Clarification/Follow-up by simon on 04/04/03 11:47 am:
can you also instruct how to do these:
exercises that involve inverting the body like the head stand (sirshasana), shoulder stand (sarvangasana), down dog (adho mukha svanasana), etc. increase the circulation of blood to the head and face and therefore have a beneficial effect

Clarification/Follow-up by abirl on 04/04/03 11:59 am:
Hello simon.

Head stand:
Kneel, place the forearms on a folded blanket or towel with the elbows apart at shoulder width and the upper arms vertical. Interweave your fingers. Lift the buttocks and place the crown of the head between your hands until the neck is vertical. Cup the back of the head with your hands. Straighten your legs and walk your feet towards your body until the back is straight and the thighs touch the body. Transfer your weight onto your head and forearms. Inhale, hold the breath, bend your knees and raise your feet up into the air. Make sure you are balanced then raise the thighs parallel to the floor, knees still bent. Raise the thighs to vertical without overarching. Straighten the legs and exhale. Tighten the buttocks and push the soles of your feet towards the ceiling. Breathe deeply while in the pose. Reverse to come down. Rest your forehead on the floor for a few moments before rolling up gradually to a kneeling position. You may want to try this one against a wall first.

Shoulder stand:
Don't do this one if you have a bad neck.
Lie on your back with arms extended along your body and feet together, tuck your chin in. Inhale and raise the legs to a 90 degree angle. Press your hands palm down into the floor, lift your trunk, raise the legs so your body forms a straight line with the feet pointing up. Support your back with your hands and tighten the buttocks. Stay for one minute or more. Gradually come down by reversing the movement.
The shoulder stand should be followed by the Fish (matsyasana) to counter the movement by stretching the neck in the opposite direction. It can be done lying on the back or with the legs in the lotus position. Inhale and lean back, resting on the elbows. If your legs are in the lotus position, raise your knees as you lean back then exhale, gradually lower the knees to the floor and grasp the big toes. Rest the back of your head on the floor with the neck arched back. To come up, lift the head and knees, lower the spine one vertebra at a time and unfold the legs.

Down dog:
Get down on hands and knees; toes turned in; fingers spread; hands, knees and feet hip-distance apart. Inhale, arching the back, lifting the head and looking up. Exhale, raise knees and hips so body forms an inverted V, let the neck hang loose with head down, push the heels down towards the floor as far as you can (they don't have to touch). Don't arch your back. To come up, walk feet up to hands and gradually roll up.

Regards,
Abir

Clarification/Follow-up by abirl on 04/04/03 12:42 pm:
P.S. If you have a physical condition, make sure you ask a doctor before doing any exercise.

Clarification/Follow-up by simon on 04/05/03 2:14 pm:
thank you for your help. i have asthma and just just started to have elevated blood pressure. should i still do these?

Clarification/Follow-up by abirl on 04/05/03 2:38 pm:
Hi, simon.

I'm not really qualified to say. I think it is probably OK to do them but you should ask your doctor first just in case.

You may want to check out a great book called Yoga for Wellness by Gary Kraftsow which describes specific yoga practices that help to improve both asthma and hypertension, in addition to many other common health problems. You can get it for a reasonable price if you buy it used. Try this link.

Regards,
Abir

Clarification/Follow-up by simon on 04/05/03 4:42 pm:
just saying thank you Abir