infinite-and-indestructible asked: When doing a headstand, should pressure be on your head, or in your shoulders/arms? I was watching some yoga videos today and these glorious women just seemed to fold in and out of the headstand like it was nothing. I'm not quite there yet, but I am curious.

The SUPREME headstand pose is something like this…. so you’ll have ALL the weight on your head then.

Here are my beginner tips:

If you’re beginning with your supported headstand, consciously move the weight into your forearms and shoulders. Have MOST of your weight here. Add weight to the crown of the head as you feel comfortable.

As you’re moving in and out of the pose, get your head off the floor while you transition. (just a safety thing: you dont want all your body weight on your neck while it’s bending). 

When you’re inverted, your hands are on the BACK of your head. The crown of the head is touching the floor (or mat or blanket). My general rule I tell beginners is that it’s okay to feel weight in the head … you just dont want to feel it in the neck. 

Eventually, add weight to the crown of the head while you’re inverted. 

Most of us will end up in the typical headstand you see (with the hands clasped behind the head and elbows touching the mat) and will have the weight split somewhere in between. I dont know if I’ve ever seen an actual headstand (like the one I linked to!) IRL.