BodyLift Headstander: A Cure for Back Pain

The BodyLift Headstander makes it easy to
 do your favorite headstand variations while
 letting your neck and head relax.

The BodyLift Headstander is great for doing headstands with no neck strain and can really free you up to have fun with variations.  That's why most people like this prop. It is a unique and wonderful tool for making stress free inversions possible.  However, I love this apparatus for an entirely different reason.  I make money selling it.

Ha Ha!  I bet you weren't expecting that.  True though it is,  it is not what I truly love about my own personal model. I value my Headstander for the many non-headstand variations that are comfortable to do on it.  With the insert firmly velcroed in place, rather than removed, this versatile prop is a low bench with a thickly cushioned top that lends itself to all sorts of creative and deeply restorative practices.  One in particular is a real life saver for me.

The Headstander with the insert
firmly in place to make a low bench.

The Headstander in bench mode is similar to a backless Iyengar yoga chair but I usually prefer the former because of its warm, durable and comfortable padding and its complete lack of a back.  The pleather covered foam cushion makes it comfortable to use for all kinds of supported variations.
     
In the next series of posts to this blog, I will share some of the restorative Headstander poses and special uses that I like best.  For anyone who already has one, I hope this will broaden your appreciation and use of it.  For those of you who have yet to experience this prop, I hope these posts will help you to understand the unique contribution it can make to your health and well being.

About 5 years ago, during a period when I was pitching for a softball team and not practicing yoga regularly beyond teaching my once weekly class, my back went out really badly. The first night with this injury, when  I tried to sleep, my left leg felt like a swarm of hornets were stinging it for hours on end.  It was awful.  For days my left leg hurt so much I could not walk.  For a couple of weeks more,  I could not remain sitting or standing for longer than a few minutes before the pain would start to grow.   An MRI discovered that I have 4 herniated discs.  For those who love details they are L2, L4, L5 and T11.  I'm not that technical of a yogi but I did realize that I had an opportunity to pursue some serious self healing.  My journey of return to back health was informed by a wonderful Australian physical therapist, Raymond Wong-Pan, supportive friends, family and local yoga teachers, and my brilliant and encouraging Continuum Body Movement teacher, Elaine Colandrea.  After years of trial and error and steadily growing strength and flexibility I can now do everything I used to do, including sports and heavy lifting.   So where does the Headstander fit in?

It turns out that during these years of experimentation, the quickest remedy I have found for my back pain is the Side Lying Pose on my Headstander.  When I suffer from either direct tightness, spasms and pain in my lower and middle back or radiating pain that most often appears in my left ankle and shin, doing this posture for a few minutes on each side brings immediate and generally, long lasting relief.   I don't know if others will be so lucky as I am but I do know it works for me and I'm eager to share this method so that I might learn if others will be helped by my discovery.  This pose can also be done on a folding chair.  I prefer the Headstander for a couple of reasons which I will explain later, but if you are eager to try this deep and potentially curative stretch, do not wait for a Headstander to appear in your life, try it using a regular metal folding chair.  If it works for you then you may want to consider obtaining a Headstander to enhance your experience.

 A few words of caution are necessary here.  I am not a Doctor.  My stories are informed only by my own experience.  If you have a medical condition seek medical advice.  I only share about my situation to add to your knowledge, not to direct you.

Interestingly, some of the things I could not do for the longest time as I recovered seem related to this pose.  For instance, deep side stretches like half moon or triangle pose would aggravate my discomfort during my acute phase.  Once my symptoms subsided these side stretches seemed to keep them from coming back.  My only guess as to why this is is that when my nerves were inflamed and enlarged, pressure on them  pinched them and created pain.  Once they returned to a healthy state they were not as sensitive nor as fat, so the same bends that bothered them before now gives them a chance to settle where they need to be, stretch and receive needed circulation of blood and other fluids.  Of course I don't really know but it seems to be working.

This position bothered my back when it was in an
acute phase and in early recovery.

This one too!

This brings up a good point and one that I have been reminded of again and again by both health professionals and my own body.  When something is in an acute chronic phase, when it hurts a lot and is continually uncomfortable, rest may be the best and perhaps only medicine.  Doing things may only aggravate the condition.  Once the symptoms have subsided or become intermittent, experimenting with helpful exercises to maintain and encourage healthfulness is appropriate.  This exercise in particular would only have worsened my problem if I did it when my back was in full distress.  Once it was on the mend the side lying pose became soothing and preventative of dramatic recurrence.  Now if I notice small twinges in my back or legs, I can safely do this exercise and obtain relief.  That was not true when my back was truly "out".

Take care when doing any stretching to go slowly and listen to your body.  This deep listening is perhaps the most important practice. Take it slow and if you find your mind wandering away from your body gently bring it back.  You can do this posture "cold" with no warm up or as part of a larger routine.  If doing it cold be sure to slooow down as much as possible.

Here's How:
  
Sit on the edge of your Headstander so one hip is resting on the end of the apparatus and one is hovering over the air.

Getting on the Headstander for Side Lying Pose.

 Lie down in the direction of the hip on the Headstander so you are laying across the width of the cushion.  As you lay down, extend your legs so they are in line with your torso suspended above the floor.   Now comes the fun part.  Let your legs relax and arc down toward the floor.  Similarly let your upper body and head and neck arc toward the floor.  Use your hands and arms.  The hand  on the high side can go above your head on the floor and the lower upper-arm can go on the floor below your shoulder.  You can regulate the degree of stretch you experience by pressing into the floor or relaxing into it.

Hand and arm positions for Side Lying Pose

You will likely feel an intense pulling along your thighs, hips, buttocks and lower back.  Keep this sensation in a pleasurable zone and relax into it.  After a minute or two you may notice that the stretch no longer feels intense as your body accommodates to it.  You may like to tilt your body forward or backward to elongate slightly different areas of your torso and legs.  Find a new position and relax into it.

Once you have done this for a few minutes on each side and feel complete, bend your knees to bring your feet to the floor and press into your hands gently to come back up.

Full position, Side Lying Pose on Body Lift Headstander.

Here are a few more tips.  Sometimes when you first lay down the pressure of the cushion on an upper rib might be uncomfortable.  It is easy to adjust that by moving your body toward your head or feet.  Usually moving the body toward the feet will lessen the pressure.  The angle you achieve by moving toward your head may also create comfort for you.  Experiment and you will find your sweet spot.  If you discover you need more support  because you have a long torso you can angle your self on the cushion diagonally to create more contact with the Headstander.

While working on a folding chair is a good way to experience this deep side stretch without exertion using a Headstander has some strong advantages.  The thick cushion of the Headstander makes discomfort from pressure on the body less likely than if you were working on a folding chair.  Also the Headstander is made for this kind of activity with feet that lay flat on the floor providing a more stable base than most folding chairs.  Finally, the Headstander is a couple of inches closer to the floor than a folding chair, making control of this stretch easier to maintain.

Over the years I have found various exercises that have worked to prevent and relieve minor back discomfort.  Having these tools has helped me to no longer fear a recurrence of major back pain.  This exercise is the one that has most consistently helped me and it is still my go to "curative exercise".  It is my fervent hope that it will help you too.

When you try this and have some positive results I'd love to hear about it.  Plus, if you have any questions, please let me know.