Headstand / Head standSave PDF
Sirsasana
SHEER-SHAH-sah-nah
Strengthens spine and core
Stimulates pituitary and pineal glands, brings fresh blood to brain
Revitalizes mind and senses
How to perform Headstand / Head Stand
- Begin kneeling and place your elbows on the floor. Clasp the outsides of your elbows with opposite hands. Release your hands but don’t move your elbows– keep this distance throughout the pose. Interlace your fingers and place the pinky fingers on the floor.
- Place the part of your head that’s just behind your hairline on the floor. Cup the back of your head with your hands.
- Curl your toes under, straighten your legs and walk your feet in toward you.
- With an inhale bring one knee into your chest, then the other. Straighten your legs toward the sky with an exhale.
- Fix your gaze at one point to balance. Press your elbows and wrists into the floor.
- Hold the pose and take slow, deep breaths.
- Lower your legs to the floor one at a time with an exhale.
- Rest in Extended Child’s Pose for 30 seconds.
Alignment cues
- Draw shoulder blades toward sky
- Draw ribs in
- Press elbows and wrists into floor
- Focus at the floor one foot in front of you
Headstand should only be learned from a yoga teacher. Always follow headstand with shoulderstand. Avoid this pose if you have high blood pressure, headache, back or neck injury, glaucoma, or a heart condition.
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More yoga poses to discover
Headstand / Head Stand (Sirsasana in Sanskrit) is a beginner yoga pose that belongs to the balancing and core and inversions categories. This asana targets abs, obliques and spine, and also involves forearms, middle back / lats, triceps and upper back & lower traps muscles. Headstand / head stand stimulates pituitary and pineal glands, brings fresh blood to brain; strengthens spine and core and also revitalizes mind and senses. Refer to the illustration and instructions above for how to perform this posture correctly. Discover more yoga asanas and yogic breathing exercises in our free yoga pose directory – a visual resource for yoga teacher training students as well as practitioners of all levels. Finally, shop our best-selling Yoga Cards products!
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Discover our best-selling Yoga Cards – professional study, class sequencing and practice guide for beginners and beyond.
Studying to be a yoga teacher? Learn the essential yoga poses the easy way with Yoga Stacks app!
New to yoga? Our Yoga for Beginners pack covers everything you need to know to get started with your practice.
Personal trainer? Try Train - our beautifully simple training platform you and your clients will love.
