Classical Headstand: Pathway to Adventure

A goal that new-ish yogis like to set for themselves -- headstand. It looks advanced, it allows you to set a goalpost in your practice.

I like classical headstand because every time I do it, I confront my fear of falling. I confront the fear that this time, I might literally tumble head over heels onto the ground. Has that ever happened? Yes it has. Was it scary? Yes it was. Did I get hurt? No. But it takes courage. I’ve heard it said that courage is a state of being afraid and doing the thing anyway. Each time I take this pose, I get to be courageous. I get to take a risk, go on an adventure, and be with the emotions of that experience on the safety of my mat in the security of the studio.

You can do a headstand against a wall, but it’s not the same as doing it in the middle of the room. And there are different ways to enter and exit the pose, just like there are different ways to enter and exit a room, a situation, a conversation. You can jump right up, with a little hope and prayer that it will turn out okay. You can lift one leg, give a careful little kick-off, and then rise with more confidence into the fullness of the pose. Find that sweet spot where there is little pressure on your head and arms and you virtually feel weightless. That is when you know you are completely perpendicular to the floor, with joints stacked properly one on top of another. The stronger and more stable your core is, the more ability you will have to lift both feet off the ground at once and move into the pose without any kicking at all. A stable and strong center is the key. The more you strengthen your abdominal muscles, the more access you will have to headstand.

Building those stabilizing muscles allows you to express your lightness, your magic gift of turning upside down, it allows you to embark on your adventure. Practicing headstand consistently creates a felt experience in your body of how stability -- or connection to core -- opens up a pathway to adventure. It is a physical expression of a metaphysical concept: staying true to your core attributes allows you access to something new, to what may not have seemed possible. Dig deep and build strength, connect to your core values, and then you can turn the world upside down.