TRIPOD HEADSTAND: A powerful inversion, the Tripod Headstand is not to be practiced by a complete beginner. If you have not practised this with a qualified teacher, please don't do it now. Find a teacher to help you. If you, however, have done this before and are looking for some key points to help you go deeper, enjoy.
STEP-BY STEP:
1. Come on to your hands and knees. Make sure your hands are shoulder width apart. Lower the crown of the head to the floor so that the head and the two hands form the three points of a triangle.
2. Make sure your elbow are stacked on top of your wrists. You don't want them behind the wrists or winging out to the sides. The wrist and elbow form a straight line.
3. Press your hands, including the finger and thumb pads, deeply into the earth. Breathe out and lift the pelvic floor and lower belly in and up. Keep the pelvic floor and belly engaged and the breath-in flowing into the chest and upper back.
4. Breathe out to lift the knees off the floor and begin to walk in. You might need to stay here and work on pressing the hands down and hugging the elbows in, or just connecting to the breath.
5. If you're ready, you can try placing one knee onto your upper arm. Or maybe both knees on the upper arms. Keep the spine long, the breath flowing and the core engaged.
6. When you can balance in no. 5 for a few breaths, relax into child's pose. To go further, try bringing the knees into the chest and squeeze the legs together (knees are bent).
7. When you feel ready, begin to extend the legs up toward the ceiling. Keep hugging the legs into the midline and pressing out through the balls of the feet.
8. Some of you will be ready to skip stage 5-6. Instead, walk your feet in with the legs fairly straight. Walk in until the toes begin to float off the floor. Press out through the balls of the feet, hug the legs in, core deeply engaged and hands deeply connected to the earth, and float the legs up as in the video above.
9. To come down, keep your connection to the breath and the earth and lower the legs down, either straight or with bent knees.
10. Here are a list of things to remember: the breath (in to chest and out of belly); hands deeply pressing down; elbows hugging in; core deeply engaged; hug the legs into each other; press out through the balls of feet,
Enjoy!
STEP-BY STEP:
1. Come on to your hands and knees. Make sure your hands are shoulder width apart. Lower the crown of the head to the floor so that the head and the two hands form the three points of a triangle.
2. Make sure your elbow are stacked on top of your wrists. You don't want them behind the wrists or winging out to the sides. The wrist and elbow form a straight line.
3. Press your hands, including the finger and thumb pads, deeply into the earth. Breathe out and lift the pelvic floor and lower belly in and up. Keep the pelvic floor and belly engaged and the breath-in flowing into the chest and upper back.
4. Breathe out to lift the knees off the floor and begin to walk in. You might need to stay here and work on pressing the hands down and hugging the elbows in, or just connecting to the breath.
5. If you're ready, you can try placing one knee onto your upper arm. Or maybe both knees on the upper arms. Keep the spine long, the breath flowing and the core engaged.
6. When you can balance in no. 5 for a few breaths, relax into child's pose. To go further, try bringing the knees into the chest and squeeze the legs together (knees are bent).
7. When you feel ready, begin to extend the legs up toward the ceiling. Keep hugging the legs into the midline and pressing out through the balls of the feet.
8. Some of you will be ready to skip stage 5-6. Instead, walk your feet in with the legs fairly straight. Walk in until the toes begin to float off the floor. Press out through the balls of the feet, hug the legs in, core deeply engaged and hands deeply connected to the earth, and float the legs up as in the video above.
9. To come down, keep your connection to the breath and the earth and lower the legs down, either straight or with bent knees.
10. Here are a list of things to remember: the breath (in to chest and out of belly); hands deeply pressing down; elbows hugging in; core deeply engaged; hug the legs into each other; press out through the balls of feet,
Enjoy!