The Most Extreme Yoga Pose Ever And How To Do It

By Alex Assoune Mar 16, 2021

The most extreme yoga pose demands advanced levels of strength, flexibility, and balance. It requires many years of practice to even have a chance to do it.

Most people wouldn't dream of trying this very challenging pose. The most extreme yoga pose ever is an inversion called Unsupported Headstand or Niralamba Sirsasana.

Plenty of yogis love inversions. These upside-down postures have a lot of wonderful benefits for health and weight loss but take a lot of practice.

In most poses, the arms, hands, and shoulders are used to support a fully inverted body. The hardest inversion only has the top of the head as support against the mat.

Niralamba Sirsasana is an unbelievable posture. It's even more difficult to perform than the classical Headstand or Sirsasana. It's a full-body posture that requires extreme mastery of balance, core strength, and interior body locks (Bandha).

In the Unsupported Headstand, the arms provide balance without bearing weight. The entire body weights on the head in the inverted position. It isn't a beginner pose and there is a danger of injury to the neck and spine.

This pose should not be attempted without many many years of building strong neck muscles, impressive core strength, and mental focus.

Panaprium is independent and reader supported. If you buy something through our link, we may earn a commission. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you will be making a big impact every single month. Thank you!

Benefits of Unsupported Headstand or Niralamba Sirsasana

Unsupported Headstand is the hardest yoga pose but provides many benefits. It builds strength, stamina, balance, and also increases focus, concentration, and mental clarity.

Niralamba Sirsasana is an extremely advanced inversion that reverses the pressure of gravity on the organs and increases the blood flow to the upper body, neck, and brain.

It helps with many health conditions and weight loss. It revitalizes the pituitary gland that is directly linked to the good health of other endocrine glands.

The endocrine system is responsible for the production of hormones that regulate the growth and metabolic function of the body.

Unsupported Headstand is an advanced way of promoting energy levels, metabolism, fat burning, reproduction, and reducing stress, anxiety, risk of heart diseases.

By practicing the hardest yoga pose, you will:

increase general health and vitality of your body
stretch your visceral muscles deeply
improve overall blood circulation throughout your body
purify stagnant blood from the lower limbs
strengthen your neck, shoulders, back, and core muscles
promote metabolic function and calorie-burning rate
lower the risk of anxiety, depression, and stress
boost focus, concentration, and mental acuity
calm your mind and find inner peace
brighten your personality and spiritual being.

How To Do The Hardest Yoga Pose

Niralamba Sirsasana is a very advanced asana that can only be executed after many years of practice. It should only be attempted after mastering the supported version to perfection, Salamba Sirsasana.

Anyone suffering from neck, back, and spine problems should avoid this asana. In some variations, the arms are kept on the sides or in front of the body. You can keep your arms apart or join your hands together.

Please learn this asana slowly with the help of a partner or teacher. Make sure not to fall off to avoid any injury to the neck or shoulders when losing balance.

Try to maintain the position for longer periods to get maximum benefits.

You won't be able to do the Unsupported Headstand on your first attempt. It will require many sessions of practice before you master it.

Try to concentrate and get rid of any fear, stress, and anxiety while remaining very cautious.

Here is how to perform the most extreme and challenging yoga pose ever, Niralamba Sirsasana:

Move into the same position as the classic Sirsasana.
Transition slowly to a position where your body weight rests entirely on your head.
Move your hands with caution to help with balancing.
Finally, remove your hands from the floor and place them to the sides, behind your back or on your chest.
Hold the position for as long as you can. Only for a few seconds in the beginning.
Bring your hands back to the floor to support your entire body weight again next to your head to release the pose.
Descend slowly and lie down to rest and bring back excess blood from the head to the body.

To wrap it up:

The hardest yoga pose in the world is Unsupported Headstand or Niralamba Sirsasana. It can only be attempted after many years of practice and with extreme caution to prevent injury.

Very advanced levels of strength, balance, and focus are required to perform this asana. When mastered, it provides many benefits for weight loss, body, and mental health.

Unsupported Headstand is an extreme full-body inverted position. It's a great yoga pose to build a strong and healthy body while elevating your mental clarity for higher spiritual practices.

Was this article helpful to you? Please tell us what you liked or didn't like in the comments below.

About the Author: Alex Assoune

Alex Assoune (MS) is a global health and environmental advocate. He founded Panaprium to inspire others with conscious living, ethical, and sustainable fashion. Alex has worked in many countries to address social and environmental issues. He speaks three languages and holds two Master of Science degrees in Engineering from SIGMA and IFPEN schools.

What We're Up Against

Multinational corporations overproducing cheap products in the poorest countries.
Huge factories with sweatshop-like conditions underpaying workers.
Media conglomerates promoting unethical, unsustainable products.
Bad actors encouraging overconsumption through oblivious behavior.
- - - -
Thankfully, we've got our supporters, including you.
Panaprium is funded by readers like you who want to join us in our mission to make the world entirely sustainable.

If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you will be making a big impact every single month. Thank you.