6 Best Yoga Exercises to Help You Do a Headstand

Sirsasana I, commonly known as the headstand, is frequently referred to as the "king of yoga postures," and is considered a revitalizing and energizing inversion that, with regular practice, strengthens the upper body and core.

The headstand is also one of the trickiest yoga poses since it calls for both strength and flexibility. Additionally, it entails turning upside down, so fear is a major concern for those willing to try this pose. While some yogis may appear to be doing it naturally, mastering the stance takes time. Thus, practicing some yoga progressions will assist you in achieving your aim of mastering a yoga headstand.

The yoga headstand challenges your proprioception, or your sense of where your body is in space, while also physically strengthening your arms, shoulders, and back.

Yoga Poses to Prepare You for a Headstand

Once you develop upper body and core strength and overcome your fear of falling (which a wall can help you with!), the headstand is absolutely doable.

Here are some yoga positions you can try to develop a solid core and powerful arm that will make the headstand easier to balance:

1) Boat pose

The boat position is a powerful posture for developing core muscles and much-needed lower back strength.

Here's how you can do it:

Begin sitting with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent.
When you achieve a balancing point on or behind the sit bones, extend your arms straight out in front of you with the palms facing forward.
As your feet leave the ground, stretch your spine to keep your chest open.

2) Standing forward bend

It may be more difficult to enter a headstand if your hamstrings are tight. It might be very beneficial to practice elevating your hips without straightening your legs and bending your knees. Learning this on the ground, as opposed to in the air, is simpler.

Here's how you can do it:

Your feet should be as wide as your hips when you stand in a mountain stance.
In front of you, set up two yoga blocks at their highest point. To prevent your knees from locking out, soften them.
Your hands should be on top of the blocks as you bend forward from your hips before you pause and take a few breaths.
Regain your feet and stand, and repeat the maneuver, but this time generously bend your knees and push your feet apart.
By laying the blocks flat on the floor and resting your hands on top of them, you can extend your stretch even further.

3) Downward facing dog

This inverted pose is great for preparing for a headstand.

Here’s how to do it:

Go on all fours when you begin.
Lifting your hips will deepen the hip crease.
Tuck your toes and maintain a bent knee position.
Slowly straighten your knees once your hips are as high as they will go while keeping your hips from dropping, your back from rounding, or your chest from protruding forward.
Practicing keeping this position for up to two minutes will help you gain strength and inversion endurance.

4) Plank

Planks may not be very popular for their demanding nature, but they're excellent for building all the muscles required for arm balance. Although we put a lot of weight on the wrists during headstands, they are frequently neglected when it comes to strengthening.

Here's how you can do it:

Begin on your knees with your hands right beneath your shoulders and your fingers splayed wide.
Lift with the back of the knees as you extend one leg at a time.
To engage the core muscles, hug the belly in and up while bringing the tailbone towards your heels.
Continue to engage the legs and apply firm pressure via the hands to enlarge the upper back.

5) L-shaped handstand

Start experimenting with letting both feet off the ground as you get more at ease with shifting weight to your head. L-shaped handstands are a terrific way to gage our stability, and they provide a quick escape if things start to go awry.

Here's how you can do it:

With legs stretched out in front of you and feet flat against the wall, take a seat near a wall.
The second step is to turn over into a tabletop position while placing your hands on the floor next to your hips.
Raise your hips and adopt a downward dog position with your heels up against the wall.
Activate your core and slowly tuck your toes against the wall to form an L-shape. For a while, maintain this posture.

6) One-legged headstand

The one-legged headstand can be termed as the final step in preparing for the headstand. It helps you maintain balance and posture.

Here's how you can do it:

Get down on all fours and position your mat near a wall.
Your knees should be under the hips, elbows should be under the wrists, and forearms should be on the ground.
Raise your hips off the ground and place your heel against the wall with your head's crown on the floor.
To gage your core strength, lift one foot as high as you can.
Alternate legs until you can lift one leg off the mat without endangering the safety of your head and neck.

Wrapping Up

You will be able to achieve a headstand with ease if you have mastered these six poses. To prevent any injuries, you must first adhere to a few safety precautions. First, remember not to maintain a large distance between your legs. Second, avoid spreading your elbows and hands too far apart. Finally, avoid letting your shoulders sag. Remember to be careful while preparing yourself for the perfect headstand!