You've definitely seen the social media posts on inversions - headstands, handstands, elbow stands, and all kinds of arm balances. But what are the benefits of headstands? And, how do you do them? They make Yoga look elegant and fancy, and they take some practice, but headstands, in particular, are attainable by any yogi!
Why do we flip upside down and try to stand on our heads? Admittedly, most yogis you see do it for fun. What's not to love about being upside down and playing on the mat?
The Benefits of Headstands
The largest benefit from a purely physiological point of view is that it helps blood flow return to the heart. Our bodies have miles and miles of veins - little blood vessels with one-way valves that help return the blood to the heart. The valves help ensure one-way flow, returning deoxygenated blood back to the heart despite gravity. A headstand, or other inversions, means that venous flow now works with gravity. If you have varicose veins, inversions are helpful to reduce these.
You'll also improve your core strength and balance. To invert, you have to gain an awareness of your body and how your weight is distributed. You also need core strength to manage your inverted posture. Core strength won't dictate your balance - the control is in the points of contact on the ground - but it does the bulk of the work to keep your body in alignment. A finely tuned core will respond to any subtle changes in alignment.
Inversions help you see the world from a different perspective as well. Perhaps it's the blood returning with gravity's assistance or just the focus it takes to get there, but inversions can change the way you think about things.
How To Do Headstands and Inversions
The benefits are great, but how do you go about doing a headstand or salamba sirsasana (sah-LOM-bah shear-SHAHS-anna)? We've broken it down, step by step, and Flow and Go Instructor Eva has demonstrated each step!
Step one:
Warm up the shoulders and the core! Try out poses like forearm plank, 3 legged dog, or shifting between plank and down dog to really warm up the shoulder joint and core muscles.
Step Two:
Set yourself up for success. You can come into salamba sirsasana from dolphin (Ardha Pincha Mayurasana) or tabletop pose.
For hand placement, interlace the fingers and then draw the bottom pinky finger in front of the other (see picture). This gives you a slightly wider base of support. Imagine being able to hold a baseball inside of your hands.
Walk your elbows in under your shoulders if they're not already there.
Step Three:
Place the crown of your head on the mat between your arms. Imagine if you had a bun in your hair that would tuck into the dome your hands have made.
If you've started from tabletop, now lift your knees and straighten through the legs.
Step Four:
Draw one knee into your chest. Toes point up to the sky. When you feel stable, draw the second leg up.
Step Five:
Extend the legs straight up in the air. Continue to breathe and ensure you're evenly connected to the ground. Pull the shoulders away from the ears and have fun!
Conclusion
Inversions are a great way to explore and play with movement. If you're a little hesitant, start near a wall and if you have any questions, Flow and Go Yoga is here to help support your practice.
Janice is a Yoga Instructor and Registered Respiratory Therapist with a background in Kinesiology. She is the founder of Flow and Go Yoga - an online platform that provides Yoga for everybody in a way that suits your lifestyle.
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