At our posture clinics in Honolulu, students have so much fun with this pose. It can be playful and invigorating once you conquer the subtle aspects of it.
Students are always so determined to stick it, and it’s not impossible! It just requires a commitment of daily practice time…say, about 30 days to see if you can hold the pose for at least 15 seconds.
Are you ready to start your own 30-day handstand challenge? The goal is simply to kick up (or press up, if you’re feeling frisky) into a couple of repetitions each day.
Don’t be concerned about doing it perfectly every single time or holding it a long time. It’s just enough to perform the action to create the muscle memory.
We’ve had many people share their success on our Facebook page, so have a friend take a picture of you doing your handstand and share it with us!
Gold star if the location of your handstand is unique or scenic or just different! For example, share your favorite spot in your city.
Let us know in the comments if you’ll be taking on this challenge. Accountability is a big part of the success of this challenge. If you commit wholeheartedly, make a public declaration and stay motivated, success is guaranteed!
As usual, download the pdf of this tip sheet at the bottom of this post.
asana name = Adho mukha vrksasana
- adho = downward
- mukha = face
- vrksa = tree
- asana = seat
benefits
- Strengthens arms, shoulders and wrists.
- Decompresses the spine.
- Good for headaches (but not while you’re having one!).
- Improves sense of balance.
- Creates a sense of conquering fear.
contraindications
- shoulder or neck pain
- high blood pressure
- mid to late-stage pregnancy
- menstruation
- eye issues aggravated by pressure
- headache
preparations and modifications
- Face a wall and walk your legs up.
- Practice swinging one leg up.
- Build up strength by practicing adho mukha svanasana, pincha mayurasana, plank pose, bakasana.
attitude
- determined; conquering of obstacles
What you can do next
- Leave us a comment…are you a fan of handstand? Tell us about it!
- Grab your free asana tip sheet by clicking the button below.
I have just started with handstands… still very scary for me. I am so on board with a 30 day challenge! Hopefully it will get me over that fear and away from the wall.
Such a normal response, Morgan…a LOT of people have fear around handstands (all the inversions, really).
Make sure you watch our FB page on Monday for the video instruction on your first step…it isn’t what you might think!
Thanks for your honesty… 🙂