How to Do a Bound Angle Yoga Headstand

The benefits of the headstand in yoga are often considered to be so great that it is called the father of asanas (yoga poses). Headstands can be challenging, but like all yoga poses, they can be learned simply by attempting one step at a time. Once you have mastered the basic headstand pose, variations like the bound angle headstand can make practice more interesting and provide more varied benefits.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Kneel on the ground. Fold your arms in front of you, grabbing your inner elbows with your opposite hands. Holding this position, place your forearms on the ground in front of your knees.

2. While keeping your elbows firmly planted on the ground, move your hands and lightly clasp them together. Place your clasped hands on the ground also. Your elbows and clasped hands should now form a correctly spaced tripod on the floor.

3. Place the top of your head on the ground in the hollow of your clasped hands. Straighten your legs and raise your hips. Walk your feet forward until your back is straight and your hips are above your head.

4. Bend one leg, bringing your knee to your chest and your foot near your hip. When you can balance this way, repeat with the other leg.

5. Keeping your feet near your hips, raise your knees. When you feel stable with your knees above your hips, straighten your legs and raise your feet. This is a basic yogic headstand.

6. Perform the bound angle variation by bending your knees and placing the soles of your feet against each other. This is like the common butterfly stretch combined with a headstand, also known as the bound angle headstand.

Tips & Warnings

• As with all yoga poses, remember to relax and breathe deeply while performing the bound angle headstand.
• Many teachers suggest that you should only perform headstand variations after you are able to hold a basic yogic headstand for three minutes without strain.

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