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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

September Yogi Surprise Box – Love of Yoga

One of my favourite times of the month is when I can come home and find a little purple Yogi Surprise box waiting for me! It is always filled with so many hand-picked items with the yogi or health nut in mind. This months September YS box is full of everything I love, and celebrates National Yoga Month – so you know it’s going to be gooooood 😉

The items in this box are meant to enhance our practice and help ground us in this transition to chilly autumn days. For the love of yoga, let’s get to it!

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The best part is opening the box and just seeing past the Packing List at all the goodies inside. Knowing you get to pull each one out, one by one. It’s like a never ending birthday present, but tailored to my lifestyle! Right off the bat I saw food… brownies to be specific… brownie BRITTLE to be reaaallly specific!! Yes, Yogi Surprise, you know me too well.

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You know it’s going to be a good box when you kick it off with Sheila G’s Brownie Brittle! I’m not going to lie, I opened these immediately and started munching on them. WOW. SO. YUMMY. I had to stop myself from eating the whole bag and quickly packed it away, saving it for my Teacher Training this weekend as a good power up snack.

Underneath the Brownie Brittle was a beautiful geometric designed yoga strap from Yoga Design Lab and Scentuals Yoga Mat Spray. Super handy to keep in my Yoga bag for my Teacher training as well. We started using straps like this one so it definitely came at the right time and in an extra long length. Also, it’s so pretty! Next was a 100% beeswax candle in a cute tin from Barefoot Lake. It has a yummy lavender and peppermint scent and it is going to accompany me the next time I take a bath. It is meant to help slow down and soothe creating a tranquil space between body and self.

I kept digging through the box to find an aromatherapy incense sampler made from a blend of natural essential oils and hand rolled by local village women in South India. 25% of Auromere’s incense profits go towards supporting education in rural India, so go check them out!! Also included at the bottom of the box was a book by called Yoga To The Rescue: Ageless Beauty. It talks about some key poses that help keep the body rejuvenated, somewhat slowing down time. Such a handy little book! I always love when there is food and something to read while I eat the food in my Yogi Surprise Box hehe.

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“Is that box empty yet? I want to try and fit”

I went through my Yogi Surprise Lifestyle box, but the fun isn’t over yet! I also got the Yogi Surprise Jewelry box! A cute little box that has two pieces and a snack.

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Opened it up and saw my beautiful friend Alexzandra Peters on the insert. SO that was awesome already. Just after I spotted a gorgeous mala, with deep and dark colours I knew I would love right away.

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Made from African Turquoise and an accompanying Jade beaded bracelet. What a gorgeous set, and the quality feels incredible! Love the matching tassel as well, the pop of colour is stunning.

If you want a discount on your first Yogi Surprise – be sure to use the code YOGILOVE at checkout! You won’t regret this purchase, treat yourself – this one is WORTH IT! <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!

 

 

 

May Yogi Surprise – Creative Divine Mother

So this is my favourite day of the month, when that purple little Yogi Surprise box makes it to my door! It’s also Arlo’s fave time – he is always so curious and he will wake up from any nap to come play with whatever surprise came. This month’s box is full of positive and inspiring vibes to uplift the mood.

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I noticed right away the Lilac & Willow Soy Candle and knew that it was going to be a good, relaxing box. You can also catch me at the candle aisle of any home store so I was in love immediately. I haven’t seen anything like this candle, it had floral petals and sage sticking out of the candle amongst other things, like a pretty little candle bouquet. It acts as a pretty scented candle but also helps cleanse the energies of any room as a purifying smudge. With hints of Cedar, it smells so heavenly – just as it looks. Mina had to have a smell too. Warning: today’s post features extra, too much, a lot of cats photobombing – they just wouldn’t leave me alone 😛 (Not Complaining)

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Speaking of lovely scents and clingy cats, the Scentered “Be Happy” citrusy, refreshing body balm was so nice to see. I will definitely be keeping this one in my backpack for before classes. I put this on in the morning and I was smelling the pink grapefruit smell all day, how wonderful! I love the packaging too – Arlo wouldn’t let me take a peaceful picture of this one though, you can see he had to make his cameo!

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There was also a yummy post yoga snack waiting for me in the box, a Nutrawbar Whole Fig Bar. I will be saving this one for later but am super excited to try it out. There was also a Joco Botanical Yogi Chakra body bar. This one was a sacral chakra bar, which governs your sense of pleasure, vitality, and connection to others.

I also was greeted with some wonderful cards from Tree Free Greetings, which I can’t wait to hand out to my friends.Each card has been printed on environmentally friendly paper made from materials like bamboo, hemp, bagasse, and consumer recycled papers. The designs on them are so pretty too!

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My most favourite from this whole box (apart from the candle, just because I love candles) is these Mindful mandala Cards. I know Adult colouring books have had a very viral take off in the last year, and I can’t help but fall in love with these beautiful mandala designs. I get to colour them all in (ok, maybe I will share one or two), and even create my own at the end, how cute.

Moving on to the Yogi Surprise jewelry box, this month was a definite surprise. I have never seen anything like the mala that came in this box. It has a gorgeous silk tassel attached to the bottom and the colours were warm lovely hues of pinks and oranges. The matching bracelet is so pretty too. I love how there are so many details in it, the amount of beads, and types, and how you can wrap it around as a bracelet, or actually where it as a mini necklace too.

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Arlo reeeeaaallly loved this one 😉

Want to give Yogi Surprise a try? Use the code YOGILOVE for a sweet discount off your first purchase!

Here’s an Arlo booty. Enjoy.

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