Posture Clinic
Ever wanted to practice headstand but not sure how to get there. This series is for you. We'll approach Headstand or Salamba Sirshasana with a beginners mind and with much integrity. We have to take it slowly and carefully. This inversion needs sufficient strength in the neck, shoulders, core and mobile hamstrings.
In this first class we'll warm up those parts of the body and check in, see where we are at in terms of strength and begin to explore our foundations - the most important part of headstand. This class can be used as a warm up class each time you want to visit headstand, prepping the body sufficiently in order to arrive in headstand safely, intelligently and with presence. Please make sure you stay with these early stages of headstand until you feel strong enough, stable enough before you move on to subsequent classes/stages. In other words until your foundation feels stable and tension free and so that your weight is hardly taken by your head.
NB Headstand isn't suitable for everyone, so please seek medical advice before practising. Please avoid if you have neck issues, back problems, high blood pressure or heart conditions or eye disorders.
Class 2 - Practice the next two stages of headstand with me. Make sure you have worked through class 1 first and you feel confident that your foundation feels stable, quiet and tension free. Warm up with class 1 or do some sun salutations and the postures in this practice first if you haven't done the previous class prior to this one. Remember its not about the final posture yet its about finding your way with the most ease and comfort and quietness. So your muscles don’t react they respond appropriately. Enjoy!
A classic yoga posture that evokes inner strength, courage and determination. Learn how to hold your body here whilst finding steadiness and ease.
Please complete classes 1 & 2 headstand before you practise this class as we are moving into an advanced posture. And always make sure that you are completely ready in your body and confident before you move into the next stages on headstand.
In this session we will explore stages 4 and 5 of headstand. Stage 4 where we lift the feet off the ground, stepping knees onto the shelves that are our arms in tripod headstand; or tucking knees into chest in our classic headstand. In Stage 5 if we feel stable, tension free and strong enough, we'll move into our full inversion where we lift the legs up into the sky with awareness and control using just the right amount of effort.
NB these last stages may take months if practising a lot, or even a few years to prepare for so please no rushing in and certainly no jumping in. Keep the integrity of your body and listen to it in every moment - your body will simply tell you when its ready to invert fully! Trust its wisdom. Don't be led with your mind (the ego will want to perform) follow your body (be present). See how this way changes your perspective on things!
Thought to be a beginners pose but one that can be challenging all the same. This is a nice and intelligent way to bring yourself in and out of Down Dog with consideration of tight hamstrings and shoulders which can cause discomfort in the pose if held for any length of time.