Timing your inversions is an excellent way to build strength. In this session you’ll get out your timer and work with measuring your stay in Sirsasana (Head Balance) and Sarvangasana (Shouldersstand). David leads you through 10 minutes of each Head Balance and Shoulderstand with variations. You’ll learn about how to build stamina and strength in order to do longer inversion and also you’ll learn a list of safety guidelines so that you will know how long you can safely and effectively stay up in an inversion at any given time. You’ll also learn how extend the amount of time that you can work on doing upside down positions by using safe alternate or substitute positions that you can do instead of being all the way up in Head Balance and/or Shoulderland. The alternate positions that are to be part of your timed inversion practice include working with Adho Mukha Svanasana (Dowward Facing Dog Pose), Siirsasana (Head Balance) Prep with variations and Viparita Karani (Upside Down)—Legs Up Wall. Lastly part of learning to stay upside down for longer periods of time is to be able to add variations. Doing variations provides variety, breaks up the monotony of the work, helps you work different parts of your body and gives you new puzzles that absorb your attention so that you cease to be concerned about the passage of time. The variations include doing Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) with your set up near the wall so that you can swing one leg down to Ardha Halasana (Half Plough) at the wall. You’ll also do Vrkshasana (Tree Pose) Ardha Padmasan (Half Lotus Pose) Padmasana (Lotus Pose) and Ardha Halasana in Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) and Sirsasana (Head Balance).