Should pitta-dosha people do Headstand?

What is your opinion about Headstand for pitta-dosha people?

By John Friend

—Mary Wade, California

John Friend's reply:

In general, Headstand is considered a heating pose and one that stimulates inner fire. Therefore, pitta-dominant yogis are often cautioned not to stay in Headstand too long in order to prevent their fiery dispositions from becoming aggravated. Yet Headstand is a very beneficial pose, so it is worthwhile for pitta-dominant yogis to learn how to perform it without creating too much inner heat and fire.

Here are some key points for pitta students practicing Headstand:

1. Cultivate a quiet, cool attitude when performing the pose. Although you must use strength and good muscular engagement to create the stability needed to help you extend your spine upward, over-efforting in this pose will aggravate pitta dosha.

2. Breathe slowly and evenly, focusing particularly on the exhalation.

3. Relax and enjoy the quiet stillness of the pose. Reduce fidgeting.

4. Work with a yoga teacher who is well-trained in postural alignment. Proper alignment of the cervical spine and good engagement of the neck muscles will help to stimulate the vagus nerve, which will in turn activate the parasympathetic nervous system and prevent an excessive pooling of blood into the head.

5. Don't struggle to stay up in the pose. As soon as you are unable to consistently maintain your alignment, it is time to come down. Through regular practice with good alignment and a cool attitude, your ability to hold Headstand with ease and without aggravating pitta will steadily increase.

This month's expert, John Friend, is the founder of Anusara Yoga, which combines the celebration of the heart, the art of inner body awareness, and the science of universal principles of alignment.

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