A yoga handstand can appear nerve-wracking at first, if not completely impossible. No matter what skill level you’re beginning with, you can achieve this move through hard work and dedication. You may master it immediately or it may take longer, but never tire of trying; your efforts will be rewarded in the end! Here’s how to begin learning a yoga handstand.
Pre-Handstands Warm-up
Did you know that a 15-minute warm-up before any exercise or sport can help reduce muscle injuries? Handstands involve many challenging and complex elements. You should prepare your body adequately before you begin.
Like other yoga poses, handstands require you to maintain steady body balance to hold the pose and safely transition up and down. Take time to give your body preparation required to practice handstands. Here are the muscle groups you should warm up for handstands.
Hands, Wrists, and Forearms
Standing upside down exerts a lot of pressure on your wrists, which can cause pain. Test if your hands feel uncomfortable when you place them on the ground. You can reduce the pressure on your hands by using yoga blocks or placing your palms on a towel.
To warm up your wrist, start with wrist stretches. Begin on the tabletop. Place your arm back toward your lap and lean back slowly until you sense a gentle stretch. Stop before you experience a pull to avoid hurting your wrists. These stretches simply aim to enhance wrist mobility; you do not need to stretch too deeply.
Chest and Shoulders
Both of your shoulders should be flexible and strong to remain steady during handstands. Flossing your shoulders can enhance flexibility in your shoulder girdle.
Hold a t-shirt, towel, or strap, broader than your shoulder between your hands. Raise your arms up and down, maintaining a mild tightness on the strap. You should feel a painless stretch on your shoulders. This is a great way to increase your upper mobility before trying a handstand.
Steps to Yoga Handstands
After warming up your muscles, you can confidently dive into handstands. Here are the steps to follow:
Step 1
Begin by being in a downward-facing dog pose. In this pose, your body appears like an overturned V -shape, with the feet and hands on the ground, and your rear pointing upwards. Place your mat on the surface about one meter from the wall. With your hands on the mat, stretch your fingers and hold the yoga mat with your fingertips.
Step 2
Move your feet frontward. Lift your toes and begin to move your feet toward your grounded palms. Try stacking your hips above your shoulder or try to let your body weight gently fall on your hands.
Step 3
Stabilize your muscles and activate your shoulders by gently pressing your hands on the floor. Keep your arms stacked and straight and your shoulders above the wrists. Use all your fingers to firmly hold the floor. Distribute your weight equally on your palms and relieve pressure on your wrists.
Step 4
Lift one leg. Stimulate your hamstring and glutes to lift one of your legs backward. Maintain distance in your spine by keeping your chest pulled frontward. Look down slightly past your fingertips or towards them.
Step 5
Gently bend the knee of the bottom leg. Without changing your upper body position, kick up towards the roof using your bottom leg. Your top leg should be straight up. Visualize you’re further shifting your hips above your shoulders instead of your feet.
Step 6
Activate your leg muscles and your core by gently squeezing your thighs. When you squeeze the inner thighs close to one another, you concentrate all your weight on your midline.
Benefits of Yoga Handstands
- Mobility: Going upside down requires your shoulder and hips to be quite flexible, which enhances your mobility.
- Muscle development: Handstands mostly target your core, back muscles, biceps, triceps, shoulders, and legs, particularly the hamstrings.
- Confidence: Holding a handstand can make you feel great and confident. This confidence can be translated to other physical activities that you may have been too daunted to try before!
- Blood circulation: Inversions such as handstands promote lymph flow and blood circulation. Doing a handstand in the morning can help you wake up and boost your energy levels.
Work With a Coach
You may find mastering the yoga handstand challenging if you are doing it for the first time. Simple mistakes like insufficient warm-ups could result in painful joints and muscles. Luckily, you can learn how to do a yoga handstand by getting help from an expert. With proper coaching, you will find learning how to do a handstand easy and enjoyable.