9/10/2018 The 21-Day Headstand Challenge! - Total Yoga is a Yoga school pivoted on Fitness & Mindfulness!

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SIRSASANA is the most iconic and admired Yoga Asana and for thousands of years Yogis have been
identi ed with standing on their Heads! The Headstand conjures up ideas of Mastery over the Body,
overcoming Fears in the Mind and an immersion into the Meditative arts.

Why Sirsasana? 5 Bene ts of the ‘King of Asanas!’

1. By inverting the Body, blood ow is re-directed to the Head; thereby stimulating the functioning of the Brain.
As we grow older and the neck muscles tighten, lesser Blood ows upwards and while this may be marginal –
by re-directing the blood ow upwards, we ensure that brain functions like Memory, Focus & Creativity don’t
diminish.
2. Sirsasana re-stimulates the functioning of the Pineal gland. This small gland calci es once we reach the age of
about 8. However, unlike the Appendix, the Body continues to nourish the Pineal gland. For a long time,
Medical researchers were searching for the function of the Pineal gland. Apart from its role in Sleep, the Pineal
gland is also very active in Meditation. This was seen in Electro-Encaphalogram studies of Buddhist monks
while Meditating. This corroborates the Pineal gland’s importance in Yogic lore – where it relates to Bindu
Visarga, one of 8 chakras in some Yogic systems. It connects Man to spiritual insight.
3. Sirsasana is not recommended for people with High BP initially, although over time and if the practitioner can
rightly do Headstand, it helps alleviate the condition.

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9/10/2018 The 21-Day Headstand Challenge! - Total Yoga is a Yoga school pivoted on Fitness & Mindfulness!

4. In addition, it gives the practitioner a unique Con dence in his Body’s abilities. We naturally walk upright but
by learning to stand on our Heads, we overcome not just Fears but also various limiting conditioning of our
Minds.
5. Finally, the Core gets toned as it engages in order to raise your body upwards! Even the Legs get toned as you
have to work against gravity to hold your body upwards. Neck, Shoulder & Arm muscles are strengthened as
you come up and then come down from Sirsasana.

How to do Sirsasana in 21 Days? (or less/ or more)

Everyday you’ll be learning and practising Asanas that will eventually get you into Sirsasana by the end
of the 21 Days. Each day practise everything from the previous days and add that day’s Asanas.
Day 1: Learn to Stand Straight, Breathe Deep and Roll over!
Tadasana:
Tadasana (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1373-e1467291924756.jpg)
1) Stand Straight with your Hands beside your hips, looking ahead and take a few deep Ujjayi Breaths*. 
Now place your Index and Middle ngers on the front part of the pelvic girdle and thumbs on the back
part. Slowly tilt the hips upwards so that your abdomen muscles engage and it does not protrude
forward, your lower back engages and your overall standing posture is upright, as it should be in
Sirsasana.
2) Standing in Tadasana, raise your arms upwards, join the palms and raise your torso and entire body
up onto your toes. Maintain your body upright as you hold this posture breathing in Ujjayi Pranayam.
*Ujjayi Pranayam:
For Sirsasana, it’s important to Breathe deeply through Ujjayi Pranayam. Breathing creates a guttural
sound through the throat as if you were snoring. The sound isn’t coming from the air being forced
through the nostrils, rather from the throat.
Watch Video here
 
Rolling Over:
Before you can con dently go up into Sirsasana, it’s important that you overcome the fear of falling.
For this you should be comfortable rolling over over like we all did as Children!

The 21-Day
Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/Z8_wo_OEa0g)

Headstand
Day 2: Surya Namskaars (11 rounds for Warm-Up) and Neck Stretching and Strengthening
Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/Do2B9CnO-oA)
 
Challenge!
Day 3: Parvatasana (for shoulder opening) and Sirsasana Training (in a Corner between
walls)
IMG_1381 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1381-e1467308689323.jpg)

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9/10/2018 The 21-Day Headstand Challenge! - Total Yoga is a Yoga school pivoted on Fitness & Mindfulness!

Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/ehrr4D-ugYQ)

Day 4: Bhujangasana (for back opening)
Bhujang (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1391-e1467306520914.jpg)

Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/uXF8rPjQal0)

 

 
Day 5: Santolanasana (for core-strengthening)
IMG_1392 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1392-e1467309501296.jpg)
 

Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/lrXq3mGuLDI)

Day 6: Dhanurasana (for back opening)
Dhanurasana (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1393-
e1467306600102.jpg)
Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/qKn50WYcONw)
Day 7: Sarvangasana (inversion asana)
IMG_1409 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1409-e1467307058768.jpg)

 
Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/VgcS_Gi5mXs)

 
Day 8: Dwikonasana (for shoulder opening)
IMG_1396 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1396-e1467308792331.jpg)
Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/STRHnhbTzgg)
Day 9: Dhanurasana (for back opening)
Dhanurasana (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1393-
e1467306600102.jpg)
Day 10: Sampattasana (for core strengthening) and Sirsasana Training (6 inches from the
wall)
IMG_1437 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1437-e1467306971785.jpg)  
IMG_1394 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1394-e1467309681878.jpg)

Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/xXZfZy86bFw)

Day 11: Vipareet Naukasana (for back strengthening)
IMG_1399 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1399-e1467308884984.jpg)

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9/10/2018 The 21-Day Headstand Challenge! - Total Yoga is a Yoga school pivoted on Fitness & Mindfulness!

Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/SG06SlY9xg0)

Day 12: Gomukhasana (for shoulder opening)
IMG_1407 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1407-e1467307151213.jpg) 
IMG_1408 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1408-e1467309428604.jpg)
Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/Jcl4GWQM5cc)
Day 13: Ushtrasana (for back and hip opening)
Ustrasana (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1402-e1467306165693.jpg)

 
Watch Video Here (https://youtu.be/HwlcND4JMcc)

 
Day 14: Halasana (inversion asana)
IMG_1410 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1410.jpg)

Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/4HKRk8wNVhE)

Day 15: Naukasana (for core strengthening)
IMG_1403 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1403-1-
e1467305945793.jpg)
Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/z_SuztxDuL4)
Day 16: Shalabhasana (for back strengthening)
IMG_1404 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1404.jpg)

Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/K9MTTPvCtOg)

Day 17: Chakrasana (for back, hip opening and strengthening)
Chakrasana (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1406-e1467309046307.jpg)
Day 18: Sirsasana Training (away from the wall; raising into half pose)
IMG_1439 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1439-e1467309751843.jpg)

 
 Watch Video here (https://youtu.be/rKFMdyHUkSM)
Day 19: Sirsasana Training (away from the wall; raising into half pose and dropping legs
with bent knees backwards)
 
Day 20: Sirsasana Training (away from the wall; raising into full Headstand)
IMG_1440 (http://total-yoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_1440-e1467309275184.jpg)
Day 21: Sirsasana
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