I have followed Kino’s videos and can now balance for several seconds in headstand with my knees against my chest. Once I start to work one leg overhead I fall back to my feet. I probably need to get my butt further forward over my head? That is a very disconcerting feeling, the feeling of weight going forward, it feels like I will fall over the other way. Please give me some advice to get my legs straight.
Very difficult to say without seeing exactly what you are doing.
If it is a strain to hold yourself in the bent leg position you may not be quite vertical and will not be able to balance. Once there is some ease in this position and you feel balanced, safe, connected and able to breathe fully slowly then you are ready to slowly bring your legs up.
Ask your teacher to watch you and let you know what you are doing wrong causing the loss of balance.
If you do not have a teacher try videoing yourself (from the side) and check that your hips/butt is directly over your head and your back is vertical…watch yourself and notice what you do/do not do just before you fall. Your neck and back should be in a natural position…just the same as standing…the natural curves of the spine should be there…
You can use the wall partly to stop yourself falling and to find the sensations of being fully vertical and balanced. If you come into headstand one shin length away from the wall then place one foot on the wall with knee at 90 other leg straight up with knees together…that should be vertical…again ask some one to look or use video.
You could also try slowly lifting both knees up away from your chest…keep legs bent heels near your butt…slowly bring knees up over hips…then slow straighten legs. (this works best away from the wall)
It is a good idea to practice headstand with a teacher who can guide you both verbally and with hands on help.
If there is any pain or tension in your neck please stop immediately.
I personally feel that Sirsasana and Sarvangasana are two of the toughest postures to teach AND perhaps two of the more risky poses to do. For these two reasons, my feeling is that the pose should be taught to students through contact hours, in-person … not via video or books.
Furthermore, due to the complexity and risk involved the subsequent instructions have to be delivered in a clear, concise, calm manner. Part of the mission for a teacher of Yoga is to give instructions that cannot be misinterpreted by the student.
Therefore a student preparing for Sirsasana has to be directed to press the pinkies, outer wrists, forearms, and elbows into the ground. Said student also has to understand the placement point of the skull on the ground and this can vary depending on the health/alignment of the practitioners cervical spine (neck). The “foundation” of the pose alluded to in the videos is solidified by interlocking all of the digits of the hands (the thumbs are interlocked). This is purely functional as it a) completely stabilizes the wrists and b) prevents the head from moving out of the proper position as the body is inverted into the full posture - where at least some weight is being borne by the skull.
This not to even mention the action of the serratus anterior and the time it takes students to find it.
Finally, I prefer students learn at the wall. I know some others here do not. Too many things to go wrong in the body of a beginner to risk this in the middle of the room IMO.
a strong core will really help make it easier
the best way to learn it is at the [B]right angle corner [/B]of the two joining wall that way you will neven fall until you are confident to leave wall behind. Having said that you should be very careful about neck alignment because it can give severe pain if wrongly kept.
Another important point in postures like head stand or hand stand is that you need to first learn how to fall safely. Learning how to fall before learning how to retain is the most important. This helps in two ways 1) you dont have fear of falling 2) even if you fall you dont injure badly.
having expert next to you is always useful.
All the way to headstand! Doing it against a wall got me over my fright. It also gave me some time to get the weight completely out of my head and onto my arms where it belongs. Now I can do headstand easily if I use a wall for confidence. Once I get stronger in my arms I hope to wean myself away from the wall. Thanks for your help.
Hello, me too following kino’s video.I understood your question.In that video she told that suck belly in and forward your pelvic while folding your legs.
So as u saying that you think like you will fall forward.so to avoid falling forward, your shoulders and forarms should be strong enough.u can do exercise for that.U think of falling forward because your centre of gravity losses. So while you think that your weight is falling forward, shift your weight from palms to elbow of hands and press your elbows…
This video got me into handstand! Hope it helps you too.