Headstand – Sirasana
When it comes to the physical part of your Yoga practise it’s hard not to be influenced by images online of super flexible people, glowing with yogic joy as they appear to hover over their mat. It’s not just online, it happens in our classes too. It’s natural to compare ourselves to others; ‘why can’t I stretch that far’ ’I can’t balance as well as them’ We only see part of the picture and have no idea what challenges physically or emotionally that person has faced, but of course that doesn’t make it any easier to switch off the voice of our inner critic.
Being the teacher doesn’t mean I escape this. Take the headstand as an example. If you are not familiar with the posture, at first glance you are balancing on the top of your head with very little support as you stretch your body effortlessly upwards, perfectly vertical. In reality most of the weight is not taken by the head, it is strength in the arms and core that enable you to hold a headstand safely. Headstand looks impressive or scary depending on your view, either way it should be treated with respect and a certain amount of caution. Referred to as the King of asanas (postures) it is empowering and gives us an alternate view of the world once we are upside down. For me however the power of headstand has come from the alternate view it has given me of myself.
During my teacher training I posted on social media that I had achieved a half head stand (feet off the floor with knees still bent so you are more stable), and that I had set myself the challenge to achieve the full headstand (legs in the air) by the end of the month. I thought sharing my goal would give me the incentive to practise, there was clearly a pinch of ego in here too, but it did not work. Instead when I didn’t achieve it I felt I’d failed. Not just in my yoga journey but in my ability to be a teacher too. How could I help my students achieve it if I hadn’t, or worse what if they could do it better than me? Easily solved I thought, don’t teach it. There are plenty of other postures that give you similar benefits, and of course there are but I was missing the point.
However I did just that, ignoring it in my classes and in my own practise. Then on one of my trips back to my teachers studio (she is still my teacher, we all need one!) I was faced with the headstand cycle as part of her class. I had listened to the fear so much that I couldn’t even find the foundation to get half way up. After the class I confessed I had stopped practising it and therefore wasn’t teaching it either. She pointed out that I had the knowledge and the physical strength to do it, the rest may or may not come in time but that was up to me. She reminded me I knew the correct alignment and could adjust my students helping them to find the right position. I could demonstrate 80% of the posture which still has an incredible amount of benefit when you do it, so “why?” she asked “are you denying your students the chance to try this as part of their own practise?”
Back in my classes I started to break the headstand down into really small steps focusing on the benefits of each one. Keeling with your head resting on the floor (or on a cushion) in Childs pose is actually the very first step – and the vast majority of us can do that.
I explained to my classes I was still working on the final posture and I waited for the look of disappointment or loss of confidence in me – there was none. I realised that by breaking everything down I’d taken away the fear of the final posture and therefore eliminated (almost) all the ego or inner critic. We were all at different stages, learning what our bodies could do.
This body awareness and slow pace meant I began to see students take their own steps. For many they did float their feet up to the sky, for many their feet stayed firmly on the floor and they built up strength in their upper body in other ways, still doing things they hadn’t expected to be able to do. My openness about my own challenges, I hope, has helped others let go of the ‘I should be able to do that’ voice. Instead we find our own path at our own pace, both on and off the yoga mat.
If you are considering practising head stand and you are not an experienced yogi I strongly recommend you find yourself a teacher in person, rather than following guidance on line. There are excellent on line teachers but nothing can beat having someone in the room to help you physically adjust position and mentally pace yourself.
There is a long list of benefits of practising headstand as well as risks, we have to make our own decisions based on the information we have and knowledge of our own bodies. If you have any doubts about physical conditions relating to your ability to do headstand please consult a certified medical practitioner.
