Adho Mukha Vrksasana

  • Beginner's Tip:
    • Many beginners find it difficult to keep their elbows straight in this pose. Buckle a strap and loop it over your upper arms, just above your elbows. Extend your arms straight out in front of you at shoulder width and adjust the strap so that it is snug against your outer arms. Then use the strap in the pose, but think of pushing the arms slightly in, away from the strap, rather than letting them bulge out into the strap.
  • Modifications and props:
    • One way to modify Handstand is to brace the crown of your head against a padded support placed on the floor between your hands. A supported head stabilizes your position and is a great confidence booster. But getting exactly the right height can be tricky: if the height is too low, your head won't be braced; if it's too high, your neck will get scrunched. Use a yoga block for a base, then pile two or more folded blankets (or a bolster) on top. How high you build the support will depend on the height and the length of your arms. Experiment with different heights until you feel like you have the right one, then position your hands on the floor to either side of it. Walk in from Adho Mukha Svanasana until you can brace your crown on the support and the back of your head against the wall. Then follow the instructions above for moving into the pose.
  • Deepen the pose:
    • Lifting the head to look at the floor is an advanced movement. Be sure not to jam the base of your skull into the back of your neck. Imagine as you lift your head that someone is holding a softball against the nape of your neck. This will help maintain the cervical curve. Also, to lift your head, initiate the movement by pressing your shoulder blades more deeply into your back. Brace your crown against the wall. Then take one heel away from the wall and strongly extend it toward the ceiling. Bring that heel back to the wall and do the same with other. Finally try to take both heels off the wall and balance with only your crown against the wall.
  • Partnering:
    • A partner can help you get a feel for the movement of the tailbone. Position her in front of you as you're in the pose. Have her wrap her arms around your pelvis, gripping one wrist in the opposite hand, and cradle the sacrum. Then she can pull the back of your pelvis up, lifting your tailbone toward your heels.
  • Info
    • Like its inverted cousins such as Forearm Balance and Headstand, a major obstacle to Handstand is a natural fear of falling. So the basic pose will be described with the heels supported against a wall. Make sure that there are no hanging pictures or other decorations on the wall directly above you.
  • Benefits:
    • Strengthens the shoulders, arms, and wrists.
    • Stretches the belly.
    • Improves sense of balance.
    • Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression.
  • Therapeutic Applications:
    • Mild depression.
  • Contraindications and Cautions:
    • Back, shoulder, or neck injury.
    • Headache.
    • High blood pressure.
    • LHeart condition.
    • Menstruation.