Hi all:
This has probably been asked somewhere before, but what are the thoughts on headstand. Recommended or not?
Guy
Generally: asana practice is “modular” according to AYP. Do it or don’t do it, exercise self pacing, but it’s really pretty open to you. yogani has provided some good basic info. He suggests not overdoing it, but suggests some asana practice to get past various blocks. I do a LOT of asana, as do a number of experienced AYP people, but I worked up very gradually.
Specifically: AYP doesn’t have anything at all to say about headstand. But if you’re practicing asana, headstand is the king of yoga positions, and it’s a great thing to practice. Go for it.
If I can read between your lines, headstand indeed affects crown chakra. But I’ve put in many many many hours over the years standing on my head, and I haven’t had issue with premature crown opening. You’re cool, don’t worry. don’t think about the crown, think about your alignment, and enjoy the delightfulness of inversion.
Hi Jim:
Thanks for you kind response.I’m not exactly sure what you mean by “modular” but I was hoping to get the green light on doing the posture.
Guy
Hi Guy:
“Inversion” is one of the basic principles in asanas, and is found in many postures, including the lowly toe-touch (or whatever we can do in that direction).
The headstand is king of the inversion postures, though some would argue that gravity boots (hanging upside down by the boots) is superior. Well, anything can be taken to extremes, and that is what needs to be cautioned here. Seeking a good balance with self-pacing in our routine of practices is the key.
Also, with the headstand in particular, care must be exercised not to place the full weight of the body on the neck. This can lead to a permanent neck injury. So if you are learning headstand, make sure to learn the proper means of supporting your weight with the triangular placement of the arms. This enables the practitioner to regulate the weight placed on the neck. Very important.
As you may know, in the AYP Easy Lessons book, there are some 14 postures which are recommended as an “asana starter kit” – a well-rounded series that can be done in about 10 minutes before sitting practices. In there is the shoulder stand and several other postures involving inversion. Consider getting comfortable and stable in a routine like that before moving on to more advanced postures like headstand. Just a suggestion.
Do take your time and never force anything in asanas.
I am moving this topic to the asanas forum for better placement.
The guru is in you.
On the body weight and neck issue, readers along may want to address the issue with an experienced asana teacher. There are lots of different approaches; for example, the system I study, Iyengar, teaches that you can actually get in more physical trouble by placing weight on the tripod of arms, hands, and elbows. Doing so tenses the trapezius and causes the shoulders to tense and raise (the chief dangerous no-no of the pose…must keep shoulders “down” and relaxed). What keeps you safe in headstand is good alignment, and once your alignment is correct, Iyengar yoga (one of many systems) teaches that you can have little or no weight on hands and arms. Headstand should definitely be learned with a teacher’s help. There are poses to learn before that prepare you, and there are “things to know” that you won’t get properly out of books.
I do 5-10 minutes of headstand each day (have for many years), and while I suffered from stick necks and poor mobility in the neck when I was younger, my neck keeps getting more and more strong, healthy, and relaxed. and I can tell you that the pose feels GREAT once you’ve got the hang of it…and it’s actually not that difficult!
Hi Jim:
If complete weight on the neck can be done safely, I am certainly not opposed. Proper instruction is the key in this, and I bow to Iyengar in all things “asana.”
However, do-it-yourselfers beware in taking on the neck-only supported headstand without professional instruction. If training is not available and you must do it, then I still suggest the arm tripod method rather than the neck. It may not be ideal (as per Jim/Iyengar) but much safer for amateurs.
The guru is in you.
Jim.
I would take issue to instructing beginners to put the weight on the head and neck. While that may be eventually an ideal it is also important develop the strength and control of the arms and shoulders while learning this pose as the neck is very critical and sensitive. It is also very important to clarify what you mean by shoulders “up” or “down” while talking about an inverted pose as it can be very confusing. Perhaps ypu could say “shoulders should move towards the floor or the ceiling”, or in the shoulders case whether towards or away from ears. I am relearning this pose after having not practicing it for many years and your suggestions seem to run counter to what I have been taught in Iyengar style.Certainly Iyengar teaches to lift the shoulders toward the ceiling in Light On Yoga but maybe his understanding has changed. There is a tendency for intermediate students to overdo beginning instructions and to exagerations of the true pose. Maybe keeping the shoulders and arms working is a beginner protective instruction that needs to be later released in favor of a more relaxed pose. Perhaps you can clarify a bit more as I would love to increase my capacity and comfort in this pose. I am currently at 3 minutes a day but it does get tiring.
Hi Yogani and Jim:
Just as soon as I posted this under Satsang Cafe I realized the mistake. Oops too late.
I used to do headstand some twenty years ago, and I guess it’s like riding a bike in that you never forget how. I really appreciate the tips on keeping the shoulders relaxed and to watch my alignment.
After not doing much in the way of spiritual work for the last 20 or so years,today is day 60 for me with AYP and I’m lovin it.
Thanks again gentlemen:
Guy
Hey, Victor, we’ve never disagreed on asana before! A few quick thoughts. First, I didn’t say people should put weight on head and neck. I said they shouldn’t transfer the weight to arms and elbows, which is a subtly different thing. I got that from Gabriella Giubilaro (Victor’s heard of her, but for those reading along, she’s one of the most senior Iyengar authorities), who was actually teaching a relatively beginner class at the time, so this wasn’t an advanced issue. This may be a relatively new instruction (the Iyengar system adjusts and changes over time), though. Fact of the matter is, you’re never going to get a large percentage of your weight onto arms and elbows in headstand anyway…the physics isn’t there. It’s a slim percentage (certainly not enough to make a huge diff on neck either way), and if you aim to increase that load, it will be at expense of alighment and shoulders (it’s not like handstand, where one presses down on hands to extend the body).
What one must do (and here I’m betting you’ll agree, Victor) is think “up”. The long, long extension of the body upward (try to touch feet to ceiling!) is what keeps the neck from compaction. But to lengthen, you’ve got to be aligned (and there are subtleties that can’t be judged by oneself…a teacher really helps). It’s good to practice against a wall to see if you’re tilting this way or that, for one thing. Upward extension is the key to not having headstand be a heavy pose where all weight bears uncomfortably on neck. AYP students, with good feel for prana, should find it a fun challenge to extend energy upward, and not just muscle, bone and tendon!
Robert, don’t just keep the shoulders relaxed. Make your #1 priority and attention that. They will creep up and you won’t know it! Keep them firmly drawn down into the back (Victor’s right, my previous description was imprecise; sorry!), and keep your trapezius rolled back, as well. I can say this: my first two years of headstand practice I did not do this, and I had some shoulder pain as a result. You must build a deep aversion to shoulder creep.
Finally, here’s something to shoot for: a relaxed openness in the front of the neck. It’s hard to achieve, but even trying to do so will work wonders in terms of energy and alignment for this pose.
Jim,
I took a class with Gabriella in Italy back in 87 and liked her very much. I also know that she knows her headstand because that class was almost completely inversions!
I am now specifically working on improving my headstand and since it has not been the easiest pose for me I am delighted to explore your input on this. You still are using the words up and down however. When I roll my trapezius back and shoudlerblades into my back that seems to make my shoulders lift towards the ceiling and away from my ears. Is that the big no no you speak of? When you say shoulders creeping up, do you mean towards or away from the ears?
argh, sorry, yeah, problem is I’m not a teacher, i’m just a practiioner, so I tend to use the terms that make sense to me. Let me clear it up.
basic: trapezius moving back toward shoulder blades, shoulder blades moving toward waist, shoulders firmly receded as far from the ground as possible.
intermediate: generally, recreate as complete a tadasana as you possibly can (tadasana is just the basic standing pose, which in some schools of yoga is a very rigorous, detailed, demanding pose, requiring every part of your body to be actively doing something). That is, in any question of alignment that emerges, think tadasana. Your body should be in that exact same alignment: a photo of you in headstand turned upside down should look like you’re standing upright (even the feet perpendicular to legs).
advanced twist: Victor, you know the abdomin/ribcage rotation we previously discussed? Where the back ribs move up and the bottom of the front ribcage comes in, all pivoting at the solar plexus? Do that. It’s real hard, because back ribs coming up while shoulder blades and trapezius come down seems nearly contradictory. On the other hand, it’s the precise same action in tadasana.
Robert, are you getting more than you asked for? 
Hi Jim:
Even though I don’t understand alot of what you and Victor are discussing, I still find the dialogue fasinating, and I’m sure that somewhere in my consciousness there are lessons in there for me.
I did headstand twice today each for about 30 seconds.
Thanks again;
Guy
Bear in mind that me and Victor are practioners of an extraordinarily detailed school of hatha yoga. When we talk, it’s pretty much unintelligble for anyone else…not necessarily becuase it’s deep, but more because it’s a distinct way of viewing the body.
Listen, big questions aside, if you need tips on this or any other asana, just shout. Me and Victor don’t HAVE to do the angels dancing on pins every single time!
Thanks Jim. we have no disagreements in technique, it is just that I wasn’t sure in your description. Now all is clear to me and i fully concur, You actually helped me by reassurinf me that it is good to take the full balance on the head rather than so much work in the arms. My pose was much better today.
Victor, I’m glad (and btw, why’d you stop practicing headstand? most consider it the essential pose!).
Let me know if you get anywhere from seeking openness in the front of the neck. I’m nowhere near a master of this pose (even after 20 years), but this has helped me a lot lately. Everything has to be just right for it to occur, and trying to make it occur helps make everythign just right!
Hi Jim and Victor:
Two questions please:
(1)
If I integrate the headstand into my twice daily AYP routine would you recommend doing it at the beginning or end of the asana routine, or at what time in relation to meditation?
(2)
Any recommedations on a hatha yoga school/video/web site?
I really want to improve my AYP routine and I live a little in the boonies so the internet is a big help for me.
Mucho gracias:
Guy
good time to do headstand is once a day in teh afternoon or evening near the end of asana practice and always followed by shoulderstand. the best thing that I can recommend is the book “Light On Yoga” by BKS Iyengar
Just don’t do headstand after shoulderstand. That’s important!
Me and Victor study the Iyengar method, which is all about proper alignment and details of body position (which is a great thing to learn…I’ve handled the energy changes from AYP much more easily because of the subtleties I’ve learned from Iyengar). There are Iyengar teachers all over the country. The book Victor recommended is the classic source, but a great book for beginners/intermediates is “Yoga the Iyengar Way”.
hi guys,
I do headstand for about 5 mins every morning, for about 3 months. It’s one of the best asanas in terms of the immediate feelings. Certainly can’t say much about its long term effects, or how much it would help with the AYP pracices. (That I would like to know too)
Headstand helps a lot when I have insomnia (due to excessive worries and thinking). The method is to do it up to my limits (for me, it’s about 10-15 mins) It seems to loosen the inner tension in my head. (may be by exhausting me )
The amount of blood flow(or the blood pressure) to the head is greater in headstand than in shoulderstand (you can test this on your own by the subvective feeling. That’s also what some doctors said.) So it’s more advanced, in terms of difficulty/precautions/effects. (well, the “effects” part is based on personal experiences and guessing…)
Doing some stretchings first will certainly help with headstand, but better not to do vigorous exercises like the vinyasa-type yoga before headstand, because the wastes produced during such exercises may be carried to your head. The asana “Peacock” is to be avoided also, since this asana is said to speed up the detoxification process. (more medical knowledge is needed to see whether it’s really that inappropriate, because the blood will actually be filtered before going to the brain)
Hey Victor and Jim,
Headstand question here.
I started off doing headstands inspired by these posts, I think I may have been making a couple of mistakes after watching a Rodney Yee video. I noticed Rodney used his forearms and hands (palms down) having the length of the arm from elbow to finger tips on the ground as support for the head. I am pretty sure I had this wrong as I started with just palms on the ground to balance the head and I did it near a wall for support if I needed it. Should I be copying Rodney Yee on this?
Second as a warning for others, I got a little over-exuberant with this pose 
, never having done it before and had one of the worst cases of over-doing I have ever had in yoga.
Everything was fine for the first 4 or 5 days, I was gradually building up from 30 seconds to 90 seconds. Then after about 5 days, I started to develop a head-ache at the crown chakra and then the feeling of prana-burn crept in. I then stopped and without doing any more headstands, I had this painful feeling, like a lid on the top of my head was opened wide (I couldn’t close it) and bright cosmic light was glaring down on my unexposed top of my brain. 
Ouch! I felt like I needed sun-block 
! Lasted for 3 or 4 days too, even with full-on self-pacing.
A good warning to go slowly with this pose and I now have irrefutable proof that everything Yogani says about over-doing the crown chakra is true! It creeps up on you slowly, then all of a sudden wham, you are in trouble and it takes quite a while for it to simmer down, definitely no fun, but a great learning experience nevertheless!