Sirsasana II (tripod headstand) on rickety dock in Macaia, Brazil. Beautiful spot for stop and drop. We visited here for a few hours with my brother-in-law and his wife and son. For me anyways, much of life and living is about raising the bar on fear. I used to do headstands and handstands a lot as a kid but only recently began introducing them back into my Yoga Practice. Tripod headstand on flat ground or with a wall behind me I can usually handle without much problem. However, the risk of falling backwards into Piranha filled waters (Joking) made for an added measure of intensity.
Headstands nicknamed “king” of all the asanas, or inversions in general, are extremely beneficial postures. They work many of our internal organs differently with gravity causing the heart to pump and move our blood through the circulatory system in a whole new way. They also help a lot for building confidence, strength, balance, and awareness. There are many cautions as you’d might expect, particularly when using the head and neck as a base of support, so it’s best to avoid these if you have neck issues, high blood pressure, problems with the eyes or heart, etc. If all is good then inversions can be really fun…