Headstand is the king of poses. It has so many benefits, for instance it brings fresh blood to the brain cells, increases thinking power and promotes mental clarity. It also brings blood to the pituitary and pineal glands in the brain, gives the lungs power, helps the common cold, rests the heart and keeps the body warm.
In Dharma Yoga, we offer many different variations. My teacher Sri Dharma Mittra often introduces sālamba śīrṣāsana tripod headstand) to people new to headstand. It has a bigger foundational base and is easier to start with.
Going up
- If you are new to headstand you could try facing a wall. Come to kneeling position and imagine an equilateral triangle, all three sides are equal length of your shoulder width, on the floor.
- Open fingers and place hands on the two bottom corners of the triangle. So the space between hands would be about shoulder width. If you have any wrist issues, you may go with finger tips instead of placing whole palms on the floor. Thumbs toward head and fingers away from head is recommended to keep elbows in easier.
- Place top of your head on the top corner of imaginary triangle. Make sure it’s not the back of your head, and keep your neck long. Try to keep your shoulders away from ears. You should be able to see your fingertips without turning your head. Keep your elbows in. Ideally your elbows are above your wrists and same line as your shoulders. Keeping elbows in the correct position and shoulders away from ears should help you to be able to engage muscles in torso, so that you don’t have to feel too much weight in your head.
- Tuck your toes under and see if you can lift knees up off the floor. If this is already challenging, you may practice repeating knees off and on the floor to get strength.
- If lifting your knees is not too challenging you may walk your feet towards your head and place your knees on your arms. Bend your knees and keep your feet close to your buttocks to make yourself compact.
- Once you feel you are stable in the position, engage your arms and stomach muscles, and lift your knees off the arms and bring the hip above your head. You need to push your upper spine towards the chest a little to adjust your back position.
- Send your feet straight up to the sky slowly with control to extend your legs. Make sure you are still keeping your elbows in and shoulders away from ears.
Coming down
- Keep your hands firmly in the position and use abdominal muscles and slowly come down with control. Coming down with control is not only for your safety but builds strength in your body.
- Rest in child pose for a minute or as long as you need.
It is recommended to practice with an empty stomach. If you are new to headstand, it’s recommended to learn from a qualified instructor. This pose is contraindicated for someone with high or low blood pressure. So I would recommend you speak to your doctor and instructor if you have a blood pressure issue.
Once you get more stable in this pose, and your body and neck get stronger, you may practice variations. You also can bring your legs in Padmāsana (lotus position) if you can. According to Sri Dharma Mittra, lotus leg will bring the mind one pointed. There are many variations Dharma Yoga offers. Explore some different variations within Dharma yoga classes.
Last of all, asana practice should be a part of your meditation and spiritual practice within Dharma yoga. Keep your mind calm and offer your practice to whomever you have chosen.
Emi teaches Dharma yoga (open level) in Camden on Fridays at 2.30pm and in Chelsea on Saturdays at 11.45am. She also teaches Dharma yoga (level 2) in Shoreditch on Tuesdays at 3.30pm and at 10.00am on Thursdays.
