 I fell in love with headstand pretty quickly into our relationship. I had never experienced anything like it, (remember – I have no background in dance or gymnastics) and every time I was in headstand, all was still; all was quiet. I never imagined that being upside could feel so amazing.  If Headstand is a new pose for you, please use a wall for support. 1. Start in table top, and lower down to forearms. 2. Interlace fingers but keep heels of hands apart. 3. Lower top of head to mat, and make sure you are on the crown of the head, not the forehead or the back. Press your head into your hands and pull the elbows in. 4. Tuck toes and lift hips to the sky, coming into a modified Dolphin Pose. Walk the feet in towards your head so that hips begin stack on top of the shoulders. 5. Take turns pulling one leg into your body, so you can start to feel the core engage. You can practice rolling onto the edges of your bottom toes, which will engage the core even more and make your legs feel light. 6. When you feel ready, try taking both feet off the ground. You can keep the knees tucked and get comfortable balancing, or you can begin to lift the feet toward the sky. Many people are hesitant to practice headstand because they worry about putting pressure on their head. With this particular pose, our forearms are evenly pressing into the mat, and if you press enough, your head will only slightly touch the mat. The forearms absorb a lot of the pressure, and it leaves the head and neck free of any tension.  More Advanced Option: Try pressing your legs together and engaging through the core to lift both legs at the same time, also known as a pike press. This will engage the core as soon as the toes lift off the ground. You can bring the legs to hip height, and slowly lower back down for a great core workout, or just press them up towards the sky. Always take a moment to rest in child's pose for a few breaths when finished to help re-balance yourself and keep your blood pressure from changing too quickly. As always, if you lose your balance try to bring the feet back down with as much control as possible. Try not to judge yourself; this is an advanced pose and needs a lot of practice to master. Keep trying, keep smiling, and soon enough you'll feel totally natural balancing upside down.  Morgan Gertler Pirog
Writer/Dreamer: Creating Things of Enduring Value Morgan is a believer that positive thoughts will lead to positive actions. She found yoga several years ago and was immediately drawn to the unification of body, breath & mind. Her other loves include her husband, her pit bull mix Jagger and mermaids. morgan.gertler@gmail.com
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