Fight Fatigue with a Yoga Headstand
Oh how life can be rife with fatigue-worthy affairs! Sometimes it seems at every corner we get knocked down, in one figurative way or another. And often we feel helpless against that constant state of sluggishness, that fog that just won’t lift. But in fact, simple ways to combat a complete and utter lack of energy are available to us 24/7. We don’t need anything but our body and our will (well, and some flat ground and maybe a blanket). Although you will have to muster the strength and motivation to fling your body upside down, when you turn your life around literally, the shift will trickle into all aspects of your life.
We probably don’t have to tell you this, but Yoga is burgeoning with health benefits. And the headstand – called sirsasana in Sanskrit – is crowned the king of asanas (poses). It reverses gravity (yes, it’s anti-aging!), restoring the position of vital organs and increases the circulation to the neck resulting in an improved quality of sleep (which might be the main reason why you find yourself so tired in the first place). Circulation to the brain also surges, which can help things like intelligence, memory, vitality and confidence. Inversions are revitalization incarnate.
Before venturing onto your head, it’s important to find a yoga instructor who can teach you proper alignment and perhaps give you a few tricks of the trade. You may need to build up to a full headstand with some other preparatory yoga poses, but your patience and persistence will pay along the way and in the end. With a little courage and encouragement, you’ll swing up into a headstand in no time, coming down with a renewed sense of self and a lightness in foot. Use a blanket as padding for the crown of your head and a wall to come up against; both will help with any fear that arises. But know, it’s natural to be scared of inversions as they constitute change. Remember though, real transformation comes when we confront and move into that uncomfortable place we call change.
image: shoothead
