Yoga / Asthma, bronchitis, and hay fever - Part 2

Asthma, bronchitis, and hay fever - Part 2

Ready ? Right, now kneel down in your corner with your hands laced behind your head. Adopt the position in figure 24. 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're more than half-way there. Make no attempt to go farther as this is the stage in the proceedings when students try to attain too much in a hurry with sometimes unpleasant results. So perform this hopping off the ground three or four periods and then straighten up for a rest.
There is an alternate technique of performing stage 4 which some of you might find somewhat easier. Proceeding from the position in figure 24, 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 could feel your toes leave the ground. Keep your body hunched up in a ball whichever procedure you adopt. If you do not you would be almost certain to overbalance at this stage. Practice stage 4 until you could make your toes leave the ground three periods in succession. You will then, I hope, feel confident ample 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 steadily your body becomes less likely to drop back immediately. Proceed very slowly at this stage and bear in mind at all periods 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 commence to tire. It is far better to practice stage 5 only half a dozen periods 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're 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 totally still (and don’t jerk about in sheer surprise), that you would be able to remain so for a few seconds. Now you're 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 harmless 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 contribute greatly to your comfort.
When you're 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 as I have demon
strated in figure 26. You will find this stage very easy if you have
been practicing properly, and you would be able to remain in this
position for a full small 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.
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 as in figure 26, very steadily 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's frustrating, but once you could do the Headstand you will have it for life, so it's worth a little of your time and patience now, is it not ?
The second procedure is as follows. Proceed from the position in figure 26, but this time straighten your legs while keeping your feet against the wall. You would be in a kind of Headstand at once by this procedure but why I do not favour it as much as the other one is that in this position your spine is uncomfortably arched instead of being held naturally and because it displays quick outcomes students tend to rely on this procedure and become so used to the support of the wall that they have difficulty, afterwards, in doing the Headstand without it. So really this second procedure takes more time in the long run.
The third procedure is as follows. Proceed from the hunched up half-way position and, instead of swinging your feet over to touch the wall, very slowly, half-inch by half-inch straighten your legs. You will wobble, you will fall all over the place, you will drop back to the ground like a stone and you will perhaps become persuaded that you will never make it at all, but again take heart and keep practicing. Patience is the only technique and one day you will find that, instead of bouncing back to the floor as you expected, you will remain poised on your head and arms with your body as straight as a candle, as in figure 27, page 83.
I must warn you that, like so a lot others, when you first find that you could do the Headstand, you would be so surprised that you will perhaps overbalance and have to come down quickly out of sheer amazement. It is rather like learning to ride a bicycle. When you finally find yourself gaily pedalling along without someone propping you up, you look around, find you have left your friend far behind and promptly fall off in sheer horror. So while you're still flushed with your first success, try your Headstand again. This time you will find that you could control your muscles to such an extent that you would be able to rise slowly into a beautiful Headstand. There you are. You finally made it. Congratulations!
Remember that when you're practicing do keep your body rolled up into a ball with your knees near your face both going up and coming down. When you could do a ideal Headstand it would be of more benefit to you to perform it various times a day for short periods, say five or ten minutes at a time, rather than to indulge in long spells of half an hour or more. There is some controversy on this point but I favour the ‘little and often* procedure as being not only more beneficial but also more practical for the business person or busy housewife. Hatha Yoga is nothing if not down to earth and practical.
The variations of the Headstand are a lot and the adventurous among my readers might like to try a few, though please apply the same care in each case when coming down. Roll your body into a ball and so avoid spills.
Variation 1. Your hands, instead of being laced behind your head, are kept separate. As you rise into the Headstand the hands should be fiat on the floor, palms downwards, about six inches on either side of your head. While in this position you may either straighten your legs as already described or bend your knees and place the soles of your feet together. This stretches the muscles of the shoulders and thighs.
Variation 2. In the above position the legs are crossed at the knees and again at the ankles. This tones and stretches the muscles of the thighs and legs and helps to relieve varicose veins.
Variation 3. Again in the above position with the hands on either side of the head, stretch your legs as wide apart as possible until you're doing the splits upside down.
Variation 4. Here the hands are in a dissimilar position. Before you rise into the Headstand, raise your arms above your head with the elbows bent, with your hands grasping the opposite forearms. Now rise into position and keep your legs straight up in the air.
Variation 5. Perform the classical Headstand with the hands laced at the back of the head and then, with your feet together, bring your legs forward until they are at right angles to your body.
Variation 6. This is one of the the bulk advanced Yoga asanas called Oorhwapadmasana or the HEADSTAND LOTUS POSE. While in the Headstand fold your legs into the Lotus Pose and remain thus for as long as you can. This one is not for the beginner but the practiced student will find it surprisingly easy.
Variation 7. If you could perform the Headstand Lotus Position you could proceed a step farther. While in this position twist the body from the waist to the right, to the left, and so on from side to side. This exercises the muscles of the waistline and sheers off fat in this area.
Variation 8. Still in the Headstand Lotus Pose bring your crossed legs down until your body is bent double. This requirements especial care when you're coming out of it. Do so as follows. Straighten your body first, uncross your legs, stretch them up in the air, bend your knees, and descend with safety.
Variation 9. Though I could take up a whole chapter on describing the a lot variations of the Headstand I will make this the last one because I would like you to go on to something else which a lot of you will find a little easier. In this variation of the Headstand the first and last variations are combined. Here the hands are placed on either side of the head, the legs are then crossed in the Lotus Position and the legs are brought down until the body is bent double. Again please take care when coming out of the position.
Benefits of the Headstand
This asana affects four of the the bulk important endocrine glands —the pituitary, the pineal, the thyroid, and the parathyroids. The regular practice of the Headstand helps to relieve insomnia, tension, nervousness and anxiety, poor circulation of the blood, asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, hay fever, headaches, female disorders, and lack of energy. It is because of its a lot benefits and because it affects the the bulk important gland in the body, the pituitary, that the Headstand has been called ‘The King of Asanas’.
A word of warning, though. If you suffer from high blood pressure, palpitations, incessant constipation, incessant nasal catarrh, or frail eyes, please do not attempt the Headstand. Cure your complaints by other Yoga exercises first, but in the case of
ASTHMA, BRONCHITIS, AND HAY FEVER 89 high blood pressure I do not advocate it under any circumstances.
Having just described, in this chapter on illnesses of the respiratory tract, one of the the bulk difficult of the Yoga asanas, I will now describe a really easy one which will present not the slightest difficulty. It is an invaluable exercise for sufferers from these complaints because it allows full expansion of the lungs while doing deep breathing and at the same time the inverted position helps to drain congested cavities. It is called THE
LETTER L BREATHING EXERCISE.
Letter L Breathing Exercise
Facing a suitable wall, lie down on your back and place your feet as high up the wall as you possibly can, keeping your legs straight. Stretch out your arms above your head, without joining the fingers, and hold them palms upwards and elbows straight. Your body is now in the shape of a letter L as in figure 28, page 91.
Perform the deep slow Complete Breath while in this position. Take as a lot breaths as you have time for, but not less than ten at a time. Do not use force and at the end of each exhalation pull in your abdomen slightly to expel the last minute amount of air from your lungs. This exercise will not only aid to bring respite from asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, and hay fever, but the inverted posture will bring calmness to your mind.
Having had an easy time of it with the Letter L Breathing Exercise, try now another exercise which incorporates breathing, stretching, and in its advanced stages, a high degree of balance. It is the beautiful MOUNTAIN POSTURE or PARVATASANA in Sanskrit.
Mountain Posture
There are four variations of this posture and I will describe them in order of difficulty.
Variation 1. Kneel down and hold your body straight up from the knees to the top of your head. Raise your arms above your head and hold them palm to palm while keeping your elbows as straight as you can. Practice the Yoga Complete Breath while in this position and bear in mind not to let your body sag and to keep your tummy muscles pulled well in.
Variation 2. Sit down in the Lotus Pose, raise your hands above your head with your fingertips touching as in figure 31. Holding your body very still, and without letting your arms sag, again practice the Yoga Complete Breath. Keep this up for as long as you could but if you feel any discomfort in your legs please undo them.
Variation 3. This enhances the stretch of the dorsal muscles while you're performing the deep breathing. While seated in the Lotus Pose lace your fingers together and turn them palms upwards. Now raise your arms as far above your head as you could and you will feel a powerful stretch along your sides. This intensifies the advantages of this asana. I have demonstrated the correct position in figure 30, page 91.
Variation 4. This is one of the the bulk spectacular of the Yoga asanas and is for more advanced students. Although this is primarily a book for beginners to the subject I did not want to leave out this fourth variation of the Mountain Posture in case some of you might feel up to trying it. It is not easy but the practice of it will aid you to acquire balance and patience. While sitting in the Lotus Pose with your hands above your head with the fingertips touching as in figure 31, raise your buttocks off the floor and remain balanced on your knee-caps as 1 have demonstrated in figure 29.
To the adventurous among you who attempt it I would say please go carefully and do not strain any of your muscles. You will attain nothing by forcing your unwilling muscles where they would rather not go. Your best technique to master Variation 4 is to practice the other three until ideal and then, while supporting yourself with a conveniently placed chair or low table you could gently pull yourself on to your knee-caps, and then let go of the chair or table. It will tax your sense of balance to the utmost but practice would be the answer. While poised on your knee-caps with your arms above your head practice the Yoga Complete Breath. The effort required for the perfection of this advanced posture will greatly improve your powers of concentration and in addition to the advantages to the muscles of the arms and torso the deep breathing will aid congested lungs and bronchial tubes and the posture tones up the entire nervous system.

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