Dawood

[prana]

Hey dewd,

When you stand on your head, do you put the weight on a flat part of your head, or on your crown where the channel opens to the heavens ?

I've got a funny shape head, where my crown seems to be kinda sharpened, like "man, its fooly fahglee head !!". But makes it difficult for me to stand on my head confortably for long.

Even on carpet, feels like the skulls gonna crack. Just trying to perform one of the yoga poses one of the monks taught me.... hahahah having lots of trouble.

[dezhen2001]

hey man - sounds like fun :D

its on the flat part of the head really, towards the crown i guess... the "bai hui" area in chinese medicine... i assume thats what you mean when you say opens ot the heavens?

Actually my head has a slight "point" towards there as well, but its still kinda flat lol its amazing how much bumpy and lumpy your head is - u only notice it when u do this kinda training :D

but the thing is mate... i didnt just do that right away... i had to do a lot of training to make the bone and my neck stronger too before i could do that. That was done by leaning against a wall using my head, gradually getting more and more horizontal with all my weight against the wall.

so i dunno if u can do it right away, but will have to build it up :)

hope that helps,
dawood

[dezhen2001]

i was just thinking...

i think a lot of it has to do with your structure as well... i mean being able to keep still or whatever so as your head doesnt move at all. i know for sure thats one way to hurt your head and also damage your neck.

is there no way you can practise it using hands to support you on the ground as well as your head? At least until you have built up a bit?

The next worrying thing after that is how to deal with the blood flow that goes to your head and be able to breathe properly... its really kinda cool :)

dawood

[prana]

thanks for the tip man.

I guess I am a little used to standing used the the blood rush because sometimes, hanging around a roof tends to make your head pop... hehehe

yeah, I thought it might be that point. Its's just so soft up there, but been strengthening the neck by doing supported stands, ie with both palms also on the ground next to my head. But its going from 3 points of contact to one that scares me :eek:

Practise makes perfect... cheers :)

[dezhen2001]

kewl dude...

but doing supported stands also trains the top of the head :)
so just keep practising and take it step by step.

Eventually once u can find your balance properly and are stronger, u can take 1 hand away etc.

Do u do it against a wall? If so, try different distances away from the wall too so that you train more of your head. Also different angles of your body on the wall add different amounts of your weight to your head and neck... so try and build it up :)

dawood

[prana]

never thought of that. Yeah I train against a wall, but I am only doing like 5 seconds at a time on that Bai Hui point cause its bloody soft.

Will vary the distance to make neck strong.

MUST GET STRONG NECK... hehehe

[dezhen2001]

ok im just thinking of something else... i just tried to do it again myself hehe. my skin is a little soft there too now :p

When you do the pose, is your head quite far out from the wall? So that your legs are actually past vertical and behind your head? if so that would definately be more towards the top and back of your head... ie. the baihui.

its probably one of the hardest areas of the head to train - actually a pain in the arse to condition as well.

but just try to build it up slowly... if you cant actually do the actual headstand for long is there anything else you were shown to build up to it?

Also is it important for your head bones to be strong like that or can you say use a cushion or padding under it? i know that doing it without will directly stimulate the bai hui and things, but kinda depends on exactly what you are doing dewd :)

i mean, the main thing is having a strong structure - your back and neck as well as the waist (for health and martial arts). Thats what hand and headstands are good for training. Actually if you cant do the head try using hands instead or as well as the head! The hardest part is getting your structure correct - we dont arch the back and try to keep the legs straight as possible, head looking directly out so the neck is also straight. its hard to do and really kills till u build up.

maybe i can catch u on icq sometime hehe :p
take it easy and be careful! :)

dawood

[harry_the_monk]

sorry if I hijack this one a bit, but it seems like it is kinda something that I do at the moment, but not sure if I am doing it right.
I saw a picture of a Shaolin Monk doing a head stand, hands in prayer position, but it looked like he was resting against a wall. I kinda tried copying it, not really knowing of benefits or 'correct' way to do it. I lost the picture as well now. I do it on a hard wood floor, and yes, it really hurts. I kinda turned off to the pain, or got used to it for longer periods. up to about 1min 30secs.

Is there actually a practise that you guys seem to be doing that involves this then? and what are the benefits? Also, am I not supposed to be leaning on the wall?

If it is best for me not to know, then that is cool, but I can't seem to find a teacher who explains gong-fu stuff to me personally.

[dezhen2001]

hmmm... well in the hard qigong skill i do its a method of conditioning the head and neck, as well as generally the whole body structure. Its rather advanced though and im just below that stange now (but tried it)... we have other exercises to do a lot of before we attempt that to strengthen the bone and skin on top of the head. As well as getting used to being upside down for a long period of time.

Of course you need the wall - unless your head is square you wont be able to stay upright without it :) (or are extremely good)

To be honest i wouldnt attempt it unless you have been shown by a Sifu... because there are many things that can be different than the pics - for example you dont know how they are breathing in that position, or if any visualization is involved etc.

i have found that along with doing a handstand (which i mainly do) that it makes my body feel very light and my breathing is much stronger, which in turn helps my footwork and mobility.

you post on russbo right? Im there too :)
dawood

[harry_the_monk]

Hi,

yup, I seen u on russbo too ;)
won't post your russbo name though :)

excuse the pun, but I can be a bit hard headed when it comes to trying stuff. I kinda am a believer that if I'm getting benefit from it then I do it, and if I am not getting benefit/damaging myself, I stop.
I work a lot with the breath anyway, and have been blessed to be quite natural to pick up a lot of these exercises. I realise that without a teacher I may be doing them wrong, but I have a lot of experience working with the body, and the understanding of how it works.
I have done, and do practise a lot of yoga as well as my gong-fu,taijiquan,qigong, wrestling. I also have studied the body and how it works from western and eastern points of view, although I realise there is much still for me to learn:)
The only reason why I emphasise this is in case there are others reading who may think they too can just try stuff out, I know the risks, and am willing to take them. I would not advise anyone else to do this.

Anyhoo, thanks, just wanted to check that I wasn't meant to be working up to doing the exercise away from the wall. Peace, and maybe catch up with u on russbo soon.

Amitofu.