Headstand

Headstand ( shirshasana )

The headstand is a gymnastics or yoga exercise in which you stand on your head with or without the support of your hands. During the exercise, the head lies on the floor or some other surface, the body and legs are stretched vertically upwards, the hands serve as lateral supports. In a free headstand without the help of the hands, the legs are usually angled to the side in order to maintain balance.

yoga

There are many variations of the headstand yoga exercise ( Sanskrit : shirshasana , IAST : śīrṣāsana , or kapalasana ). They differ from each other v. a. through various uses of the hands as supports. In a very advanced variation, with niralamba shirshasana , these can not even be used at all. In addition to the different supporting arm positions, there are numerous variants with regard to the posture of the legs (e.g. as a split or lotus ).

The shirshasana is the 1st asana of the twelve basic postures of the Rishikesh series . In Ashtanga (Vinyasa) Yoga , the headstand is an integral part of the final cycle after each series of exercises.

Various positive effects on the body are ascribed to the headstand, such as: B. the strengthening of the abdominal muscles , the promotion of the internal secretion of the pineal gland , pancreas and pituitary gland as well as a better blood flow to the lungs.

Since the headstand puts a lot of strain on the neck vertebrae, weight has been shifting to the hands or forearms more often in yoga for some time, or the head has even been lifted slightly off the floor. The headstand actually becomes a forearm stand. People with neck problems, high blood pressure, or increased pressure in the eye ( Graves' disease ) should not do a headstand.

acrobatics

Circus performer doing a free headstand without using the hands

The special form of the free headstand without the help of the hands can be found in acrobatics . Artists can perform this type of headstand on the floor, on the head of another artist or on other surfaces, for example on the high wire or the swinging trapeze .

In order to avoid injuries during this dangerous exercise, extensive training of the neck muscles and a careful warm-up program are necessary before the exercise. Spontaneous free headstand can lead to injuries.

Metaphorical use

• “Doing (a) headstand for joy” or “doing (a) headstand for happiness” means to be very happy or very happy.
• “Standing upside down”, for example “A whole village is upside down”, has the meanings: to be completely surprised, to be confused, to be completely dismayed / horrified, to be confused.

Web links

Commons : Headstand  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: headstand  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Heinz Grill: The Soul Dimension of Yoga: Practical Basics for a Spiritual Path of Practice . Lammers-Koll-Verlag GbR, 2003, ISBN 978-3-935925-60-0 , p. 156.
2. ↑ yogayam.wordpress.com: Headstand with tucked legs.
3. ↑ Srivatsa Ramaswami and T. Krishnamacharya: The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga: The Authoritative Presentation-Based on 30 Years of Direct Study Under the Legendary Yoga Teacher Krishnamacha . Da Capo Press, July 7, 2005, ISBN 1-56924-402-2 , p. 171.
4. ↑ Eulenspiegel . Berliner Verlag, 1965, p. 9.
5. ^ Duden - The dictionary of meaning , Dudenverlag (1985, 2nd edition), p. 392.