Tag Archives | hands-free headstand

How to do a Headstand for Beginners

By on September 20, 2012 in Head Balancing, Yoga

A headstand is an intense display of upper body strength. To attempt it without proper preparation could lead to severe personal injury or permanent damage to your body. It is also probably not best for you to jump into something like the headstand without having any idea of what you’re doing. It’s important to build on your core and shoulder strength before attempting to learn how to do a headstand for beginners. This is one of the more enjoyable and extreme gymnastics moves to master, and it’s best to have someone with you to spot you when you’re first learning on the process of a beginner’s headstand. People commonly feel refreshed and revitalized after being in an inverted position such as the headstand.

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Preparing to Enter the Headstand

  • While facing a sturdy wall, lower yourself onto your elbows and knees.
  • Keep your hands together in front of your head and place the center of the top portion of your head down onto the mat.
  • Make sure that you never put the back portion of the top of your head down on the mat.
  • If you can’t go exact center, further to the front is acceptable.
  • Keep your elbows fairly close together by lining them up under your shoulders. Keep your breathing controlled and steady.
  • Now, straighten your legs by lifting your knees and buttocks and bringing your heels off of the ground. Rock back and forth on your toes a bit to get loosened up.

Entering and Exiting the Headstand Pose

The last step to learning how to do a headstand for beginners is to actually do the headstand.

  • Start walking your feet, on their tiptoes, closer and closer to your head.
  • Once it feels right, lift one of your legs up to the wall.
  • Let your other leg follow the first one up; this is a great time for your spotter to step in and help you straightened up.
  • While you’re in this pose, take some deep cleansing breaths. If you feel comfortable, close your eyes and count to five.
  • Don’t stay in an inverted pose like this for too long at a time.
  • Make sure that you do this slowly and in a controlled way.

Part of learning how to do a headstand for beginners is to learn how to make every movement involved steady and controlled. It keeps you from injury as well and helps strengthen your body against its own natural resistance.

 

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Is A Handstand Easier Than A Headstand?

By on June 28, 2012 in Handstands, Head Balancing

Are you asking is a handstand easier than a headstand?

The short answer is NO! (Although there are some exceptions.)

Let me explain why.

The handstand has a smaller base of support, i.e. your two hands, rather then the two hands and your head that are commonly used in the headstand.

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The leverage of your body is also longer in the handstand then in the headstand, making your center of gravity higher, and thus it harder to balance.

Handstand and Headstand

For these two reasons handstands are not easier then headstands.

Here are the exceptions:

1 – You have cervical problems that don’t allow you to put weight on your head. If it causes pain or injury then a handstand may be easier then a headstand.

2 – If you’re talking about the hands-free headstand then yes the handstand is easier then this very advanced skill. To learn how to train the hands-free headstand click here.

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