Yoga Headstand (Sirsasana): How To Learn It Safely With A Wall And A Teacher
Yoga headstand: the short version
About a year into yoga, Chris Lalor went travelling and planned to live in a tent. She loved practising headstand against a wall, so she came up beside the tent pole, expecting it to work the same way. She went all the way over, her feet tore through the mozzie screen of the door, and she landed on her back. Yoga headstand (Salamba Sirsasana) is not a beginner pose, and this note says so first. It then shows how a teacher builds it up with a wall, a belt and a lot of patience. It sits in our poses and practice notes.
Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is sometimes called modern classical yoga, and it’s the style we teach at Flametree.
Yoga headstand in short form
- Not for beginners: you learn it from a teacher, once the arms and shoulders are strong.
- First steps: standing poses, Downward Facing Dog and shoulderstand come before it.
- The wall: most people learn at a wall, and a belt above the elbows helps steady the arms.
- Take care: neck, shoulder, eye or ear problems, high blood pressure and periods all need a word with your teacher.
- Leaving the wall: take one foot away at a time, then both, for a moment.
- Next step: your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree.
Is yoga headstand for beginners?
No. At Flametree, beginners learn many poses that lead towards headstand, but not headstand itself. Non-beginners learn it, often at a wall, when the teacher thinks they’re ready.
There’s a reason. You lift much of your weight with your upper body, so the arms, upper back and spine need time to get strong. A good teacher also builds your courage in steps, because it takes nerve to go up and more nerve to balance.
The pose has a reputation. In the Iyengar tradition headstand is called the “king” of the poses, and shoulderstand is the “queen”.
Stuart in Headstand (Salamba Sirsasana): forearms on the floor, body vertical, legs together and straight.
Who should take care with headstand?
Several groups should talk to their teacher first. Take advice if you have high blood pressure, glaucoma or other eye problems, neck or shoulder problems, a headache or migraine, or you are pregnant. In the Iyengar tradition, strong inversions (upside-down poses) such as headstand are not practised during a period. Your teacher will give you other poses instead, such as supported bridge or legs up the wall.
If something hurts in your neck or head, come down and rest. Our yoga inversions post has the full list of who should take care, and what the research says about blood flow to the brain.
What do you practise before headstand?
The beginner version is the run-up: poses that teach your arms, shoulders and nerves to cope with being upside down. These come first:
- Standing poses, which strengthen your legs and back.
- A standing forward bend with your head resting on a block or a chair.
- Downward Facing Dog, which builds the arms. With the head supported on a bolster or block it is a gentle inversion.
- Legs up the wall, the gentlest upside-down pose.
- Shoulderstand, which you learn first. In Iyengar yoga you hold it steady for a few minutes before you are taught headstand.
Arm strength matters too. Our note on learning handstand at the wall covers the strength side of upside-down work.
How do you learn headstand at a wall?
With a teacher beside you, a wall behind you, and a belt on your arms. Here is one way Chris teaches the three point headstand (also called Salamba Sirsasana II). Read it as a guide to what your teacher will show you. Please don’t try it alone the first time.
- Fold your mat in half. Kneel, and put your hands shoulder width apart with the fingers pointing forward.
- Put the crown of your head on the floor, so your hands and head make a triangle.
- Lift your knees and come onto your toes. Walk in until your trunk is almost upright.
- Straighten your legs. If the backs of your legs are tight, bend your knees.
- Press the crown of your head down and your hands into the floor, and lift your inner arms.
- Breathe out and go up, one leg at a time. Stretch your legs upward.
- Build up the time slowly. Breathe out to come down, then rest, and press back into Downward Facing Dog.
Two props help. A belt above the elbows, as wide as your inner arms, steadies and strengthens the arms. A wall at the start builds confidence.
There’s also a forearm version (Salamba Sirsasana I). The forearms are on the floor with the elbows shoulder width apart, and the fingers are interlocked and cup the back of the head.
Chris in a rope headstand at the Woolner studio. The ropes are another way of learning to be upside down with support.
Chris in a wide-leg headstand variation. This is for people who have already learned the basic pose with a teacher.
How do you take your feet away from the wall?
Slowly, one foot at a time. The wall gives you security, so leaving it is nerve-racking at first. Take one foot away, then both for just a moment, and return to the wall. Try again and stay away a little longer. Chris describes it as backwards and forwards, testing and feeling.
After her tent crash, Chris moved her practice to trees. She learned to balance by gradually moving away from the tree, seeing the world upside down. Away from the wall, nothing corrects you, so you find out where your shoulders, hips and legs are in space. That information can improve the pose a lot.
Fear, excitement, impatience and doubt can all turn up. Part of the practice is to stay present and not retreat straight away.
What does headstand feel like?
Many students describe a quiet mind. Chris remembers that when her teacher first allowed her to come up, all the clutter in her mind stopped. Later she compared the quiet to being underwater when she took up scuba diving. It is her experience, and many students tell us something similar.
The pose also strengthens your arms, shoulders and upper back, because you are lifting your own weight. In the Iyengar tradition headstand is said to bring clearer thinking. That comes from the tradition and from what we see in class. It is not a trial result, and not yet tested is not the same as wrong.
Why do Iyengar teachers pair headstand with shoulderstand?
Because they feel opposite. In Iyengar teaching, headstand is the bright, activating pose and shoulderstand is the softening, calming one. You learn shoulderstand first. Once it is steady, you are taught headstand.
In a class the order flips. Headstand comes first and shoulderstand comes later, so the nervous system can settle. Learning order and class order are not the same thing.
Learn headstand in Darwin or live online
Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. We teach the preparation poses in beginner classes and headstand in non-beginner classes, with a wall and props.
Practise this at Flametree
Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree. New students, and anyone who has been away three months or more, can also get a half price 10 class pass with 2 extra classes free, to use online, in the studio, or both. We teach in the studio at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. For the studio, just come along. For an online class, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.
- Beginners: see the half price 10 class pass for new and lapsed students
- Not a beginner: see the half price 10 class pass for new and lapsed students
- The timetable, including online classes
Can’t make a class? Practise at home with our video courses.
Questions people ask
Is headstand safe for beginners?
Not on their own. Headstand is not a beginner pose, because it takes time to build the arm, upper back and spine strength. At Flametree beginners learn the preparation poses, and non-beginners learn headstand with a teacher, often at a wall.
How do I learn headstand at a wall?
Learn it with a teacher. One way is the three point headstand: hands shoulder width apart, the crown of your head on the floor, walk in, lift one leg and then the other. A belt above the elbows helps steady the arms, and the wall builds confidence.
What is the difference between a three point headstand and a forearm headstand?
The hands are in a different place. In the three point headstand (Salamba Sirsasana II) your hands are flat on the floor and your head makes a triangle with them. In the forearm headstand (Salamba Sirsasana I) your forearms are on the floor with the fingers interlocked behind your head.
Why do you learn shoulderstand before headstand?
Shoulderstand is steadier and calmer, so it prepares you. In Iyengar yoga you learn to hold shoulderstand steady for a few minutes first. Then you are taught headstand.
Can I do headstand with a neck problem?
Talk to your teacher before you try it. In the Iyengar tradition headstand is avoided with neck, shoulder, eye or ear problems, and your teacher gives other poses instead. If you feel pain in your neck or head, come down and rest.
How do I stop being afraid of headstand?
Go in small steps. Practise at the wall, then take one foot away for a moment, then both, and return to the wall each time. Fear is normal. Many students find that the fear softens as the steps get familiar.
What should I practise before headstand?
Standing poses, a standing forward bend with the head on a block, Downward Facing Dog, legs up the wall and shoulderstand. They build the strength and give you practice at being upside down.
Where can I learn headstand in Darwin?
Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga with props at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. If you’re new to Flametree, your first class is free. In the studio, just come along. For an online class, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.
Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin and live online. This note is general information, not medical advice. Headstand is for people who have learned it with a teacher. If you have neck, shoulder, eye or blood pressure problems, or a health condition, talk to your yoga teacher, your yoga therapist and your doctor if you wish.
Sources: Chris Lalor’s teaching and her own account of learning headstand, from Flametree’s Facebook posts (2019 to 2026) and her Mailchimp email on headstand. Related: yoga inversions. Background on Mr BKS Iyengar: Encyclopaedia Britannica.
