Kneel on your yoga mat and clasp your hands. Connect your fingers all the way up to the webbings, then relax your grip.
Check that your elbows are placed no wider than your shoulders. Dig your elbows into the floor and stretch the bones of your arms toward your wrists. Press your forearms down.
Check that your wrists are perpendicular to the floor, with the thumb side of the wrist directly over the little finger side.
Now tuck your toes under, press into your feet and lift your pelvis.
Press your forearms and wrists strongly down into the floor. Use the pressure into the floor to help pull your shoulder blades away from your ears, and press your front thighs toward your back thighs.
Keep the lift in your shoulder blades and the resistance in your thighs as you bring your nose to touch your thumbs.
Press down into your forearms and wrists to lift your shoulders away from the floor.
When you tire, push back into your first position. Rest and repeat.
Benefits: A successful headstand depends in part on strength in your arms and shoulders, and particularly on your ability to lift your body by pushing down into your forearms.
With this preparation you can begin to build strength for headstand without having to balance or be upside-down.
Sequence: If you are making this the centrepiece of your day's practice, do some shoulder stretches to begin, including downward facing dog pose.
After you've worked with this preparation, be sure to rest and to release your shoulders.
Ouch: If your shoulders hurt when you lift your pelvis and push back, your body might not be ready for this preparation. Instead, work to build your strength and flexibility in downward facing dog pose.
Ask your teacher for additional poses that will help open your shoulders.
Sanskrit Corner: Say Sheer-SHAH-sanna. Sirsa means head. Asana means pose.
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Yoga on 7th is owned by Mary Balomenos and Eve Johnson. Practice tips ©2008 Eve Johnson. The information in Practice Tip of the Week is of a general nature and is not to be taken as medical or other health advice. Permission to re-publish an individual issue is given, once the following conditions are met: Yoga on 7th is given proper recognition as author of the piece; a link to Yoga on 7th's website is published; the piece is not modified in any way; subscription details for Practice Tip of the Week are provided; Yoga on 7th is informed of the re-publication.
