Headstand

Build these first

• Dolphin Pose for a minute, with the shoulders lifting away from the floor
• Forearm Plank for 30 to 60 seconds
• A neck that is healthy and pain-free
• Ideally, a teacher who can watch your set-up the first few times

The set-up decides everything

Kneel and place the forearms on a folded mat, elbows no wider than the shoulders, and interlace the fingers. Rest the crown of the head lightly on the floor with the back of the head against the hands. Press the forearms down and lift the shoulders away from the ears. Most of your weight should stay in the forearms, not the head and neck, throughout the pose.

Coming up at a wall

• Set up with the knuckles a few centimetres from a wall
• Lift the knees and walk the feet in until the hips are close to over the shoulders
• Draw one knee into the chest, then the other, without jumping
• Slowly straighten the legs up, using the wall only lightly for balance
• Stay for a few breaths at first, building up over weeks; come down the same way, slowly, and rest in Child’s Pose

Who should avoid it

Do not practise headstand with a neck or spine injury, high blood pressure, glaucoma or other eye pressure problems, a heart condition, a recent head injury, or during pregnancy unless you are experienced and have medical approval. Come down straight away if you feel neck pain, dizziness, a headache or pressure in the eyes. Dolphin Pose and Legs Up the Wall offer some of the same feeling without the load on the neck.