Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand)
Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Hand stand) is an excellent Yoga pose in which you support your body in a stable, inverted upright position by balancing your body weight on your hands. In doing this Yoga pose you build power in your arms and wrists and relax your chest. That aside, the Handstand helps improve balance and coordination. The Handstand is said to be the safest among the non-restorative inversions since your neck is not involved. Many consider the Shoulder stand and Head stand to be easier inversions than the Handstand.
How to do Handstands
1. To start the pose, go down into Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose). Your fingertips should be around an inch or two away from the wall, your hands shoulder-width. Now, splay your fingers out on the mat, spread your palms and press your index fingers firmly into the mat.
2. Next bend your right knee and take the right foot nearer to the wall keeping the left leg. Now do a few practice hops before you actually try to go upside down. Then sweep the left leg toward the wall through a wide arc and immediately kick the right foot off the floor, pushing through your heel to straighten your right knee.
3. As soon as both legs are off the ground, use your deep core abdominal muscles to raise your hips the shoulders. Hop up and down this way a couple times. Each time push yourself off the floor slightly higher and higher. For a while you may manage to only hop up and down like this. Sooner or later you will be able to kick yourself all the way up to the wall. Initially, your heels might just crash into the wall but, over time, with more practice you will be able to swing both heels up.
4. Once you are able to swing fully up with both legs, squeeze your outer legs together and roll your thighs in. let your Head hang in the center of your shoulder blades and fix your gaze into the center of the room.
5. For a start hold the pose for 10 – 15 seconds, breathing normally. Slowly, try going up to a minute.
6. While exiting the pose, do not to sink onto your shoulders. Keeping your shoulder blades raised and broad, bring down take one foot at a time, with an exhalation.
7. Now, stand in Uttanasana for half a 1 minute. It is a normal tendency to kick up the same leg every time, so see that you alternate your kicking leg, one day left, next day right.
Benefits of Hand stands
- Stretches and strengthens the arms, shoulders, wrists, the core and upper body,
- Improves overall balance
- Calms the brain thereby helping to relieve stress and mild depression
- Helps to develop inner strength and self-esteem
Hand stand Contraindications
- Headache
- Heart problems
- High BP
- Menstruation
- Shoulder, back, or neck injury
