Hips In Head Up

To pass the guard with your head at the same level or below your hips is very difficult, especially in the beginning of your grappling journey. Obviously, Josef Chen has become well known for his tripod passing, but that is successful for a few reasons.
-He does not initiate it from closed guard
-He always at least beats his opponent’s feet
-He is a professional grappler and has put more hours into that one position than most people put into years of their overall Jiu Jitsu
Anyway, if you are on top of a guard and it is either closed or you have not gotten past the feet, having your head down is probably either keeping you in that position or getting you swept. Misalignment of the spine is a big part of Jiu Jitsu by bending at the waist you are helping the opposition. Try it, bend at the waist and see how long you can stay there without wanting to get up or put your hands on the ground. Bend at the knees, good posture, line up your tailbone with the top of your head, break their grips, and work to beat the feet. Those are steps to standing guard passing. Sit on your heels, good base, line your tailbone up with the top of your head, create separation between your hips and theirs, you have opened the closed guard kneeling. Head up, hips in is the foundation of guard passing.