Heels Over Head
Here’s a cure to unlock the vise grip of a tension headache. Move into this reclining stretch at the first sign of pain and fall “head over heels” as you stretch away muscle tension while nourishing your facial skin, scalp and hair roots. And as your venous circulation improves, you may also prevent varicose veins. This restorative stretch allows blood and fluids that usually pool in your legs and trunk to flow towards your heart. Skip this stretch if you have uncontrolled high or low blood pressure, chronic nasal, sinus or thyroid disorders, or any infection or inflammation of your eyes or ears.
- Lie on your right side, close to a wall, with your knees bent towards your chest. Scoot your hips over so that your feet and buttocks touch the wall.
- Roll to the left, swinging your legs up the wall. Open your arms from your shoulders out to the sides, palms up. If you feel tension in the backs of your legs, turn your legs slightly in and release any tightness in your knees.
- Relax into the stretch and breathe deeply, holding the position at least five minutes. Your breathing becomes slow and deep as you hold the stretch, relieving stress and relaxing muscles in your forehead, eyes, jaw and tongue.
- Come out of the stretch, retracing the steps you took to move into it. Bend your knees, roll to your side, and use your strong arms to move to your hands and knees. Place one foot on the floor, with your knee bent, and hold on to a chair or wall for support as you raise your body to standing.
Prevent back strain by making sure that your buttocks touch the wall. Tight hamstrings? Bend your knees as much as necessary to alleviate any pulling sensations in the backs of your legs.
Posted on January 20th, 2008 by Barbara
Filed under: Reverse Gravity
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