Hi chockie,

If your balance in inversions is not too good yet, the wall is your best friend if you don’t have a spotter available. Safety comes first

It is totally normal to feel “beaten up” the day after a class, especially if the class focused on stretching a lot of your tighter muscles

Bruises on the knees and arms the day after practicing your bakasana is probably due to the fact that you are not used to putting so much pressure on the upper arms and knees. Over time, it will get better.

I did my first headstand before I even “officially” started practicing yoga haha. The handstand was much trickier. It took me about a 6 months worth of solid practice every day to be able to balance off the wall.

I hope you don’t get discouraged by this injury. Practice safely in the future and your body will thank you for it.

Rest enough and recover before you practice your headstand again. There are so many other cool poses you can try too in the meantime

Hit me up if you want to talk more about yoga haha. Maybe we can teach each other a thing or two Cheers.

Yes highly recommended especially if you do not perform any form of stretching yourself haha. Better flexibility and mobility throughout your whole body can also help in other exercises.