A Yoga Teacher Reveals The 6 Tricks You Need To Finally Nail That Headstand

If you pride yourself on being lazy AF, inversions probably aren't for you, friend. Though flipping your perspective and getting upside down is definitely accessible for all, Tavolacci says it takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

"My first suggestion if you want to start inversions is to do it EVERY DAY!" she tells Elite Daily. "Even if you do it for only five minutes, consistency is key here."

The Insta-famous yoga teacher admits she's had a bit of an advantage with her cheerleading background, but one of her biggest challenges has been learning how to hold an inversion for more than 30 seconds.

"For handstands, I started my yoga practice being able to kick up for maybe one whole second," Tavolacci explains. "So even though I had a background in cheerleading, actually balancing, and ‘effortlessly’ holding myself in proper alignment. took a lot of dedication and practice."

You heard it here first, people. Practice, practice, and then, practice some more.

What's unique about Tavolacci, and what likely explains why her inversion practice is so freaking strong, is that she's used her knowledge of high-intensity interval training workouts (HIIT) and yoga to create the HIIT to INVERT ebook.

"My friend Heather Barb and I met quite early in my yoga journey, and after months of inversion practice together, we decided to create an ebook [so that people could have] workouts geared toward getting started with inversions," Tavolacci tells Elite Daily.

The ebook is broken into four sections: headstand, handstand, forearm stand, and straddle press. TBH, it's like a buffet to satisfy all of your inversion cravings.

"Each of these sections has two different HIIT circuits to help you build the strength, confidence, and flexibility to start or enhance your inversion and yoga practice," the yogi explains.

If you want to flip your perspective, just HIIT it, girlfriend. Ha. Ha.

One of Tavolacci's golden rules is to always, always, always give your core an extra bit of a challenge whenever you can.

"I believe core strength is one of the biggest ‘secrets’ for inversion," she tells Elite Daily. "When people think core strength, they think abs, which is true. However, you have Bandhas, which are deep-down core muscles that help stabilize your pelvic floor and brace your core."

Engaging and learning how to engage those Bandhas muscles, she says, is key to any inversion practice. The HIIT to Invert ebook dives into this concept a lot more, if you want to expand your knowledge.

As an avid yogi myself, I can definitely attest to the fact that the wall was my BFF when I first started my inversion practice, and Tavolacci agrees, saying she couldn't have gotten where she is now without this trick.

"When I first began, I used the wall a lot to help [with] balancing. I think the wall is a very important tool in overcoming a fear of falling," she explains.

The wall can help you find proper alignment, Tavolacci tells Elite Daily, and it can make it easier to engage the proper muscles in your body, and bring your hips over your shoulders when it's time to invert.

She does advise, however, to not let the wall become a "crutch." You have to break free at some point, she says, and it's important not to become too reliant on this stabilizing tool.

"My suggestion here is, once you get comfortable enough kicking up to the wall, try facing your belly to the wall and walking your body and hands in closest to the wall," she explains. "This helps prevent any ‘banana’ back you may get, as this is very common in the beginning."

Basically, once you get away from the wall, she says, you'll be able to focus more heavily on proper alignment and building overall strength. Remember: Learning how to invert is a journey, not a race.

To prevent any yoga injuries in your practice, especially when it comes to inversions, Tavolacci says it's super important to make sure you warm up beforehand.

"An injury that I seem to get every few months is a wrist injury. Being on my hands a lot, I tend to overuse my wrist," she tells Elite Daily. "A major key I suggest when beginning your inversion practice is to warm up your wrists — every single time!"

Try some wrist-strengthening and stretching exercises to get those bad boys prepared before you get upside down.

If you've tried implementing all of Tavolacci's tips into your practice, but you're still super timid when it comes time to invert, it's likely because you're getting in your own head, she says, and blocking your own way.

"Inversions are a fear that most beginner yogis have and honestly, you just have to [take the plunge and do it]!" she tells Elite Daily. "Once you start to see progress in your inversions, you won’t want to stop."

Remember: Be safe, know your limits, practice a lot, and above all, have fun. Happy inverting, yogis!