Feeling depressed, stressed or anxious about something? Don’t worry, just flip upside down and let the headstand asana save the day! No, seriously, do a headstand if you’re experiencing these feelings because this pose leads to instant positive vibes! Headstand has some really great benefits your mind, body and spirit! It’s one of my favorite postures and I love how strong I feel anytime I do it.

Here are 6 health benefits of practicing headstand!

 

1. Strengthens the core

Headstand is a major core workout because you’re relying on that strength to help you hold your legs up and keep your balance. Holding this yoga pose for a few breaths requires you to engage your side, front and back ab muscles. The key to nailing this pose is to bring your head beneath your heart. Try to hold this pose for 5-10 breaths, and increse from there. 

2. Stronger upper body

One of the biggest health benefits of practicing headstand is it improves arm and shoulder strength. When entering this posture, you are not putting the weight into your head and neck, but instead you should focus on shifting the weight into your forearms and shoulders.  Engaging these muscles will absolutely have your upper body looking amazing. One of the first noticeable areas of change that I noticed after regularly practicing headstand was better upper body strength.

3. Healthier hair and glowing skin

When you’re in an inverted position, you’re directing your blood into the opposite direction of how it normally flows. This causes various nutrients and oxygen to go to your hair follicles, which could optimize the growth and health of your hair. You may also notice a nice glow to your skin post-headstand as a result of the rush of blood and nutrients to your face. Hello glowing skin!

4. No more stress

Channel any stress or anxiety you’re experiencing into your headstand. This posture is all about digging deep and connecting to your inner-self. External factors don’t matter. Take a few deep breaths in this pose and try to hold it for as long as you can while focusing on your breathing. Inhale peace and calm and exhale stress and anxiety.

5. Helps with depression

When you’re in this upside down position, it causes blood flow to the hypothalamus and pituitary glands. These glands regulate your body’s hormones. When your glands are detoxed by the inversed blood flow of headstand, you get an instant mood boost.  You think more positive thoughts and depression decreases.

6. Improves your focus

Did you ever think doing something fun like flipping upside down would help improve your focus? Well, it does because you’re increasing the blood flow to your brain, which boosts memory, attention span and your problem-solving skills. Increased blood flow to the brain could also boost short-term memory and could prevent memory decline in old age.

Headstand is a great inversion to try, but please be smart and listen to your body. You may want to avoid headstand if you have neck injuries, acid reflux, high blood pressure, or if you’re menstruating. If you’ve never done headstand before, you also might want to consider attending a yoga class and getting help from a teacher—we don’t need any injuries to occur, especially since this posture could have such wonderful effects on your health!

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xo,