journal for help with the step by step)

Watch a short video here

Step by Step

1. Kneel on the floor. Lace your fingers together and set the forearms on the floor, elbows at shoulder width. Hands flat. Roll the upper arms slightly outward, but press the inner wrists firmly into the floor. Set the crown of your head on the floor. Press the your palms into the floor and snuggle the back of your head against the apex of the triangle made by the hands. Curl the toes under.
2. Roll up onto the crown of the head, pressing your energy through into the floor. Keep the shoulders down and the shoulder blades drawn into the back. Roll up through the buttocks so that the thoracic spine becomes more vertical and then, keeping the upper spine vertical, drop the buttocks back down a little to elongate the spine.
3. Pushing into the toes, inhale and lift the knees off the floor and straighten through the back of the legs, pushing the seat bones up into the air. Using your abdominal muscles (and you shouldn't be doing headstand if you don't have strong abs), draw the feet towards the head, bring the whole spine to the vertical.
4. Actively lift through the top thighs, forming an inverted "V." Firm the shoulder blades against your back and lift them toward the tailbone so the front torso stays as long as possible. This should help prevent the weight of the shoulders collapsing onto your neck and head.
5. Exhale and lift your feet away from the floor. Take both feet up at the same time, even if it means bending your knees and hopping lightly off the floor. As the legs (or thighs, if your knees are bent) rise to perpendicular to the floor, firm the tailbone against the back of the pelvis. Turn the upper thighs in slightly, and actively press the heels toward the ceiling (straightening the knees if you bent them to come up). The center of the arches should align over the center of the pelvis, which in turn should align over the crown of the head.
6. Firm the outer arms inward, and soften the fingers. Continue to press the shoulder blades against the back, widen them, and draw them toward the tailbone. Keep the weight evenly balanced on the two forearms. It's also essential that your tailbone continues to lift upward toward the heels. Once the backs of the legs are fully lengthened through the heels, maintain that length and press up through the balls of the big toes so the inner legs are slightly longer than the outer.
7. As a beginning practitioner stay for 10 seconds. Gradually add 5 to 10 seconds onto your stay every day or so until you can comfortably hold the pose for 3 minutes. Then continue for 3 minutes each day for a week or two, until you feel relatively comfortable in the pose. Again gradually add 5 to 10 seconds onto your stay every day or so until you can comfortably hold the pose for 5 minutes. Come down with an exhalation, without losing the lift of the shoulder blades, with both feet touching the floor at the same time.

Benefits
The headstand is an inversion and these cleanse and nourish us at deep levels: the brain is flooded with blood flow and nutrients, the mind clears, thinking improves.  Headstand activates the body's master glands - pineal and pituitary - which controls the chemical balance of the entire body. It strengthens the body, and focuses and concentrates the mind - is conducive to meditation.

•Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
•Stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands
•Strengthens the arms, legs, and spine
•Strengthens the lungs
•Tones the abdominal organs
•Improves digestion
•Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
•Therapeutic for asthma, infertility, insomnia, and sinusitis

Contraindications - DON'T DO THIS IF YOU HAVE:
•Back injury
•Headache

•Heart condition

•High blood pressure

•Menstruation

•Neck injury

•Low blood pressure: Don't start practice with this pose

•Pregnancy: If you are experienced with this pose, you can continue to practice it late into pregnancy. However, don't take up the practice of Sirsasana after you become pregnant.

•Sirsasana is considered to be an intermediate to advanced pose. Do not perform this pose without sufficient prior experience or unless you have the supervision of an experienced teacher. Some schools of yoga recommend doing Sirsasana before Sarvangasana, others vice versa. The instruction here assumes the former order.

Podcast post - Chant the Mahamrityunjaya mantra

The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra

Om trayambakam yajaamahe
sugandhim pushtivardhanam
Urvaarukamiva bandhanaat
mrityor muksheeya maamritaat.

Meaning/Translation

We meditate on the [god] which nourishes and increases the sweet fullness of life. Like a cucumber from its stem may we be separated ("liberated"), not from immortality but from death.

For more information on the vast system of yoga: http://www.myyoga.org.uk/

A Chant to Heal a Broken World - Mahamrityunjaya Mantra

It took me six years to open my mouth in a yoga class and chant. I thought it was 'airy fairy' nonsense and felt embarrassed by the whole thing. And I know from my 5 years of teaching yoga, that many people feel the same way.

But chanting is a direct route to health and wellbeing. It offers us a way to positively affect the energy of vishudda chakra helping us to find our voice and release suppressed emotion. Chanting calms the mind and the emotions.  It stabilises the heart rate, reduces blood pressure and produces endorphins, the 'feel good' emotions.

Healing Effects
Chanting cleanses the mind like water cleanses the body. Mostly this is due to the internal vibration of the sound itself: it has been scientifically proven that the vibratory effects of vowel sounds (for example in chanting 'om') makes the bones of the thoracic cage vibrate stimulating all the way down to the alveoli of the lungs and increasing oxygen uptake and gaseous exchange. It also creates a vibratory auto-massage of the internal organs and stimulates the endocrine glands. Coupled with the vocal chord stimulation of the vagus nerve (parasympathetic ) and sympathetic nervous systems - which means that we feel energised yet with an expansive relaxed-ness.

The Door to Eternal Life
Nevertheless not all mantras were created equal. The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra is regarded as one of the most potent Sanskrit Mantras. It is addressed to [god] and, along with the Gayatri mantra, it holds the highest place among the many mantras used for contemplation and meditation. 'The Mahamrityunjaya mantra is a potent combination of sounds that, if repeated with faith, dedication and perseverance over a period of time, leads, not only to victory over the fear of death, but eventually to victory over death itself or moksha (liberation). It is therefore known as a ‘moksha mantra’.' It is stimulating and heating (unlike the Gayatri mantra, which is soothing and cooling). It is designed to wards off evil or negative forces by creating a protective psychic shield around the practitioner. It is said to destroy sorrow and poverty, and to fulfil all of one’s desires. Anyone who wishes to remove obstacles in life and overcome difficult situations or illness should repeat this mantra regularly. If chanted a minimum of eleven times, last thing at night, it will ensure a better sleep and more positive dreams.


Chant the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra with me
click on the 'play' button on the image below to start chanting with me (read the transcript below)


The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra

Om trayambakam yajaamahe
sugandhim pushtivardhanam
Urvaarukamiva bandhanaat
mrityor muksheeya maamritaat.

Meaning/Translation

We meditate on the [god] which nourishes and increases the sweet fullness of life. Like a cucumber from its stem may we be separated ("liberated"), not from immortality but from death.

For more information on the vast system of yoga: http://www.myyoga.org.uk/

Yoga and Buddhism are (more or less) the same

The Noble 8 Fold Path or the 8 limbs of yoga? Yoga and Buddhism have identical roots. The 'non attachment' or 'letting go' of yoga's vairagya is Central to Buddhist thought.

Patanjali and Siddharta took similar approaches to their study of knowing and being and came to similar conclusions,  but the teaching of the Buddha came later, evolving directly from the brahmanical-upanishadic tradition of yogic thought. It is impossible not to view  the buddhas teaching as yoga.

24 Years ago I started my journey with Buddhism but , for me, yoga is a more 'complete' body- mind system.

The all-important Buddhist view of emptiness corresponds to the yogic view that properties of an object are non essential and arise purely in relation to a self that is in itself an empty construct.  (which just means that our concept of a constant and non-changing 'self' is an illusion created by our conscious mind :-))

Visit my main yoga site: http://www.myyoga.org.uk/

Buddhism and Yoga: be the moisture

"Does a drop stay still in the ocean?
Move with entirety, and with the tiniest particular.
Be the moisture in an oyster that helps to form one pearl."   Rumi (Sufi mystic poet)

I write this blog because it helps me with my own yoga study and self study. My analytics has been telling me I get a couple of visitors a month. But I still write; albeit with the occasional, fleeting "is it worth it?". Yesterday I found out I am actually getting hundreds of visitors a month. So my koan of "who listens to an unread blog" has been answered : be the moisture in an oyster.

The moisture just is. Its 'being' creates the pearl. It doesn't ask to get noticed. It is not attached to whether the pearl is formed or not. It is present anyway.

So that's why I write: it doesn't matter if anyone is reading (but THANK YOU :-D). I would rather be the moisture than the pearl.

Delicious sacral space

The sacrum is the bottom part of the spine - the last five vertebrae actually, though these are all fused and form one very special and triangular bone. Many efferent nerves of the parasympathetic nervous system exit through the small holes in this bone. And the triangular sacrum itself articulates with the two wings of the pelvis at the sacroiliac (SI) joint - though this joint is mainly fused there is some movement.

Many people get low back pain around this area. Possibly because this SI joint has gotten out of alignment. And also because the 1st bone of the sacrum S1, can become fused with the 5th of the lumbar L5, in a process known as L5 sacralisation.

L5 sacralization is a common anomaly, where usually the L5 vertebral body becomes incorporated into the S1 vertebral body. It is a a benign process but it can cause pain.  Usually the 5 Lumbar vertebrae (backbones between the chest/ribs and the hips) are separate, distinct bones but sometimes the bottom lumbar vertebra (#5) tries to fuse with the sacrum. It's not completely separate, but it's not completely fused (usually) like the other bones in the sacrum. It's like it has lost space.

Perhaps this is because it is so easy to put undue pressure on the sacrum and SI joint - that's why I teach student to sit on blocks with the knees raised above the hip bone, so that they are not 'sitting' on their sacrums.

But you can use blocks to create a wonderful re-articulation and opening of the SI joint - see the picture above where, if you look, i am using a standard brick-block on its end, carefully placed beneath the triangular sacrum bone (behind the pubic bone) and resting the whole weight of my body on the block.

You need the right type of block (see left) and this needs placing carefully beneath your sacrum as you lift yourself up into dwi pada pittam.

Initially rest on this with your feet on the floor, and feel the block settle gently beneath the sacrum adjusting the position of the block if you need to.  Peform the posture in front of a wall (see top photo) as you will need its support for your feet in a minute.

The second similar block is then placed, on its long side, against the wall in front of you.  Again a little adjustment is needed to make sure that you are of good enough distance away from the wall so that, in a minute you can extend your legs and rest your heels on the block. Take your hands beneath you and interlance them, pushing your hands away from your shoulders, towards your feet and lift up onto your shoulders. (see right)

With the distance sorted, extend one leg then the other slowly and rest your heels on the flat edge of the block. The feet need to be together and the legs straight. Zip up through the inner calves, feel the lower end of the femur turn out radially and the inner top of the femur turn inwards so that you feel your seat bones spreading. Rest here, with your toes pointing up to the ceiling and gravity pulling your sacrum into the block.

This posture is just beautiful for moving the S1 away from L5 and creating a sense of space in this important area of the body.

NOTE: this, and the other yoga postures I suggest on this blog, is best performed under the one on one tuition of a skilled and trained yoga teacher. This is a particularly strong posture and you could damage your back unless properly guided.

Find out more about Sue Tupling's yoga at MyYoga website.

Achieve balance and awaken yourself through neti

Neti rebalances the nadis and awakens ajna chakra

I used to be very cynical of neti.  Why would anyone want to pour salty water up their nose through one nostril so that it comes running out the opposite side? Eeek! Uggghh!. But the practice is sweet, I can tell you. It cleans out your head, your eyes sparkle, you feel a spaciousness in your brain, the breath is open and expansive through the nostrils. The body sighs in ecstasy as you do it. Its like you feel a 'high' after doing neti. Well at least that is my experience.

Benefits
If you look at the yoga research ,  Neti has been used successfully to treat the following ailments: colds and coughs, eye ailments, nose ailments, throat ailments, sinusitis, tonsillitis, catarrh, adenoid inflammation, headache, insomnia, tiredness, migraine, epilepsy, depression, tension, lung diseases (asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis and bronchitis), facial paralysis. It certainly alleviates mental health conditions such as anxiety, anger and depression as well as 'brain fog' where your thinking is foggy and muddled. Perhaps the most surprising of the benefits includes the alleviation of facial paralysis, epilepsy and migraine.

How it works
Essentially neti works by directly stimulating the olfactory nerve, and the trigeminal nerve going from the nose/face into the brain, and the mucous membrane, lymphatic and blood vessels of the nasal cavity. This helps the nasal passages to work more efficiently at purifying the air before going into the lungs, the eyes and the eye muscles are relaxed which relaxes the face.
The autonomic nervous system is rebalanced - so the sympathetic (SNS, fear, fight or flight) and the parasympathetic (PNS, relaxation response) are in equipose. The olfactory nerves in the nose are connected to a part of the brain called the hippocampus which is associated with deeper structures in the brain, concerned with regulation of the autonomic nerves. Stimulation of the olfactory nerves thus influences the autonomic functions of the body.
The pranic channels are opened and balanced - these correspond to the meridians of TCM. Through stimulation of the nostril channels the sinus arrythmia is balanced (the alternating flow of breath through left and right nostrils). The flow of breath through the nostrils influences the nadis. In yoga we call the left nostril flow ida nadi and the right pingala nadi - the former being associated with the PNS and the latter SNS. For adept yogis these are balanced so that left and right are in a state of sushumna nadi - balanced central flow, bringing balance to the nervous system and the whole body-mind.
Neti brings about a profound physical stimulation of the whole brain. It helps to bring relief in cases of facial paralysis and other nervous diseases. Soothing of the brain helps to soothe and relax the rest of the body. Neti helps to remove blocks in the flow of nervous impulses and thereby it brings good health.

Awakening
Neti awakens ajna chakra the seat of insight, intuition and transcendence located in the mid eyebrow point. In acupuncture, the point between the eyebrows is called GV (governor vessel) 24.5. It corresponds to the point called the bhrumadhya in yogic terminology. It is the trigger point for the ajna chakra which is a very important psychic centre. It is the point where the ida and pingala meet and flow as one channel- the sushumna. There are many methods of stimulating this point: acupuncture uses needles etc., yoga uses other techniques including neti.

How to do it
I tend to practice neti two or three times a week. Avoid doing it everyday, as the body could lose its natural balance. But when you first start do it every day for the first 3 months to effect rebalance.

1. Get yourself a good pot - the rolls royce is the nosebuddy pot. And it really is eons ahead of other pots (see right) - you wouldn't believe. Though it might look a bit rude! Fill it to the line drawn on the side, with lukewarm body temperature water.

2. Use the spoon provided with the pot to add a spoon's worth of salt - cooking salt is best.  DO NOT use sea salt - or ouch!!!  stir well to dissolve the salt fully into the water.  If, when you do the practice, it stings the reason is that you have not got the salt balance right.  Salt balance is crucial in matching the osmotic potential of the water with that of your body so that the body 'thinks' that the neti water is simply more of your own body fluid and the process feels sweet.
3. Breathing through your mouth, insert the spout gently into your left nostril, slowly tilt your head and pot slowly sideways to the right so that the water runs into the left nostril and out through the right one. This will happen automatically, provided the position of the pot and the angle of your head are correct, and the mouth is open for breathing. Allow all the water in the pot to flow freely until it is empty and then repeat on the right nostril. If the water passes down the back of the throat you have your head in the wrong position and you need to change the angle.




its important to dry the nostrils


4. After completion, the nostrils need to be dried and cleared completely of water. Do this firstly by bending forward so that the top of your head is hanging down. Slowly tilt your head to each side in turn and lift up and down a little, slowly. Stay inverted for about 30 secs until nostrils are drained. stand up and blow sharply (bhastrika) through one nostril about 20 times, then the other. Then repeat bhastrika through both nostrils until clear. Test if they are dry by blowing through both onto the back of the hand, if you don't feel water then you have probably completed the drying process.