12 Steps to Headstand Mastery
In Depth Asanas- Headstand Poses (Sirshasana)
When one learns headstand (sirshasana) one is tempted to come right into it, because we are taught in this manner, in a standard class. Therefore, this becomes our habit.
Many people who can do the headstand tend then, as a result of not being taught some more basic skills, to lack the ability to proceed past to more advanced postures without assistance of a wall. The decision to go to the wall carries with it a decision that learning balance is not important and this is to be avoided, else one becomes mentally dependent on assistance instead of learning balance yourself.
We have attended so-called 'advanced' yoga classes where when it came to do scorpion pose, everyone, including the teacher (!) headed for the wall. It became clear then that these kinds of yoga classes were leaving out what we feel to be the key aspect of ALL yoga practice- balance.
Once you get to the more advanced versions of the headstand like Vrschikasana (Scorpion) pose, one must have some other skills and awarenesses that simple headstand by itself does not give.
It is our aim to tell you some key information so that you will be able to understand how to do it properly.
The Twelve Steps to Complete Inverted Headstand & Variations Mastery
Proceed to next step ONLY after meeting the conditions for the current step. Most yogis in America, unless they have some gymnastics or acrobat training, will not be able to go beyond step 10. I have included the others for some expansion of the reader’s understanding of the quite basic nature of the physical aspects of yoga we practice in the West.
1) Basic entrance to posture, knees straight, hips slightly behind head vertically. Practice until one can stay in that posture with straight legs and a slightly bent neck with a little weight on it. This will prepare the neck for the next steps. No hopping into the posture, as this leads to imbalance, and falling out of the posture.
2) Half-headstand Weight Movement. with knees touching chest and bent and feet touching buttocks, practice shifting weight to elbows, then shifting weight to head movement practice. Movement is strictly linear. 20 repetitions each way. Knees and feet MUST touch each other the moment your second foot leaves the ground. This is critical to stability- see Common Mistakes, below.
3) Knees to Sky practice. Keeping the feet against the buttocks, move the knees until they point to the sky, and then come back down to touch the chest. Move to step 4 when you can do this 20 times in a row without falling.
a) Key to understanding this practice is that it’s in two parts:
i. Knees moving from chest to the point where the thighs are parallel to ground, halfway through the range of motion.
ii. Knees from halfway point to knees to the sky.
b) What is to be known about this is:
i. In the first part the knees are moving away from the centerline of the body, and so the hips must correspondingly be moved in the opposite direction, away from the centerline of the body, but on the opposite side.
ii. In the second part, the knees then move back toward the centerline, so one must move one’s hips again toward the centerline. In fact, the hips are more toward the centerline than when the knees are touching the chest.
4) Hold Standard Headstand for increasing amounts, until one can hold it comfortably for 5 minutes, focused on the abdominal breath.
a) One can do also here various foot movements, like putting feet together in Namaste’ and twisting left and right, as these are far easier than the next steps.
5) Small Foot Movements. Begin to practice small amplitude foot movements. Keeping knees locked, move the feet using the hips. Start linear by moving the feet backwards and forwards; i.e. toward the front of the body and then arching the back to move the feet behind the body. Next, move the feet left and right in small amounts, again from the hips.
6) Foot Circles. Now put all these left/right and forward/backward exercises together by moving the feet in small circles, first one direction, then the other.
a) Increase the movement into larger circles as one's ability increases.
b) Ultimately, one wants to be able to move the legs together to touch the ground easily and without lots of pressure on the elbows, as in the photos.
7) Crow to Headstand and Back. Do Kakasana, then slowly bring head to ground, lift legs up into headstand. Move hands to standard headstand position around head. Then reverse hands to crow position, bring legs down, and press back into a stable crow position.
8) Hand Variations. Practice hand variations in headstand. They are:
a) To start: Arms bent palms down
b) Arms straight out in front of face, palms down.
c) Arms straight out in front of face, palms up.
d) Spread arms out to 45 degrees, palms down.
e) Spread arms out to 45 degrees, palms up
f) Use hands in first hand variation position to rotate around on head. Practice moving left, then right direction, to build the neck muscles.
g) Move left hand up to the side of the left thigh.
h) Move right hand up to side of right thigh.
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9) Vrschikasana (Scorpion) Pose and Variations- I will cover the particulars of this asana in a separate article. Variations for it include a handstand version, another where the yogi is resting only on the elbows, hands on the face; and finally coming into the pose from chakrasana (wheel) pose.
One can definitely be able to do this without needing the wall, if one has properly learned the other poses. One can see here from the photos that this advanced Scorpion pose does NOT require great back flexibility, contrary to popular myth.
10) Handstand. This pose is also very useful for building deltoid (shoulder/arm muscle) if one lacks strength to push up Vrschikasana (Scorpion) pose. To start, have a helper, and do small increment pushups in handstand as a way to build strength to hold this posture. Working on balance is key here. Eventually, one can try to build up to being able to press into a handstand. There is a site strictly devoted to hand balancing here.
11) Headstand to Side Crow. One of the most difficult of variations of the headstand, this posture requires extreme balance, strength, and control, as it incorporates simultaneous and large movements both front back and side to side at once. Click here to see Iyengar doing this variation in the 1930's. His control is astounding, and in the video he does quite a few variations of this advanced posture that most yogis cannot do, especially in America.
12) Poorna (Full) Headstand. The ULTIMATE Headstand Pose. This is literally a complete unsupported headstand, without use of the hands, elbows or arms.
Using the competence gained from the last of the described hand variations, try with assistance at first to hold the pose, but ONLY after a very long time spent working on headstand in the standard way, and being capable of holding the headstand for fully 30 minutes or more in the standard way.
Common Mistakes
1) Trying to do the headstand only, without practicing the more fundamental aspects that enable advancement past step 4, the normal headstand.
2) Not keeping the knees and feet together when lifting the second leg from the ground. ONLY when doing Scorpion Pose, do the knees or feet come apart.
3) Elbows out too wide, or moving them out during ANY phase of headstand or Scorpion. If one keeps one’s legs touching each other, then side to side movement is largely eliminated.
4) Too rounded of a back when in Step 1. This forces a little hop into the posture that is to be avoided.
5) Moving the feet up into headstand without putting knees up to the sky first. This is caused because of a lack of awareness of the two step nature of the knee movements, as I explain above in Step 3.
When one learns headstand (sirshasana) one is tempted to come right into it, because we are taught in this manner, in a standard class. Therefore, this becomes our habit.
Many people who can do the headstand tend then, as a result of not being taught some more basic skills, to lack the ability to proceed past to more advanced postures without assistance of a wall. The decision to go to the wall carries with it a decision that learning balance is not important and this is to be avoided, else one becomes mentally dependent on assistance instead of learning balance yourself.
We have attended so-called 'advanced' yoga classes where when it came to do scorpion pose, everyone, including the teacher (!) headed for the wall. It became clear then that these kinds of yoga classes were leaving out what we feel to be the key aspect of ALL yoga practice- balance.
Once you get to the more advanced versions of the headstand like Vrschikasana (Scorpion) pose, one must have some other skills and awarenesses that simple headstand by itself does not give.
It is our aim to tell you some key information so that you will be able to understand how to do it properly.
The Twelve Steps to Complete Inverted Headstand & Variations Mastery
Proceed to next step ONLY after meeting the conditions for the current step. Most yogis in America, unless they have some gymnastics or acrobat training, will not be able to go beyond step 10. I have included the others for some expansion of the reader’s understanding of the quite basic nature of the physical aspects of yoga we practice in the West.
1) Basic entrance to posture, knees straight, hips slightly behind head vertically. Practice until one can stay in that posture with straight legs and a slightly bent neck with a little weight on it. This will prepare the neck for the next steps. No hopping into the posture, as this leads to imbalance, and falling out of the posture.
2) Half-headstand Weight Movement. with knees touching chest and bent and feet touching buttocks, practice shifting weight to elbows, then shifting weight to head movement practice. Movement is strictly linear. 20 repetitions each way. Knees and feet MUST touch each other the moment your second foot leaves the ground. This is critical to stability- see Common Mistakes, below.
3) Knees to Sky practice. Keeping the feet against the buttocks, move the knees until they point to the sky, and then come back down to touch the chest. Move to step 4 when you can do this 20 times in a row without falling.
a) Key to understanding this practice is that it’s in two parts:
i. Knees moving from chest to the point where the thighs are parallel to ground, halfway through the range of motion.
ii. Knees from halfway point to knees to the sky.
b) What is to be known about this is:
i. In the first part the knees are moving away from the centerline of the body, and so the hips must correspondingly be moved in the opposite direction, away from the centerline of the body, but on the opposite side.
ii. In the second part, the knees then move back toward the centerline, so one must move one’s hips again toward the centerline. In fact, the hips are more toward the centerline than when the knees are touching the chest.
4) Hold Standard Headstand for increasing amounts, until one can hold it comfortably for 5 minutes, focused on the abdominal breath.
a) One can do also here various foot movements, like putting feet together in Namaste’ and twisting left and right, as these are far easier than the next steps.
5) Small Foot Movements. Begin to practice small amplitude foot movements. Keeping knees locked, move the feet using the hips. Start linear by moving the feet backwards and forwards; i.e. toward the front of the body and then arching the back to move the feet behind the body. Next, move the feet left and right in small amounts, again from the hips.
6) Foot Circles. Now put all these left/right and forward/backward exercises together by moving the feet in small circles, first one direction, then the other.
a) Increase the movement into larger circles as one's ability increases.
b) Ultimately, one wants to be able to move the legs together to touch the ground easily and without lots of pressure on the elbows, as in the photos.
7) Crow to Headstand and Back. Do Kakasana, then slowly bring head to ground, lift legs up into headstand. Move hands to standard headstand position around head. Then reverse hands to crow position, bring legs down, and press back into a stable crow position.
8) Hand Variations. Practice hand variations in headstand. They are:
a) To start: Arms bent palms down
b) Arms straight out in front of face, palms down.
c) Arms straight out in front of face, palms up.
d) Spread arms out to 45 degrees, palms down.
e) Spread arms out to 45 degrees, palms up
f) Use hands in first hand variation position to rotate around on head. Practice moving left, then right direction, to build the neck muscles.
g) Move left hand up to the side of the left thigh.
h) Move right hand up to side of right thigh.
1
234569) Vrschikasana (Scorpion) Pose and Variations- I will cover the particulars of this asana in a separate article. Variations for it include a handstand version, another where the yogi is resting only on the elbows, hands on the face; and finally coming into the pose from chakrasana (wheel) pose.
One can definitely be able to do this without needing the wall, if one has properly learned the other poses. One can see here from the photos that this advanced Scorpion pose does NOT require great back flexibility, contrary to popular myth.
10) Handstand. This pose is also very useful for building deltoid (shoulder/arm muscle) if one lacks strength to push up Vrschikasana (Scorpion) pose. To start, have a helper, and do small increment pushups in handstand as a way to build strength to hold this posture. Working on balance is key here. Eventually, one can try to build up to being able to press into a handstand. There is a site strictly devoted to hand balancing here.
11) Headstand to Side Crow. One of the most difficult of variations of the headstand, this posture requires extreme balance, strength, and control, as it incorporates simultaneous and large movements both front back and side to side at once. Click here to see Iyengar doing this variation in the 1930's. His control is astounding, and in the video he does quite a few variations of this advanced posture that most yogis cannot do, especially in America.
12) Poorna (Full) Headstand. The ULTIMATE Headstand Pose. This is literally a complete unsupported headstand, without use of the hands, elbows or arms.
Using the competence gained from the last of the described hand variations, try with assistance at first to hold the pose, but ONLY after a very long time spent working on headstand in the standard way, and being capable of holding the headstand for fully 30 minutes or more in the standard way.
Common Mistakes
1) Trying to do the headstand only, without practicing the more fundamental aspects that enable advancement past step 4, the normal headstand.
2) Not keeping the knees and feet together when lifting the second leg from the ground. ONLY when doing Scorpion Pose, do the knees or feet come apart.
3) Elbows out too wide, or moving them out during ANY phase of headstand or Scorpion. If one keeps one’s legs touching each other, then side to side movement is largely eliminated.
4) Too rounded of a back when in Step 1. This forces a little hop into the posture that is to be avoided.
5) Moving the feet up into headstand without putting knees up to the sky first. This is caused because of a lack of awareness of the two step nature of the knee movements, as I explain above in Step 3.