Turn your world upside down

Before you try to perform a headstand, practice doing these simple versions of this tripod inversion first. They will familiarize you with being in an inverted position. If you have never done moves like this before, you might be surprised to discover how good it feels to counter the effects of gravity.

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1 Place a folded towel in front of you at one end of your mat. Begin on your hands and knees in an all-fours position. Move your hands just in front of the towel, shoulder-width apart and place the top of your head on the center of the towel. Shift slightly toward the back of your head and straighten your legs. Raising your buttocks toward the ceiling, balance on your head, hands and toes. Make sure your forearms are perpendicular to the floor. This will help to create a strong foundation.

2 Once you are comfortable in the previous position, press down firmly into your hands and focus on moving your shoulders away from your ears to elongate your neck. Find your balance and slowly lift one leg up at a time, placing your knees as high as possible onto your upper arms. Keep your feet together so that your knees do not slide off your arms.

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Karen Voight can be reached at kvoightla@aol.com.

— Karen Voight