Asthma, bronchitis, and hay fever – Do You Get All Three?
Here is a four part series on combating asthma, bronchitis, and hay fever by doing these simple exercises, try them you will be amazed with the results.
Part one of four.
The Headstand or Sirshasana has not been called ‘The King of Asanas’ for nothing.
It is difficult for the beginner to master and I want you to limber up with some easier exercises before attempting to balance on your head. I place the ‘King of Asanas’ in this article on disorders of the respiratory tract because in the relief and cure of such ailments as asthma, bronchitis, hay fever, nose troubles, and sinus troubles it has no equal.
Sinusitis, and allied complaints, often produce severe head-aches and acute discomfort in the cavities of the nose and face. It is difficult for doctors to reach these sinuses except by painful and unpleasant means and nasal sprays are of little use as the openings of the cavities are on the upper side and can only be drained when the body is inverted. This is where Yoga, and particularly the Headstand, is of great help.
So now let us try the preliminary stages.
1. Kneel down, sit back on your heels with your hands on your knees and then bend forward until your forehead touches the floor just in front of your knees. Remain in this position for a few moments and then slowly straighten up. The purpose of this simple exercise is to accustom the head to being lower than the body. If you experience any dizziness please straighten up immediately and proceed with extreme caution until you are able to remain with your head down without experiencing the slightest discomfort. When you wish to go a stage further proceed as follows.
2. Kneel down as before, lace your fingers together and clasp your hands round the back of your head. Bend forward until your forehead touches the floor, approximately twelve inches away from your knees as in figure 24. Press the upper part of your body forward a few times, which will gradually accustom your head and neck to the unfamiliar pressure. Do not attempt the next stage until you can perform stage 2 without any discomfort.
3. In stage 3 you bring a little more of your weight on to your head and arms by straightening your legs with your heels off the ground as I have demonstrated in figure 25. Remain in this position for as long as you comfortably can and under no circumstances remain so if you are still experiencing any dizziness. Caution in the early stages of the Headstand will put you safely, and confidently, on your head.
4. After practicing the first three stages carefully you are now ready to let your feet leave the ground. I always advise beginners to the Headstand to practice this, and the following stages, in a corner so that you have the support of the two walls. When you gain in confidence you can practice it against one wall and after that in the middle of the room.
Meanwhile, let us return to stage 4.
I advise you to put down a small pad or folded blanket for your head from now on. The pressure on the crown of your head is going to be considerable, especially in stages 5 and 6, and while Yoga asanas can sometimes be undeniably strenuous, even the most stoical of Gurus (Yoga Masters) would not wish to inflict any physical suffering on you. So I will wait while you bring that pad for your head.
Ready?
Right, now kneel down in your corner with your hands laced behind your head. Raise yourself on to your toes but without straightening your legs. Walk on your toes for a couple of steps to bring your knees nearer to your face and then, with your knees bent give a little hop off the ground with both legs. You will find that your feet will leave the ground easily but they will also drop back equally easily. Be patient, you are more than half-way there. Make no attempt to go farther as this is the stage in the proceedings when students try to achieve too much in a hurry with sometimes unpleasant results. So perform this hopping off the ground three or four times and then straighten up for a rest.
There is an alternate way of performing stage 4 which some of you might find somewhat easier. Rise on to your toes without straightening your legs and bring your knees nearer to your face as before. But this time, instead of trying to hop off the ground, very slowly press your body forwards until you can feel your toes leave the ground. Keep your body hunched up in a ball whichever method you adopt. If you do not you will be almost certain to overbalance at this stage. Practice stage 4 until you can make your toes leave the ground three times in succession. You will then, I hope, feel confident enough to proceed to stage 5.
5. This stage is an intensification of the last one. While I told you in stage 4 not to attempt anything beyond getting your toes to leave the ground for a brief instant, in this stage I would like you to increase the effort which you put into the whole movement until very gradually your body becomes less likely to drop back immediately. Proceed very slowly at this stage and remember at all times to keep your body rolled up into a ball with your knees well bent.
Practice this stage frequently but do not prolong your efforts to the point when you begin to tire. It is far better to practice stage 5 only half a dozen times at once. You can go back to it later when you have had a short rest.
Stage 5 may be frustrating in the extreme to you when you are impatient to rise into the Headstand but I assure you that if you have been practicing the preliminary stages properly, in a shorter time than you imagine you will find that your body does not drop back to the ground as you expected, but remains poised at the half-way mark. Your knees will sail up right past your head and you will find, if you keep perfectly still (and don’t jerk about in sheer surprise), that you will be able to remain so for a few seconds. Now you are really getting somewhere. But again I must ask you to be patient and not, please not, to try and straighten your legs.
Be content, just for a little while longer, to keep your knees bent and your body rolled up into a ball and to aim for this all-important and controlling half-way position. You will not find it particularly comfortable but you will feel safe and confident if you practice in a corner so that there is no danger whatever of you overbalancing or falling.
The pad under your head will add greatly to your comfort.
6. When you are able to remain immobile at the half-way point for a second or two, proceed as follows. When you either take your jump off the ground or press your body forward to make your feet leave the ground do so with more force than you have hitherto been using so that instead of stopping at the half-way point you will swing your legs right over and with your knees still bent your feet will touch the wall.
You will find this stage very easy if you have been practicing properly, and you will be able to remain in this position for a full minute or more without the slightest effort or discomfort.
Come down, please, as soon as you feel the slightest strain on your head, neck, or shoulders.
7. In this last and final stage of the Headstand you have three alternatives, according to your individual capabilities. I will describe first what is generally considered to be the easiest method. While balanced, very gradually tuck in your buttocks, bring your feet away from the wall, and at the same time very slowly straighten your legs.
Your feet will swing right back to the wall at first but do practice straightening your legs even if at first you cannot manage without resting your feet against the wall. Having got so far with the Headstand you will find that this final stage is the slowest of all.
I know it is frustrating, but once you can do the Headstand you will have it for life, so it is worth a little of your time and patience now, is it not?
Keep coming back here for not just tips on real health issues, but more on the ancient practice of Hatha Yoga, which is now widely accepted in the western world especially in the USA.
Better late than never I say “quote Gaylene Slater”
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