Do an unassisted headstand - elegantly

I have a fear that I’m going to break my neck, or suffer from some other really bad injury if I attempt a headstand. This is why I’ve delayed attempting this goal. However, that fear may be irrational. So I’m going to take a stab at this, and go very slowly.

I also want to be able to do a handstand, which seems easier than a headstand to me. I found a website that recommended working your way from a headstand into a handstand, so perhaps the latter is more difficult. In any case, they suggested to get started by placing your hands on the ground next to a wall and stepping up the wall with your feet.

This evening, I did this with my face to the wall, and got to about a 45 degree angle. Then I rested there for about 30 seconds, and came back down.

I’ll try doing this on a daily basis. The idea is to get my nervous system to adjust to balancing in this way, and to test my upper body strength. I lift weights for strength training, but I don’t lift anywhere near my bodyweight over my head. I also have had some minor shoulder injuries. I don’t want to make those flare up, so I will proceed cautiously.

let alone elegantly. But I’ve wanted to do this for soooo long. The main thing stopping me from even trying this, at the moment, is fear of injury. I heard a story about someone who injured their neck attempting this. Such stories don’t keep me from performing other risky acts though…

I found this website that describes how to do a headstand:
http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice/theheadstand.asp

I suppose I could work my way up to the full headstand slowly, starting by trying out the first few steps every day until it all becomes more comfortable. Yeah, that’s the ticket!