30/03/2026
i’ve heard so many teachers say this in class and online over the years and it got me thinking…
are they really dangerous or are you a) just repeating a rhetoric you’ve heard other teachers use b) or just afraid of teaching them through lack of skill and knowledge?
a) it’s not uncommon for fear based language to be present in western yoga: “don’t let your knees pass your toes, or you’ll ruin them!!” or “you’ll wear your hip joints away if you go from open to closed hip asanas!!”
and in relation to headstands it’s: “you’ll put too much pressure in your neck and spine and damage the joints!!”
b) if you’re afraid of teaching them because you need to up-skill, that is ok! i was nervous at the start too, but i began to build my skillset with 1on1s, then with dedicated headstand workshops and finally built my confidence to share them in a 60min class (if i saw fit)
but if they really aren’t for you, i totally get that, we all have asanas we don’t teach. it doesn’t make you a better or worse teacher!!
what gets me however is when teachers make a whole song and dance about not teaching an asana - online or to their irl students - because they have personally demonised it as dangerous for whatever reason
not only does that shame other teachers and students who want to teach and practice that asana but it creates fear around it and can add more barriers to entry
for a lot, headstand can be a gateway into other inversions like pincha or handstands, and deciding it’s too dangerous for your students removes their bodily autonomy and choice
imo, headstands aren’t dangerous. you can learn how to effectively distribute pressure across your arms and release tension from your neck. but you can also do specific neck resistance training to help strengthen it for the demands of a headstand!!
fragility has no place in empowering students and language really does matter
