Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
| Online Publication Date: 16 Jul 2009
Medical and Physiological Aspects of Headstand
Medical and Physiological Aspects of Headstand
Page Range: 29 – 34
The subject of this article is the famous headstand posture and some current theories about the production of its effects of which there are an enormous number. The definitive work was published by Dr. Rao in the Journal of Applied Physiology (Ref. I& 2). The first point he considered was when one goes into the headstand position, about 400 to 500 ml of blood flows from the legs down towards the head. He measured blood pressure in the leg and found that it fell from about 200 to 10 mm Hg., average pressure. In the neck and arm, however, pressure rose by 20% (from about 90 mm Hg., to 108 mm Hg., mean blood pressure).
Rao, Shankar 1962. Metabolic cost of head-stand posture. J. Appl. Physiol. l7 (1) pp. 117-118.
Rao, Shankar 1963. Cardiovascular responses to head-stand posture. Ibid 18(5) p. 987.
Ingvar, D.H. & Schwartz. Brain 1974 97 p.273.
See for example: Oswald, Ian. "Sleep." Penguin 19EE.
Allenby, F. et al. Lancet 22.12.73. p.l412.
Foster, J.B. et al. Lancet 8.5.76 p. 981.
The Yoga sutras of Patanjali, various editions, et. Ed: Charles Johnston Pub: Watkins, London.