It might sound counterintuitive that headstands are calming, especially since you’re sending all that blood to your head. However, according to Healthline, inversions such as headstands can help settle your mind after a chaotic day. Headstands stimulate the pituitary gland (which regulates your hormones), and your pineal gland (which regulates your sleep cycle). Inversions like headstands also help filter out harmful substances from your body.
If headstands are already a part of your yoga practice, it might help to prepare your body first by doing dolphin pose, forearm plank, or downward-facing dog.
You should avoid headstands if you have neck, shoulder, or back issues. People who have heart conditions or high blood pressure should opt for other calming yoga poses. Because headstands force blood towards the head, people with eye conditions such as glaucoma should skip doing a headstand or any inversion where the head is below the heart. People who are pregnant or menstruating might also need to skip poses like headstands.