Sirsasana (Headstand) – Weekly Intermediate Class 172

Sirsasana 101. This class revisits sirsasana (headstand). It features a comprehensive guide on how to safely learn the pose from scratch. It begins with the first few steps on the journey where you start to build strength in your upper body and learn how to support your body weight with your arms. You then gradually start to introduce the concept of being upside down. A wall is used for this purpose so that you can build confidence at your own pace. Once you are comfortable stepping up the wall the next step is to try kicking into the full inversion. Placing your head in contact with the floor comes relatively late in the process of learning how to stand on your head. Initially it is important that you are able to protect your neck by gaining the ability to support your body weight and lift your shoulders with your head off the floor. This involves learning specific sirsasana techniques in addition to acquiring muscular strength. The class eventually explores how to kick up into full sirsasana with the support of a wall. This type of class can be practiced repeatedly and will evolve over time as your experience grows.