Sirsasana, the posture on the head, is considered the most beneficial of the asanas (postures) of yoga. It acts on the whole physical body and on the intellect, but also on breathing, the energy field and on global power. In this article, we will explore the different ways of approaching this posture, as well as its multiple benefits.
Training in Sirsasana
To effectively warm up to the posture on the head, it is recommended to prepare the shoulders well and to gain the body.
The Dolphin is an excellent training, to be carried out alone if you have never approached Sirsasana, or just before performing the posture.
Sit on your heels. Grab your elbows in the palms of your hands, and keep this gap between your elbows by placing them on the ground. Then let go of your elbows (always holding away) and cross your fingers. Then lean on the forearms and toes and lift your knees off the ground. The tailbone is directed towards the ceiling. In the breath, remove the shoulders from the ears and recoil your back by pushing the ground with your forearms. In the exhalation, imagine that you want to touch the ground with the tip of your nose. Repeat this movement a dozen times, then pause for a few seconds and repeat the exercise twice. You should feel the warm-up in the shoulders as the shoulders strengthen.
Taking the posture
There are several options to get into Sirsasana.
Option 1
From the station sitting on the heels, move the bust forward, then position your hands spaced the size of the shoulders flat on the floor.
Then put your head on the ground at the front of your hands. It is the top of the skull that rests on the yoga mat,so that the neck is well aligned and therefore protected.
The toes are hooked into the ground. On an inspiration, stretch your legs. Be aware of the weight between your hands and head. Keep your neck long. Explore this state before gradually bringing your feet closer to the face. The tailbone is stretched skyward. When the feet are close enough and your back stretched, you will notice that you can simply lift your feet off the ground, at the beginning of a few centimetres to familiarize yourself with the posture and then higher and higher until the final posture.
This requires sheathing the abdominals and strongly engaging the shoulders.
Option 2
It is also possible to take the posture from the standing position if your flexibility allows it. Spread your feet widely and lay your hands flat on the ground, aligned with your feet, then place the top of the skull on the ground just at the front of your hands. Once the head, neck and spine are aligned, move the weight of the body forward, distributed between the hands and neck. In the same way as before, you will feel at some point that you have enough stability to take your feet off the ground, perhaps just the heels at first. In this version of the posture, the legs rise to the sky by being spread, which can stabilize you or destabilize you. Once you are perfectly comfortable you can gather the legs.
Option 3
It is often the take version of Sirsasana that is most used.
Start sitting on your heels. Grab the elbow with the opposite hand, this will serve as a measure for the whole posture.
Place your elbows on the ground while maintaining the distance created previously. Then cross your fingers, so it forms a triangle between the elbows and hands. Leave a space like a small cavity in your hands: this is where you will place the back of your head. Place the top of the skull on the floor, neck and back in the same line. In the same way as option 1, put your toes on the ground and stretch your legs (or keep your knees bent if you can’t find flexibility in your legs).
Get your feet as close as possible to your face, but don’t round your back. Once the tailbone is pointed skyward and you feel the balance, slowly take your feet off the ground. You can proceed in stages: at first simply feel the balance and muscles that need to be engaged to support the posture. Then bring your knees back to your chest and hold on. Finally, gradually stretch your legs to the sky.
Model: Maricha Dumont, Amazon yogini
Benefits of Sirsasana Yoga Posture
According to yoga-related writings, Sirsasana’s benefits are so numerous that they would be impossible to list. Here we will try to pass on to you the main benefits of practicing this posture.
The practice of Sirsasana relieves kidney and lumbar aches that constantly support the weight of the upper body.
It is very efficient in terms of blood circulation and therefore the proper functioning of red blood cells that carry oxygen into the body. When the posture is carried out with deep breaths, it deeply detoxifies the whole body without tiring the heart.
This posture decongests and releases internal organs such as the viscera, genitals and prostate in men. She performs a good massage of the liver and spleen.
It is estimated that to take advantage of these effects, it is necessary to perform the posture 3 times 5 minutes a day, or 15 minutes on average.
Sirsasana’s practice alters breathing. It essentially acts at the time of exhalation and promotes the intensity of the exhalation by exerting light pressure of the organs on the diaphragm. It is important to always breathe through your nose.
During this powerful inversion, the brain is very irrigated. Remember that this organ is irrigated by an average of 2,000 litres of blood per day, which circulates through a network of 100,000 kilometers of capillaries, tiny blood vessels.
At the time of Sirsasana’s realization, blood flows into the brain with a slight pressure on the top of the skull, performing an effective rinse.
Sirsasana retains the elasticity of these famous capillaries of the brain, it helps to avoid or remove migraines and headaches.
This posture is also supposed to promote and stimulate intellectual functions: it improves memory and strengthens concentration, helps to resist nervous fatigue and allows the practitioner to better exploit his own mental resources.
Sirsasana dispels nervousness and anxiety and symbolically “changes perspective” in relation to a given situation where one feels mentally blocked.
It also acts on hormones and glands such as the pituitary gland or thyroid gland in charge of metabolism. It is also claimed that Sirsasana maintains the overall youth of the organization.
This posture improves balance, contributes to clearer vision and strengthens hearing. It also improves posture and posture of the body and helps to adopt a more “flexible and graceful” natural approach.
Moreover, when this posture is performed, there is an abundant irrigation of the face by arterial blood. This nourishes the epidermis, which reduces superficial facial wrinkles.
The skin rejuvenates and regenerates, erasing emerging wrinkles.
The scalp is also irrigated, which would cause the hair to grow. Some even think that at a rate of 30 minutes a day, Sirsasana could restore their natural color to graying hair.
In addition, Sirsasana helps to overcome insomnia.
Counter-indications related to the practice of Sirsasana
Contrary to what many people think, Sirsasana is not a dangerous posture or requiring Olympic physical conditions. Indeed, it is accessible to 90 people, if it is carried out in a proper way and framed until its perfect mastery.
Our only advice would be to avoid doing this posture if it causes you migraines. Take your time and be careful in Sirsasana’s accomplishment.
Nice practice!