How to do a Headstand

Sirsasana: The King of Yoga Postures

At first glace, Sirsasana appears to be an advanced posture, but relax, the thing that holds most students back from this posture is fear. Overcoming the fear associated with begining this posture is extremely rewarding and grants a student access to all the other many benefits connected to this posture.

So first, breathe and relax. Use a wall to provide you with safety and confidence.

Second, kneel in front of a wall and measuring the distance between your arms by bringing your palms to your elbows and then bringing them out in front of you to form a triangle. Third, Interlace your fingers, thumbs up.

Fourth, place the top of your head in the space between your hands. Lift your hips and walk forward until you feel the tips of your toes come off the ground.

Five, find your balance and then bend your knees to your chest. Use those lower abdomen muscles and tilt your pelvis forward (away from the wall) to bring your thighs and then your calves up into the air. Focus on keeping the pelvis tucked forward to keep tension out of the lower back and your shoulders away from your ears, pushed towards your hips. This will keep tension out of the neck and strengthen the shoulder girdle.

Finally, once you feel comfortable here, slowly bring your legs straight up. Most students find this final posture to be easier to hold than the fifth step. Once here, close your eyes and relax your breathing. Believe or not, this is a posture of relaxation. Start with remaining in this posture for 10-20 seconds. Build up to 60 seconds. Once you can hold the posture for 5 minutes you are probably ready to try various Sirsasana sequences.

Matsayasana

Matsyasana: The Fish Pose

Matsayasana also known as the fish pose because it kind of looks the way a fish does when it is flopping around out of water…but don’t let that discourage you from the benefits of this posture. Like Sarvangasana, this posture works on the thyroid but also opens the heart chakra while also helping to alleviate breathing problems such as asthma. The secret is to breathe deep into the belly and then the chest.

Rest in Savasana, and bring your arms under your body. Palms down and touching, elbows straight. Extend the arms and hands to the back of the knees. Inhale and bring your head up and come forward bringing the weight of your body onto your elbows. Let the head drop back and slowly allow it to rest on the floor. Use the muscles in your shoulder girdle to lift your chest up and remove tension in the neck. Breathe deep and attempt to stay in the posture for as long as you did Halasana.

Halasana

Halasana: The Plough

Halasana is fantastic for relieving lower back pain and for calming the mind. Read here for more benefits. Halasana follows Sarvangasana. It is recommended that Halasana is done for half the time as Sarvangasana, but this is a general recommendation. As always, listen to your body. If it feels good, stay in it longer, if there is pain, come out of it sooner.

From Sarvangasna, allow your legs to fall behind you. If you were unable to lift your legs over your head in Sarvangasana, just bring your legs to your chest and keep the bolster under your hips. Use your hands to pull your legs against your chest to increase or decrease the stretch.

Pay attention to your neck and let your legs stop where they want to. Do not force this posture. If your toes touch the ground, you can bring your hands down to support you. Focus on trying to bring your heels to the ground and your hips up. It is common to see a rounded back and collapsed hips in this posture, but try and maintain a straight back and elevated hips. You’ll notice a difference in the stretch and it takes the pressure off the neck.

Breathe deep and from the belly. Close your eyes and stretch a bit further with each exhalation, but keep your back straight. At the end of the posture, SLOWLY come down with palms facing down. If this is difficult, place your hands above your head to help counter your body weight and allow yourself to come to the floor slowly.

Variations:

Once you get the basic Halasana down and the flexibility in your back increases, feel free to try the following variations out. Just be sure to listen to your body and don’t push yourself behind your limits. Yoga is about accepting and relaxing into a challenge, not force.

If you feel comfortable in Halasana, allow your knees to come down next to your ears. Bit by bit bring the knees closer to your shoulders until they touch. Congratulations you have just completed Karnapidasana!

If Karnapidasana is easy, allow yourself to go a bit further by bringing your hand underneath your head and over your calf muscles. Interlace your fingers and remember to breathe.

Finally, if you can succeed in the above postures without issue, you may be ready to bring your knees behind your head. From Halasana, after stretching your back and attempting to bring your heels to the floor, bend your knees and slowly allow the weight of your bent legs to come down and rest on the floor. Your knees should be touching the crown of your head. Pay close attention to your body here and come out VERY slowly the moment you feel any pain or discomfort.