Dhanurasana is one of my favorite poses. It creates a sense of openness & freedom. It is also a great indicator if my hip is aligned properly, since ive dealt with this issue for a long time.
One of my students develops headaches when she practises this asana. So first we avoided its practise. Then after a while i made her practise it & she had no problem. However, the headache returned. so i was all confused. Loving challenges being my nature, i went about investigating :) Well, several causes here
1. Extending the neck causes muscle tightness leading to lack of air supply to brain.
2. Fear from doing the asana causes tightness
3. Lumbar region of spine flattens out causing headaches.
It could be any or all of the above reasons. But one thing is for sure. whatever causes us trouble we are wary of it. This fear sticks to us. Its the same when some of us cant practise headstand after a fall. Or any other asana. And the only way to get out of this thinking is to breath deeply, calm the mind, with awareness try again. And again if you fail. But always respect the body signals & the boundaries it creates. The idea of yoga is to stretch these boundaries, but only with love, care & awareness. Provide the safe environment for any practise; failures or success then becomes a smaller thing. The openness to oneself is what builts trust within. Thats yoga. Love & trust yourself first.
