For the headstanders out there, please read this before attempting or holding it for an extended period of time.
I often say in class although handstand might be more difficult to learn, it is actually much safer than headstand...
Namaste
Sacred geometry • I read another great post from @simonsynergy, one of my mentors, and still one the best applied anatomy of Hatha Yoga teachers I've met; where he said that one of the pre-requisites for doing headstand is that you should be able to do a free standing forearm balance - Pincha Mayurasana. The risk of damage and compression to the intervertebral discs is too high if you don't have the arm strength to support your headstand. When I was learning, I was not taught headstand until I completed the Ashtanga Primary Series, which took me two years, and by that time i'd developed enough strength and body awareness to do it safely. Simon also recommends, and I agree, that you should not get into headstand by kicking up. Nor should you use the wall, and you should know how to safely fall out of it. Eventually, though, it is possible to do the headstand without hands like in this photo.
But, it has been my experience that most people want to try headstand,despite the warnings. That is part of human nature.... But if you can, try each day to lift your head off the floor when doing headstand so you build that strength - your neck is not something you want to damage.
