Inverted postures change the body's orientation to gravity.
Low shoulderstand
viparita karani
Starting pose
Lie on the back with the arms along the sides.
Into the pose
While breathing out, keep both legs extended and lift them and then the hips up from the ground to form a 90° angle between the back and legs.
Support the hips with the hands.
Find the balance.
Keep the knees straight and the ankles and toes extended during the entire pose.
Hold
In the beginning, hold the pose up to 15-30 seconds.
Gradually increase to 60 seconds. Relax all muscles that are not required to hold the pose. Observe free and relaxed breathing.
Out
While breathing out, keep the legs straight and lower them towards the face. At the same time, place the hands on the ground, palms down.
While breathing in, return to the starting pose by lowering the hips and letting the extended legs follow slowly.
Lie on the back to rest.
Easier version:
Bend the legs when going into and out of the pose.
High shoulderstand
sarvanga asana
Starting pose
Lie on the back with the arms along the sides.
Into the pose
While breathing out, keep both legs extended and lift them and then the hips. When they are raised to a perpendicular position, straighten the body so that the back, hips and legs form a vertical line.
Support the back with the hands and drop the chin on to the chest.
Find the balance.
Keep knees straight and the ankles and toes extended during the entire pose.
Hold
In the beginning, hold the pose up to 15-30 seconds. Gradually increase to 60 seconds.
Relax all muscles that are not required to keep the pose. Observe free and relaxed breathing.
Out
While breathing out, keep the legs straight and lower them towards the face. At the same time, place the hands on the ground, palms down.
While breathing in, slowly return to the starting pose by lowering the hips and letting the legs follow, keeping them straight.
Lie on the back to rest.
Headstand
sirs asana
Starting pose
Sit on the heels with the hands in the lap.
Into the pose
Link the hands and place the forearms on the ground in front of you so that the hands and the elbows form a triangle. Let the top of the forehead rest on the ground inside the triangle.
Lift up the bottom.
Fit the crown of the head in against the palms and let the forehead rest on the ground.
Flex the ankles and place the toes on the ground. Lift the bottom higher and straighten the knees. Push the bottom over in the direction of the head, bend the knees and lift the feet off the ground when a balance point has been found. Place most of the body weight on the forearms and hands, with the forehead carrying a little less weight.
Stretch the legs upwards. Straighten the knees, ankles and toes.
Headstand
sirs asana
Hold
Do not stand in the pose more than 10-20 seconds to begin with. Later, the time may be increased up to 60 seconds. Observe free and relaxed breathing.
Out
Bend the knees towards the stomach. From there, slowly stretch out the legs and let the feet touch the ground.
Place the fists on top of each other.
Rest the forehead on the fists for about 30 seconds before raising the upper body.
The pose is best done on a relatively firm surface, such as a folded rug.
In the beginning, the headstand should be done against a wall to avoid falling over.
If the pose is not done correctly, it may strain the neck unduly. Ideally, the headstand should be learnt in a yoga class after the student has mastered a variety of other postures.