Turning the World Safely Upside Down Part I

The Safe Practice of Headstand and Shoulderstand

Inversions can be a joyful, empowering, perspective altering experience. They require us to do things with our body that we might not have experienced since childhood. What makes inversions so exciting – the fact we are using our arms and heads in ways we don’t normally – can also make them high risk, leaving us susceptible to injury. Our necks in particular can bear the brunt of injuries in certain inversions.

To understand how to practice inversions safely, let’s first discuss the anatomy of the neck.

Free Range

The neck, or cervical spine, is formed by seven vertebrae that stack on top of each other. The vertebrae form joints with the one above and below, and move by gliding on the joints. The neck has a forward curve known as lordosis. During development, the curve of the neck is formed when we started to lift our heads as infants.

The vertebrae are separated by a disc, which acts as a shock absorber and a pivot point for motion. The exception to this is there is no disc between the first and second vertebrae, which are shaped completely different than the other vertebrae of the spine. The second vertebra - also known as the axis vertebra - has a peg-like protrusion that fits into a hole in the first vertebra - also known as the atlas vertebra.

The cervical spine has a vast range of motion capable of rotation, flexion, extension, and side bending. It has the most motion of all the sections of the spine. This mobility means that stability is sacrificed. As the vertebrae move in relation to each other, gliding on the joints, the discs also move. As the cervical spine flexes forward, the discs move backward, and as the spine moves backward in extension the disc moves forward. The disc is full of a jelly like substance known as the nucleus pulposis and if the outer fibers of the disc tear, the internal substance can be squished out resulting in what’s known as a disc herniation.

Top as Bottom

When we use our head as our foundation, instead of our feet, we need to recruit stability for an unstable surface. The architecture of our head and neck is such that it is made to float and move, not to bear weight. We need to support our neck and head when we go into poses like sirsasana, or headstand.

Headstand can help us change our perspective, conquer the fear of inverting, and traditionally is thought to stimulate the pineal and pituitary glands, and tone the abdominal organs. There are many variations of headstand (tripod with head and palms on the floor; supported with head and forearms on the floor; and variations of head on the floor with finger tips out and arms extended).

The safest version of headstand is salamba sirsasana or supported headstand against a wall. Using the forearms on the mat allows us to recruit the strong muscles of the shoulder girdle to create space for the neck. It also allows us to distribute our weight between the head and forearms.

Using a wall helps to avoid awkwardly falling out of the posture. The most common way to injure our discs is when our neck is forced into flexion. This causes the disc to move backward, and if the fibres of the disc tear the nucleus pulposis center can herniate out, causing irritation to the nearby nerves that exit the spine. These nerves supply the muscles and skin of the arms and hands, and if injured can result in months of painful recovery. Unsupported headstand unfortunately leaves us vulnerable to this type of injury.

Headstand is an advanced posture and should only be practiced under the supervision of an experienced teacher. Individuals with high blood pressure or ocular disorders should consult a health care practitioner familiar with yoga before proceeding.

To be continued......