This article is for beginners on how to do yoga headstand. It is need of the time to include Yoga in our daily routine to lead a healthy life. Yoga increases muscle strength, improves respiration, athletic performance and maintains a balanced metabolism.
To get the ultimate benefits of yoga, you need to master headstand as it is ‘King of all Yoga poses’. It is called ‘King’ due to its multitude of benefits. Moreover, it is necessary to maintain accurate posture and practice yoga headstand considering the safety measures so that you get the best results in less time.
Understanding the Basics of Headstand (Sirsasana)
Headstand is called as Sirsasana in yogic terms. Sirsasana is a Sanskrit term which is a combination of two words:
Sirsa: Head
Asana: Posture
It is a yogic posture that involves advanced inversion that exhibits strength, control and the beauty of overcoming the fear of falling through physical and mental balance. Moreover,
- It improves upper body and core strength
- It relieves stress and increases focus by inversion of blood flow
- Improves digestive system
And many more health benefits which make this yoga pose one of the best exercises which every individual must practice daily.
How to do Yoga Headstand safely?
Along with the health benefits of headstand, you must also consider accurately practicing headstand with safety precautions. Seven vertebrae in the neck are the smallest in the body which is only meant to hold the weight of the head, not the entire body. So, maintaining proper posture while practicing headstand is important.
Improper practice of yoga headstand can cause disc herniation in the neck, shoulder and neck injuries. Follow the step by step process to do yoga headstand which will give you more health benefits.
How to do a headstand yoga| Step by step guide
- From standing position, get down in a squats position and try to maintain a balance in toes.
- Lower yourself down and touch the ground with forearms and knees.
- Get into a plank position (your forearms touching the ground) such that your elbow and shoulder are in line.
- Interlock your fingers maintaining the elbow alignment with shoulders.
- Due to interlocking, you have created space between your hands where you can place your head. (Foundation of placing head must be tight)
- Now taking the support of your forearms, head, and toes, uplift the butt and do a dolphin pose.
- Try to bring toes near your body by taking small steps.
- Slowly lift your one foot off the floor balancing with the other foot.
- Once you are in a balanced position, lift the second foot (after 2-3 seconds)
- Now, your whole body’s balance will be on your forearms and head.
- Initially, take the support of a vertical wall or your friend to maintain your body in a vertical (straight) position.
- Hold the position for 15-20 seconds and then release it in a controlled manner.
- Releasing from the pose must be done in the exact reverse way.
- Bring down your one foot, balance with one foot and then bring the second foot down. Get back to plan position and relax for a few seconds before doing Sirsasana (headstand yoga) again.
After practicing headstand for a week, you can do it without any vertical support (only when you are confident about it)
Benefits of Yoga Headstand (Sirsasana)
Headstand is known as “King of all Yoga poses” because it has multiple benefits to keep you physically as well as mentally fit. So, here are the benefits of headstand yoga:
- It improves memory and concentration
- Mental fatigue, depression as well as anxiety will be reduced
- Conditioning of the heart takes place due to reversing the blood pressure
- Strengthening the core, muscles of back, shoulders, and arms takes place.
- Digestion is improved drastically.
- It helps to flush out the adrenal glands
- It stimulates the lymphatic system
- Improves the functioning of the brain, eyes, and ears due to increased blood pressure
- The functioning of the central nervous system is enhanced
- Decreases fluid build up in legs and feets
- Hairfall reduces as blood circulation in the scalp is increased.
- It helps in better functioning as well as coordination of all the endocrine glands
Who should avoid headstand yoga?
Every exercise is meant to improve your health & Fitness. But due to some medical issues, headstand yoga can harm your body. You must avoid doing headstand yoga if you are among this list
- Children below the age of 7 years, as their skull is not fully developed and are prone to injuries.
- People with hypertension should avoid headstand as it can increase the level of hypertension.
- People who have severe heart problems.
- People suffering from severe migraines.
- People with shoulder and neck injuries.
- Pregnant women: It can be risky if they fall.
- People having high blood pressure.
- People with Body Mass Index (BMI) above 30 (Suffering from obesity)
Common mistakes to avoid while doing Headstand yoga
It is necessary to maintain the correct form if you want to be benefitted from headstand yoga. Some common mistakes that people do while doing a headstand yoga:
- Holding headstand too long (for more than 5 minutes)
- Breathing too fast during headstand position
- Not maintaining the natural curve of the spine (If you are a beginner, use external support to maintain the natural curve of the spinal cord)
- The weak foundation of hands due to loose grip of fingers
- Practicing on a very hard floor
- Taking no external support in spite of being a beginner
- Maintaining the headstand in an unstable position
- Releasing headstand very fast which can cause neck injury (Must follow release steps as mentioned above)
- Not taking ample break between two consecutive headstands.
- Taking head support of cloth which can slip during the headstand position
Avoid these mistakes while doing headstand yoga.
Conclusion
To get the maximum benefit from headstand yoga, follow the perfect process as mentioned. Begin with taking external support and increase the time and frequency of headstand yoga gradually.
