For those newer to yoga like me, the mere mention of sirsasana or headstand is bound to stir up feelings of excitement, amazement and maybe, just maybe, a few butterflies in the belly. It took me a couple of months just to get used to the sensation of having my hips over my head, and another couple to take my feet an inch off the ground without support. But the journey’s always fun, and I get such an invigorating rush for the few wobbly seconds I’m finally there. Not quite what one would expect when your world’s been turned upside down 🙂
Anyway, just sharing a physics nugget, which hopefully helps explain why we need to keep our bodies ‘tight’ during sirsasana. An average human being’s centre of gravity should be around the sacrum. To balance better in the pose, we need to ‘tighten’ up through to the toes to make our bodies as straight as possible. This helps to keep the line of gravity from your sacrum within the base of support formed by your head and arms on the ground.
So squeeze in those shoulders, fire up those powerful cores and refrain from hopping too vigorously into the pose. Also, as I tend to lose my balance while coming into the pose, I’ve found that keeping my legs straight (no bent knees), while lifting them up one at a time over my hips, makes me feel steadier and that much more confident.
Hope you’re enjoying your journey too!
Hui Yan
200hr YTT (Nov)
