Build Strength and Balance with Sirsasana

Letting go is a big part of the yoga practice. To be truly free, we must be willing to accept changes of all kinds and face our fears head on (no pun intended). When attempting this pose (and all inversions), we have to let go of the ground beneath our feet and open up to a totally new perspective. We will literally be turning our world upside down.

Sirsasana (sheer-SHAW-suh-na) or headstand, it is an opportunity to experiment with our own bodies on the safety of our mat. Every shape our body does has a real and subtle effect on our minds, and our emotional state as well. Inversions benefit circulation, respiration, and digestion. As we practice sirsasana, we build strength and confidence which improves coordination, balance and proprioception. This is also one of the few poses that stimulates the crown chakra. To the advanced student, headstand can be calming. It can also relieves tension in the upper body by reversing everything; this can relieve headaches.

To Prepare

You should do these poses before you attempt a headstand. Mountain Pose or Tadasana (ta-DAH-suh-na) is a great foundation for this pose. It is essentially the same pose, but in an upright position where you can practice keeping the legs engaged and parallel and use your core. Cow Face Arms or Gomakasana Arms (GO-ma-kah-suh-na will open the upper arms as needed in the Sirsasana. Dolphin Pose or Salamba Sirsasana (sha-LAWM-ba sheer-SHAW-suh-na) will help you accomplish the same rooting down sensation that you will need when you attempt this inversion and you will strengthen the arms and shoulders.

All poses require that you root down and rebound up, and this is especially true for Headstand. In fact, you must root down in the forearms so much that there is only about 20% of the weight on the top of the head, 80% in the forearms.

Steps

1. Practice on a hardwood floor or something similar near a wall. A spongy surface, like a plush rug, will make balancing more of a challenge. If you want more of a cushion under your head, double up your mat.
2. Kneel facing the wall. Interlace your fingers all the way to their webbing.
3. Place your whole forearms down and make sure that your elbows are just shoulder width apart, not more, not less. The hands and wrists need to remain perpendicular to the floor.
4. Place the back of the head right next to the hands and the crown of the head on the floor. Press firmly into the forearms. Raise your knees so you are in a shape similar to downward facing dog, but on your forearms with the top of your head on the floor. Really root down in the forearms and lift the shoulders away from the floor. There should be very little weight on your head.
5. Walk the feet in closer until your hips are over your shoulders. Lift up onto your tiptoes to create a vertical alignment. Practice this several times before moving on.
6. Next, lift one foot and place the foot next to your buttocks with the knee held into the chest. Eventually, lift the other and hover there for a moment. Pause in this egg shape, resist the urge to kick up. You can practice this for a several times before moving on.
7. When you want to lift up into your full headstand, unhinge from the hips slowly and then take then unbend the knees taking the legs up. At this point, your entire body is inverted and perpendicular to the floor. Your feet are over your hips and your hips are over your shoulders. Your legs and your core are engaged and lifting upward.

Tips

Students often ask me why the tripod version of headstand isn’t done with the hands placed in front of the face. Some say that they find it easier to balance in that variation of a headstand. It’s more challenging to balance on the forearms as instructed above, but it is a lot safer on the delicate vertebrae in the cervical spine because you can keep most of the weight on the forearms and off of the head. This is why having a wall behind you is beneficial. If you have neck issues or have experienced vertigo, I would skip this pose all together and just practice Dolphin Pose or Salamba Sirsasana (sha-LAWM-ba sheer-SHAW-suh-na).

Kristen Addicks has been practicing yoga for 25 years and teaches in Marin at Sukha Yoga, Some Like it Hot Yoga & Boutique, and Rolling Hills Country Club.  Kristen believes that being out in nature is also part of the yoga experience. Therefore, she feels fortunate to have been able to call Marin County home for over 20 years. When not in a yoga studio, she can be found hiking or in some nearby body of water. Kristen leads yoga+adventure retreats where she combines yoga with adventurous activities in a beautiful location that includes sun, water, wildlife and culture.