Arms, Core, and Balance: Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand)
Gymnastics and cheer have given me the strength I needed in my arms, core, and legs to achieve skills beyond what I've never imagined doing. Both sports have taught me many workouts and techniques, although I've never tried combining my strength and balance to have a stress relieving outcome. "Handstands help you build strength and balance, but it's important to remember... We are here to cultivate peace and focus while calming the mind and body. Everyone's body is different; we all have different shapes, sizes, and muscle!" (Brathen 130). Try this pose a few times and figure out what small adjustments you have to make in order to hold this pose.
Step 1) Begin in the Downward-Facing Dog. Come into a tabletop position with your hands placed shoulder distance apart. Line the shoulders up with the wrists and the hips with the knees. Tuck your toes under and send your hips up and back. Adjust the space between your hands and feet if needed. Draw your heels as far as you can to the ground. Relax the neck and engage the inner thighs (Brathen 94).
Step 2) Take a step forward and lift one leg up. You want the shoulders to be align with the wrists and the thumbs pressing down on the ground. Bring the triceps back, keep the hips squared, and engage the lifted leg.
Step 3) Bend the bottom knee and kick up off the floor, bringing your heels together. Try this a couple of times, soft kicks off the floor without too much expectation of what your handstand kicks should look like. In the beginning, focus on simply lifting the leg off the floor! If you're worried about falling over, use a wall. Ones you find your balance with the hips stacked over the shoulders, extend both legs straight up toward the sky. Pull the lower belly in; you want to feel your core engaged! Actively press the floor away from you and breathe! (Brathen 136).
Brathen, Rachel. Yoga Girl. New York: Touchstone, 2014. Print.
Like I mentioned earlier, everyone's body is different. What adjustments did you make in order to hold this pose (pressing certain fingers down, back arching, engaging different muscles, etc)?
Gymnastics and cheer have given me the strength I needed in my arms, core, and legs to achieve skills beyond what I've never imagined doing. Both sports have taught me many workouts and techniques, although I've never tried combining my strength and balance to have a stress relieving outcome. "Handstands help you build strength and balance, but it's important to remember... We are here to cultivate peace and focus while calming the mind and body. Everyone's body is different; we all have different shapes, sizes, and muscle!" (Brathen 130). Try this pose a few times and figure out what small adjustments you have to make in order to hold this pose.
Step 1) Begin in the Downward-Facing Dog. Come into a tabletop position with your hands placed shoulder distance apart. Line the shoulders up with the wrists and the hips with the knees. Tuck your toes under and send your hips up and back. Adjust the space between your hands and feet if needed. Draw your heels as far as you can to the ground. Relax the neck and engage the inner thighs (Brathen 94).
Step 2) Take a step forward and lift one leg up. You want the shoulders to be align with the wrists and the thumbs pressing down on the ground. Bring the triceps back, keep the hips squared, and engage the lifted leg.
Step 3) Bend the bottom knee and kick up off the floor, bringing your heels together. Try this a couple of times, soft kicks off the floor without too much expectation of what your handstand kicks should look like. In the beginning, focus on simply lifting the leg off the floor! If you're worried about falling over, use a wall. Ones you find your balance with the hips stacked over the shoulders, extend both legs straight up toward the sky. Pull the lower belly in; you want to feel your core engaged! Actively press the floor away from you and breathe! (Brathen 136).
I love this pose because once you learn how to hold it for a while, you never want to stop doing it! Doing this pose with these techniques help me take a break from my busy life to have fun. Sometimes during breaks at gymnastics or cheer practice, we like to do handstand competitions. This is also a great way to bond with teammates and friends!
Brathen, Rachel. Yoga Girl. New York: Touchstone, 2014. Print.
Like I mentioned earlier, everyone's body is different. What adjustments did you make in order to hold this pose (pressing certain fingers down, back arching, engaging different muscles, etc)?
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