Ask a Yoga Teacher: Headstand Dos and Don’ts
A monthly series where you get to ask your questions and I answer them!
Strap in, this is a long one. I give do’s, don’ts, and how to do Headstand safely as you are ready. There’s a little bonus for you if you make it to the end of the post. 😘 Thanks for reading!
I love practicing Headstand/Sirsasana but it’s one of those poses that can be incredibly beneficial or incredibly detrimental. This is a warming and energizing pose, as are most inverted poses. The exception to that is Shoulder stand/Sarvangasana, which is cooling and calming. I plan to talk about that pose next month.
Going upside down has many benefits, including improving blood flow and circulation, improving digestion, improving concentration and focus, and many others. Musculoskeletally it improves both upper body and core strength, as well as your posture. When I practice I feel stronger, balanced, and centered, both mentally and physically. Head stand is a commonly practiced pose, and is often the source of many injuries when not practiced with proper guidance.
Please note: This pose should not be practiced by beginners. It should also be avoided if you have neck or shoulder injuries, uncontrolled blood pressure, eye pressure problems, or if you tend toward fainting. Other than that, let’s go!
Things to think about when practicing Headstand
Your mindset is what will get you into trouble more often than not. If you practice this pose from your ego, trying to go upside down at all costs, you may end up injured. If you practice this pose by listening to your body and building it from the ground up, you can have a safe and wonderful experience with this pose.
Headstand Don’t #1: Don’t practice Headstand against a wall
It can be scary to go upside down, so having the wall behind you seems like a good idea to keep you from falling over. The problem with this thinking is that it’s easy to kick up to the wall and come crashing down on your neck and head. If you are not yet strong enough to maintain your weight off your head you will injure yourself. It’s important to build strength first.
Headstand Don’t #2: Don’t kick up
Related to #1, when you kick up to Headstand, you rely on momentum to go upside down. Ideally you want to press up to Headstand. Pressing up ensures that you have the core strength to hold this pose stably. You have much more control over your body when you press up than when you kick up. It’s less important in a pose like Handstand because your hands are on the floor. When you head is on the floor, the neck is much more delicate and requires controlling your body weight.
Headstand Don’t #3: Don’t practice Tripod Headstand as your first variation
While the Tripod variation feels more stable, there is much more weight on your head than in the traditional version with your forearms on the floor. Unless you have been practicing Headstand for years and your neck is strong enough to support your body weight, I would avoid this variation. I have been practicing Headstand for decades and I also avoid this variation because it’s too much weight on my neck. You don’t get extra points for Tripod. There are no points. Listen to your body, you only get one in this life.
Headstand Do #1: Start with a solid foundation
Like with any other yoga pose, how you connect to the floor matters. Having a strong foundation of strength and stability will allow you to practice this pose safely and comfortably. If you can do Downward Dog/Adho Mukha Svanasana, Plank pose/Phalakasana, and Four Pointed Staff pose/Chaturanga Dandasana comfortably and confidently, you are ready to start learning Headstand.
Headstand Do #2: Go slowly, there is no rush. Take it one step at a time
The more control you have getting into this pose, the easier it will be to hold it. Control is everything in this pose, both with raising the legs and with holding it. If your legs only come part way up or if your feet only hover off the floor initially, that’s fine. When your body is ready, you will find vertical.
Headstand Do #3: Keep most of your weight off your head
Although this pose is called Headstand, there is actually very little weight on your head. Try to have at minimum 80% of your weight supported by your arms. The top of the head “kisses” the floor but isn’t leaning on the floor. The head is the third point of the triangle, but the less weight you have on it, the better. Your neck will thank you.
How to practice Headstand/Sirsasana
Now that all that is out of the way, let’s get into the details.
Start in Table pose and bring your elbows to the floor. Your elbows should be shoulder distance apart at the widest; I like to have them a little bit closer to each other. As you practice, you will find your way to what is comfortable for you. If the elbows are too wide, your foundation won’t be as stable or sturdy.
With the elbows on the floor, interlace your fingers and tuck your bottom pinky finger inside the other hand so that you have both pinkies touching the floor. This way you aren’t crushing your little finger but have a more stable foundation. Make sure your wrists are straight and are not collapsing inward or outward.
Step 1
Place the top of the head on the floor inside your hands. Your hands are loosely cupping the back of your head. You can stay just like this, on your knees, working to get the weight out of your head by pressing your forearms into the floor. Your shoulder blades should go toward your waist (depression) and out toward your sides (protraction). Stay here for 5-10 breaths and/or move on to the next step.
Step 2
Keep the upper body exactly as it is. Tuck your toes under and lift your hips, just like Downward Dog. This will put more weight into your upper body, so you’ll need to press your arms into the floor even more to keep the weight out of your head. Stay here 5-10 breaths to build more strength and/or move on to the next step.
Step 3
From step 2, walk your feet closer to your head, lifting the hips higher. This hip lift is what will get your feet off the ground (eventually). Press your arms firmly into the floor as your extend your sit bones toward the ceiling. Engage your core! The more you lift the hips, the less weight you will feel on your feet. Start by trying to hover the feet off the floor, not by lifting them, but by lifting the hips and no longer needing them on the floor.
There is a slight shift backward with your hips to counterbalance your feet coming off the floor. The legs are heavy and you need to move the pelvis slightly backward to get them to release from the floor. Ideally the legs are straight, but if you have tight hamstrings, it’s fine if you bend your knees.
Your feet should come off the floor simultaneously, not one at a time. If you can get your feet off the floor at the same time, you have found the connection to your core and your hips. Picking them up one at a time doesn’t ensure that you are balanced on your arms sufficiently.
Finding this transition is the ONLY time you could practice against a wall. Face a wall with your knuckles 2-3” away from the wall. Move through steps 1 and 2. Walk your feet toward your head and press the back of your pelvis toward the wall to get the weight off your feet. It will feel like you are falling backward, but the wall is there to catch you. Go up and down a few times until you can feel the weight shift comfortably.
Step 4
Once you can get the feet off the floor, begin to move the legs toward the ceiling. GO SLOWLY! Start by trying to get your legs parallel to the floor. Once you can hold parallel (lots of core work!), move your feet upward and shift your hips forward, undoing the counterbalance you needed earlier. If you keep your pelvis behind you, you’ll fall over. As your legs move above 90 degrees, press your hips so that they are over your shoulders.
Eventually the feet are above the hips which are above the shoulders and head. Squeeze your inner thighs and reach upward through your toes. Point your feet, but flex your toes as if you were standing on the ceiling in stilettos, or as if you had “Barbie feet.” If you know, you know…
Step 5
Hold as long as you feel stable and can keep your weight off your head. Try not to fall out of the pose. Try to control the legs going down in the reverse of coming up. Your pelvis will move slightly backward to counterbalance the legs going forward. See if you can lightly place the toes on the floor. Then gently lower your knees and find Child’s pose/Balasana. Rest 5-10 breaths in Child’s pose.
Click the button below to watch a video in which I guide you through both Headstand and Shoulderstand (a preview for next month!). Normally this video is $10 to rent (included in a class subscription to Purple Room Yoga), but I have made it free to watch as my little gift to you for reading the whole post!
What is your experience with Headstand? Comment below, and if you have questions, please ask!
Do you have a burning yoga question? Ask in the comments and have your question featured in Ask a Yoga Teacher, which comes out the first Saturday of each month.
