ASANA
Headstand - Sirsasana
Inversion

The headstand has sometimes been called the king pose of Yoga. This is due to level of skill and body awareness it requires to do it effortlessly, the benefits it has for ones health and mental state, and also that often sacred or royal things are associated to the top of the head which is a key point of concentration in this pose. 

How to Headstand & Contraindications

Headstand is not recommended for people who have high blood pressure, hernia, glaucoma, retinal problems, weak or injured neck, weak core integration, or during menstruation

In the beginning the typical practitioner should be aware that the safest version of the pose requires a significant amount of shoulder flexion (moving the arms up and behind the ears) which people with tight shoulders or muscular upper body may be limited in. It is a good idea to have some skill in a similar pose, the forearm stand first as well. Forearm stand is more challenging muscularly and balance wise with the head off the ground but there is no issue of pressure in the neck and builds the same skill needed for headstand more directly. These poses should be learned with a competent teacher who can see that your core engagement is strong enough to make the pose worth doing and safe. 

The position on the top of the head is typically the exact top center point. This can be located by touching the tops of the easiers and "drawing" two vertical lines up the sides of the head until the fingers touch. This should be very close or exactly where you want to place the head down. In this position the axis of the skull is perpendicular to the ground and the eyes naturally gaze level, parallel with the floor. 

The arms for the classic position (pictured above) should be placed along the head such that you can feel the elbows fully contact and ground while drawing the shoulder blades up away from the head, making a stable base. You can experiment with sliding the hands further forwards or backwards until you find the most stable position. A lot of people like to cup the hands around the head but this may not always be the best solution. I like to bring my hands in the Hakini mudra, which is all the finger tips touching lightly together. This mudra is also good for memory recall and clarity of thought. Having my hands cupping the head makes the arms too much towards the front body side to properly ground through the elbows.

Very few people might experience another difficulty in the pose and this in regards to the proportions of the upper arms to the length of the neck and head where the upper arms are too short to fully ground. In this case folded blanket could be placed under the arms but not the head. 

Lifting into Headstand

While pressing into the elbows lift the knees and start to tip toe towards your head. Maintain the support through the shoulder girdle and don't allow the neck to move. Keep the straight column. If you are flexible and with enough core strength you should be able to walk your feet close enough that you will find the counter balance and the feet will just hover up. Get practiced at this with bent knees lifting and then try with straight legs after mastering that. Another alternative is to use a competent spotter.

Weight on the head or arms in headstand?

This really depends on the practitioner. Though the typical beginner should practice using the arms to hold more weight, after a few years of regular practice, some may feel ready to place more weight directly the head. This feels more stable for many people and the pose can become more meditative. It is possible to balance with all of the weight on the head with good technique to avoid injury. If you ever feel any discomfort in your neck doing headstand it should be taken as a serious indication to exit the pose and see how you feel for a day or two before practicing the pose again. 

Headstand Variations

For those with a strong neck, shoulders, and core, Tri-pod headstand can be practiced. This is also an alternative if the shoulders are too tight for the classic variation of headstand. 

A more challenging version changes the action of the arms. It's more complicated and a new experience to use the back of the hands to help control the left to right balance.

Still more challenging versions move the hands further away from the head or use less points of contact with the ground to aid the balance, such as using one finger from each hand.

​There of course are countless variations for leg and spine position in headstanding postures which should only be explored once you can be very stable and even meditative in straight position. There are also many creative asymetrical headstand positions which can be explored once the base skill is established.

Transitions from Headstand...(to come)