Seven Headstands · Seven Headstands
Seven Headstands · 일곱 가지 머리서기
Intermediate Series · Nadi Shodhana (Nerve Cleansing) — Leg-Behind-Head & Arm Balances
Breath: 5×7 · Drishti (gaze): nose tip
Close the series through seven headstands — four baddha hasta and three mukta hasta arm positions. As the arm support grows weaker the bandhas and central axis must grow more precise; territory that begins after basic sirsasana is fully stable.
Alignment
- Hands — each of the seven varies the support (tripod, forearms, prayer hands…) — the hands name the pose
- Feet — always together, pointed, vertical
- Knees — straight; rising and lowering comes from the core, not a kick
- Gaze — the nose tip, unmoved through every hand position
Entering the pose
- Mukta hasta: palms open in front
- Baddha hasta: folded-arm variations
- Re-find the center in each
Common mistakes
- Loading the neck in the weaker-arm variants
- Rushing transitions and losing the center
Modifications & props
- This assignment begins after the basic Sirsasana holds quiet for three minutes without a wall — until then, polish one, not seven.
- Audition each new hand position singly, before a wall, in the half pose with feet still down.
- Cycling only two or three of the seven on a given day is an accepted Mysore way of moving through them.
Benefits
- Extends headstand balance across seven arm supports
- Refines shoulder and core micro-control
- Completes the sense of the central axis
Role in the sequence
The grand finale of the Intermediate series. Seven headstands, the hands and arms re-arranged each time, migrate the balance that one Sirsasana once satisfied onto ever narrower, less stable supports — clasped hands, straight arms, prayer hands — and whatever support withdraws, bandha and axis control must replace. Past these seven, the asana of nadi shodhana is complete.
Practice notes
The Intermediate Series closes with seven headstands. Feet split front and back, legs opened wide, a lotus folded in the air, knees drawn down — the shape changes every five breaths. The purpose of the section is not to learn new postures but to disturb an already stable headstand from several directions.
That means the seven only make sense once Sirsasana from the Primary Series is genuinely comfortable. If ten breaths in a plain headstand still wobble, the moment the legs part the weight pours into the neck. This is the clearest example of a section with nothing to gain from skipping ahead.
Doing all seven in a row tires the shoulders before the neck. Tired shoulders quietly transfer weight into the head, so coming down to child's pose once in the middle is markedly safer. Tradition links them without a break, but for a body practising alone, dividing them lasts longer.
Two checks: are the forearms and hands pressing the floor so the neck carries as little as possible, and is the lower belly engaged so the front ribs stay in while the legs move? Any neck pain at all means skipping the whole section.
Only after a free-standing minute of basic sirsasana.
Written by Choi Seongjin — 20 years of Ashtanga practice, currently teaching three classes a week. Last updated: .
This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, injured, or have a medical condition, consult a qualified teacher or physician before practising. Disclaimer & Legal Notice
Other poses in this sequence
Ashtanga Shala — Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga guide · Blog
Policies