Headstand / Shirshasana is a powerful inversion pose and is also known as the “King of asanas.”  If you are planning to add this to your fitness routine, this write up might help you. All you need is to have faith in yourself and follow the below mentioned steps. Practicing the basic moves, Reflecting your work, working under an experienced trainer and taking enough rest before restarting again with a focused mind will definitely help you achieve your goals.

Do not get blown away seeing the bandage on my foot. This was a result of my own impatience and wrong moves. But not everybody should go through this. So I decided to share what I learned when I tried to do a headstand, my first experience of an inversion.

I was always intrigued by headstands and wondered if I would  ever be able to do this. It was not going to be easy for me because I  never tried such difficult moves and I was not very flexible too. My workout  friends always used to attempt such moves whereas  I was  reluctant to give it a try. But very recently when I started a regular fitness regime, I decided to face my fears head on.

 It started with a front roll in one of the sessions with my trainer. I was paranoid and did not think I could do a front roll. As I was still trying to understand the technique, my friend just started rolling effortlessly. Her words are still fresh in my mind, “This is so easy, we used to often do it  as a child.” I wanted to tell her I don’t remember doing anything like this.. It took me more than 10 to 15 attempts to do a front roll smoothly without hurting my shoulders. What helped me was the will to overcome my fears and the tips given by my trainer.

I wanted to try a headstand before giving up. The very next week, I felt confident and insisted my trainer teach me how to do a headstand.. The learning time varies for each one of us,depending on our body type, the effort we put, the methods we follow. I am sharing my learning here and what worked for me. You sure can learn from my experience and get away without hurting.

Top four steps to follow when you learn “How to do a headstand” without injury

Practice:

The first and the most crucial step is that. “You need to practice everyday”. What should you practice??  Always start with the basics. Observe and learn the technique for getting into the required position. Start with doing very few reps but with the correct form. I was in a hurry to get into an inversion, without understanding the right position of my shoulders and arms, and that is what led to the injury. Also I didn’t quite follow  the technique,which was to engage my core and then pull myself up. So friends, please do not hurry, do not rush. It will take time but eventually you will get it if you are persistent. With continuous practice, you will gain the strength to bring your legs above your head,without falling. This page has all the needed information for learning a Headstand. http://www.asanavanessa.com/so-you-want-to-learn-how-to-headstand/

Reflect:

Often, we keep doing things mindlessly and end up nowhere. When we don’t get the results we feel bad and give up. This happens with a lot of us. After every practice try to reflect on where you started and how much you progressed each day. You can take a video or even ask your trainer for their feedback. When we reflect we learn so much, believe me. Many times you get to see that your form is not how it is supposed to be. On the contrary, you sometimes see that your range of movement has improved remarkably, Reflecting on our work increases the efficiency of our workout.  

Train under someone:

 If not for my trainer I would have given up long back without experiencing one of my toughest accomplishments. He made sure that I practiced everyday, corrected my form, taught me the technique and chased away my fears. It is very important to have someone tell you exactly where you are going wrong. Having an experienced person around you who understands your body movements works like magic. And let me tell you, my trainer was not around when I got hurt. It was my lack of patience that led me to hurt my toe, as I already mentioned.

Rest before Restart:

Every time you rest, your body recovers from all the new exercise you are trying to do. It needs the time to adapt itself. Do not over do, you may get drained out and your practice will not bring any results. Again, leading you towards nonperformance. Once your body heals and  is prepared to stretch and toil, get going again.  It took me almost three months to learn a headstand. Because of the sprain on my toe, I had to let go for a month of practice. Nonetheless it was a bad move, yet it taught me invaluable lessons.