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| Asana Analysis: Headstand/Salamba Sirsasana: How Physical Therapists Can Incorporate this Yoga Pose Into Practice |
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by Lisa B. Minn, PT - August 4, 2010
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 A headstand is something typically associated with gymnastics and youth. Children often do headstands in tumbling classes or on the playground. Why would any self-respecting adult want to stand on their head? Because when done properly, headstand proffers many benefits. Inversions increase venous return, improve blood flow and circulation of lymph. Inversions are thought to strengthen the immune system and to help balance the endocrine system. Headstand in particular can also increase shoulder strength, improve core stabilization and enhance concentration.
That said, headstand is not for everyone. It is an intermediate pose and is best learned under the guidance of a yoga teacher or therapist. Those with high blood pressure, eye conditions such as a detached retina, and those with neck pain or acute injuries should not attempt to do any version of headstand.
Muscles Strengthened: Deltoids, triceps, rotator cuff muscles, rhomboids, middle and lower trapezius, serratus anterior, pectoralis major and minor, abdominals, thoracic and lumbar extensors, gluteus maximus, quadriceps
Points of Body Awareness:
*Are you gripping your hands together? Clasp the hands gently in order to avoid unnecessary tension throughout the body.
*Is the top of your head resting lightly on the ground or do you feel a lot of weight and pressure on the skull or through the neck?
*Are the jaw and throat muscles relaxed?
*Do you feel your shoulder girdle engage to support most of your weight?
*Can you feel your navel or bladder drawing in toward the center of the body?
*Do you feel yourself lengthening from the core, up through the legs?
*Can you breath deeply and steadily?
To Modify: Practice the upper body mechanics of the pose and build up strength and endurance of the shoulders without worrying about balance by keeping the legs on the seat of a chair. Watch a demonstration of this technique.
To Challenge: Come in and out of the pose with total control, first by lifting and lowering both legs with the knees bent. As you get stronger, lift and lower both legs together with the knees strait. You can also change the position of the legs while in headstand. Try splits, straddles or butterfly variations, always maintaining stability through the shoulders and spine.
PT Notes: A full headstand requires a high degree of spinal stabilization and core strength. If the deep neck muscles are weak (longus colli or rectus capitus) or inhibited, the superficial muscles of the neck and jaw will likely be tense during headstand. Without adequate abdominal strength, the hips will remain slightly flexed. With this compensation, it is easier to balance because the posterior muscles of the trunk and hips do most of the work rather than the anterior muscles.
A 2006 study showed that modified headstand was effective in improving AROM and decreasing pain in patients with rotator cuff tears. I will write more about this study as a guest blogger for Mike Rheinold in an upcoming post.
Lisa Minn is a licensed physical therapist and yoga enthusiast. She has been incorporating aspects of Yoga and Pilates into her physical therapy practice since 2001 and became a certified yoga instructor in 2004. Her experience ranges from working with athletes at West Point and Georgetown to instructing elderly and wheelchair-bound clients in the fundamentals of Hatha Yoga. Lisa has conducted several lectures and workshops across the US, as well as in Honduras and Peru, where she volunteered her services. She currently resides and practices in Northern California. This and other articles by Lisa can be found at The Pragmatic Yogi.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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