So you want to learn how to headstand?

Headstand / Sirsasana is such a fun pose to learn, but can also be a slow and rigorous process to get to. It takes dedication and time to safely prep for this inversion. Once you feel your feet up in the air and you nail that first real headstand after endless amounts of work – it feels magical. It opens something inside you that wants to learn more about the wonders of the human body, and a strange adrenaline rushes through your senses. It is the ultimate mind clearer – you won’t be thinking about anything else other than your body and how you feel while in headstand 😉

It took me a year or so to really start feeling the hips stack over the shoulders and my core engage, where I could safely pull away from the wall and overcome the fear of getting upside down. I practiced every day, sometimes only for 20 minutes. The key is persistence and commitment to working on the prep poses to properly build the foundations for getting into a safe headstand.

I hope you find this useful : happy headstanding!

BENEFITS

There are some major benefits to Sirsasana other than it being a fun pose to test limits and get upside down! Here are some of my favourite benefits.

Increases Blood Flow

When you are upside down, you are optimizing nutrient flow and sending extra oxygen to the eyes, head and scalp! It is said to aid in nutrient delivery to the hair follicles – but I really can’t promise you less grey hairs by doing a headstand 😉

Strengthens the Body

A major benefit to headstand is the amount of muscle being built in the shoulders, arms and core. Learning to activate those new muscles in the prep poses helps improve your upper body strength and muscular endurance. We use this new found strength to take the weight off of the head and neck, using the forearms and shoulders to push away the ground – it’s a major workout!

Increases Focus

Ever hear the yoga teacher say “clear your mind” and you just can’t? Well, headstand is one of those poses that requires your utmost concentration so you really don’t have the ability to think about anything else other than your headstand and the burn in your abs. Getting comfortable in a headstand will also help reduce fear and worry, while improving your mind and keeping your attention clear and focused.

MISTAKES

Hopping up or donkey kicking

My number one rule when teaching a headstand is to never jump up! Walking the feet closer to the head and pressing in to the elbows to and lift one leg up at a time is much safer than hopping or kicking up, possibly injuring your neck or spine! This also helps train the body into feeling the hips above the shoulders by using the lower abdomen to keep them floating high.

Dumping into the head and shoulders

Distributing weight in the forearms and shoulders is actually what keeps you up and balanced in a headstand safely. Do not dump the weight on to your neck, push the ground away from you using your forearms, releasing the neck and head from the weight of your entire body. It is called a ‘headstand’ but so much of this pose relies on spreading the weight between your arms and not overloading weight on to your head. This helps to build the neck strength necessary to hold unsupported headstands in a more advanced headstand practice.

Head, Hands and Elbow placement

To avoid splaying out the elbows – place your forearms down on the mat, and each hand to touch opposite elbow. That should be the correct distance you need for a strong, supportive base. Interlace the palms together forming a triangle shape and keep the elbows hugging in, placing the head slightly down on the ground with the back of your head settling into the nook of your palms. Keep the shoulders pressing away from the ears or your back will round, allowing the possibility of rolling backwards. If you find the elbows keep splaying out, you can use a strap to keep them shoulder distance apart. If they are too tight then shoulder openers before headstand is always a good idea. 

Below is a video on arm placement for headstand! Also how dumping into the shoulders looks like vs. pressing them away from the ears to create space.

Banana Back

The sway back or banana back is a curved spine in headstand due to the placement of the pelvis and the engagement of the core muscles. Most beginners will load a lot of the weight into their lower back creating an arch, since they are mostly focused on not falling over and aren’t engaging the core. This could lead to spinal injuries and bad muscle memory for your inversion practice.

Holding the Breath

Not much to say for this one other than, practice mindful breathing and don’t hold the breath.

TIPS

Shoulders pressing down and away from ears.

Forearms pressing into ground.

Practice your Prep exercises and poses every other day. Consistency is key!

Always rest for 2 minutes in child’s pose after headstand.

PREP POSES

Downward Facing Dog

Forward fold

Plank

Navasana

Chaturanga

Dolphin pose

Crow

PREP EXERCISES

Plank curls

Using the wall

– To practice pike

– To practice L-stand

A great way to get over your fear of inverting and relying on the wall behind you. L stand builds better form for headstand!

Moving away from the wall

It takes a lot of guts to move away from our handy friend “Paul the Wall” – but moving from the wall early on helps train the muscles to rely on working to keep you up – building proper muscle memory. In the video below are some examples of ways we can start to get into headstand with the wall a lot further away from you.

You can prep for pike without the wall by using a prop like a ball or a block/wheel or anything really like a couch 🙂

In the video below I am using a somewhat deflated exercise ball to prep for pike.

Once you get the hang of holding your balance in headstand it opens up a whole world of poses to play with. Inversions are my favourite things to practice and I love how they make me feel strong mentally and physically!

Here are some fun headstand variations below!

Leg Variations

Tuck, Stag legs, Eagle, Splits, Twist, Lotus, Butterfly, Tuck

Arm Variations

Supported, Tripod, Hands to elbows ,Fingertip, Straight arms, No hands

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Remember to trust the process, sometimes it just takes a little longer than others and that’s ok! Don’t compare your progress to any one else’s – you are doing this for you 😉 The ego has a funny way of making us do things that can possibly hurt us, so don’t rush through and skip the prep. Take your time – it’s actually what helps you move faster than anything else and what has helped me the most.

Hope this helped you in some way! Let me know what you think in the comments below.

You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube – follow me for more posts like this <3

Recharging with Pranamat ECO

After practicing intermediate bends quite frequently through the week my muscles and body get quite sore and stiff. I love to roll out my muscles on a cork roller first and then use my Pranamat ECO, which is a therapeutic massage mat with tiny little lotus shaped points that activate fatigued or tense areas of the body. I was so excited to try this mat out and I have been using it for about a month now, with my partner using it too!

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I like to use it before or after my yoga workout because either have different outcomes depending on how I am feeling. I use it before my practice if I need some energy and want to feel awake and loosen up my muscles! The second I lay down on it I am aware of all the points that are touching me, and my skin starts to tingle a bit. It is kind of like a pleasure and pain when you first start using it, and then your body sinks in and you can relax.

After a workout is a different story because usually I am feeling relaxed and soft already, but since I practice so many bends, sometimes my back really slightly sore. If I lay on the Pranamat for a few minutes it activates those sore muscles and helps ease the circulations around them to feel better faster.

I also love to stand on the mat too and can last for about 5 minutes. The key is to even out your weight on the mat, if you are ticklish then it might be a bit harder for you at first! My preferred method to use it is always on my back and butt though, it seems to benefit these areas more for me and the feeling after is just so amazing. I can relax on my back now for about 15 minutes, only 2 when I first started. My back definitely feels much less tense and more relaxed before and after my work outs and I feel like my skin looks tighter and happier. These little prickly lotus points are speaking to my skin cells, pushing them to wake up and work! You can see the shapes it leaves behind on my back, it looks like star constellations in a far away galaxy.

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My cat seems to like it too… or maybe he just loves the box 😉 which I must say is a clever design because I can tuck my mat right back into it. It is also really cute to see the little lotus flowers and the turquoise colour I choose when I look at the front of the box.

Check out Pranamat ECO at pranamat.com to read more uses and features of the mat, and you can see their Instagram to see the mat in action!

 

 

 

January Future Self Yogi Surprise box!

I think this January Yogi Surprise box has won my heart! The jewelry box to be specific… why you may ask? Well, this box contained the most yummiest organic Vegan truffles from Missionary Chocolates I have ever had. I would buy this box over and over again just to have these truffles! Seriously that worth it!

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One was a salted caramel truffle, and the other dark chocolate. The point is, they were both so tasty I almost forgot there was jewelry in this box too and not just chocolate treats! I received a beautiful rose quartz pendant and matching bracelet. This bracelet was one of the most beautiful and delicate pieces I have got in the box. It was so pretty I put it on immediately and even forgot to take it off before bed, haha! SO pretty!

This months box theme focused on “Future Self” providing the tools to refresh our spirit by detoxifying, purifying, healing, and renewing both the body and mind. What a perfect start to the new year! Especially with BATH STUFFZ! Loved this Pacifica ‘Lotus garden’ soap! It is all natural and look at how gorgeous the bar is! It looks like little sparkle flakes embedded into this clear bar.

I also found some Pacifica Detox wipes, in such a lovely scent. Kale, cucumber & mangosteen infused! Now that is a scent I have never heard of before, but it is so refreshing! these will come in handy for yoga classes and traveling! I also got a wrist compression sleeve which is great for when you do handstand or arm balances a lot. If you find you have weak wrist and have to warm them up a lot before doing arm balances then this sleeve is probably a good idea. It keeps your wrist in place and almost ‘together’ while you practice!

Next up is from one of my favourite skin care brands DERMA-E <3 I discovered this brand through Yogi Surprise actually when I received an amazing eye cream. These products are incredible and 100% vegan! All natural stuff goes into this face cream and it smells so yummy too, like cucumbers. FRESH! I have been using this every night and it has a unique tightening feeling. It is very thin which I like but VERY hydrating. I know it says night time cream but I have actually been using this DAY & NIGHT because it is just that thin and hydrating. It really does pull your skin and make it tighter too! My dry, fine wrinkles are already disappearing, it’s like magic, really! SUPER RECOMMEND THIS CREAM TO EVERYONE!!!

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I have been building up my yogi books collection and so far Yogi Surprise has given me two wonderful books! My first from them was “The Little Red Book Of Yoga Wisdom” which was such a cute and fast read. The Book I received in Januarys box is more informative – “The Good Living Guide to Medicinal Tea”. I’m not much of a tea drinker but this book actually focuses on more than just the benefits of herbs for tea. You really get to know more about each plant and the benefits it has to the body, a lot of these herbs are things you can cook with too so it is always good to know just what you are putting in your body and how amazing it is for you!

Always love my Yogi Surprise box! I heard February is going to be exceptional too! 😉

Use the code YOGILOVE to get 15% off a purple Yogi Surprise box at yogisurprise.com !!! You won’t regret it!

 

My Inner Fire around Toronto!

As January comes to an end I realize I didn’t do much of a recap to the last year, so here is a mini one featuring one of my fave Canadian brands My Inner Fire! I am so proud to be an Inner Fire luminary and have the chance to rock the coolest prints around Toronto! We usually head out for a full day long boarding, walking , picnicking and of course some yoga snap and these leggings withstand the entire day or working out. Here are some of my favourite moments:

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This was when I first got my Nocturne Inner Fire leggings! I LOVED all the new collection prints but had to have these Nocturne leggings first because they are totally my style. We took it to one of the most beautiful places in Toronto, High Park.

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Not only was I wearing comfy leggings but this day was also a breakthrough day for me! I love to backbend and contort my body and I have been trying to reach my hands up further to my knees in this standing backbend shown above. This day was miraculous, not only did I reach my legs but I walked my hands all the way up to my knees and held it comfortably. I realized after that I was even doing this on a downward slope! Truly a cool moment for me! For all of you wondering how to get into this pose, it requires a lot of warming up. I usually warm up with a ton of pigeon variations and also I have to stretch my shoulders for a good 10 minutes.

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I get so many compliments on these Bella leggings, they remind me of a warm Greek day with white buildings and this print on the tiled grounds. This was also a breakthrough day for me as it was the furthest I had ever gotten my splits in a dancer pose! It felt like a moment you understand a pose and what was holding you back at first. For me, I wasn’t able to reach my hands far down enough my shin to really lift my leg. I also focused more on backbends and less on my hamstring stretches. Now that I have incorporated splits into my practice, this pose feels much more natural to me and I’m proud to say I can do a full split now!!

On a sunny day like below we couldn’t resist long boarding around the city. I brought my travel Yogo mat (just incase yoga pics happened hehe) and of course they did when we arrived to this point on the lakeshore. It looks like you can see for miles, but it’s only a lake and it is pretty smoggy too!

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I tried this variation of a backbend called Alien Backbend, where you drop your butt a bit lower, almost creating a chair like shape. I really wanted to jazz it up by doing it in a forearm wheel, but also hugging both my hands to my elbows once I was in a good position. It looks and felt great!

Classic Upward Bow pose below! I will admit I did tip over just after this, you can kind of tell I am leaning a bit too far back but I swear I held it straight for a a few breaths before!

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We were headed home from a morning at the beach and we walked by this abandoned old train track. I had always wanted to try this pose where you extend your whole body over the track and do somewhat of a plank from one side to the other. I added a backbend of course and plopped my foot onto my head.

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But then the funniest thing happened… these guys drove by and were so impressed they paid me to be in their music video! I seriously asked them a million times – “Are you sure? I do yoga… it’s a hip hop video right? And you want yoga?” 😛 – and they kept saying yes! So I did a mini flow on the hood of their car. HAHAHHA

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This was possibly the best part of my yoga journey so far. getting to backbend on the hood of a rappers car for their video. Now I don’t know if the video ever made it out, and I honestly can’t remember their names. And who knows if they even liked the yoga hood girl in the end anyway, but I still LOVED this moment and will remember it for ever. It’s amazing how yoga has opened up so many doors of opportunity! Can’t wait for more!!

Check out @myinnerfire on Instagram – and you can use the code VanessaB for a discount at myinnerfire.com or on Amazon