A handstand a day keeps the doctor away

Like many of you, I love a good handstand! Assuming you're doing handstands safely to avoid injury (and this is a big one, I see lots of people throw themselves upside down and hope for the best, only to come crashing down), they're an awesome part of a daily yoga practice.

Going upside down

• instantly changes your perspective & boosts your mood,
• helps bring fresh blood to your brain & assists your lymphatic system,
• builds core, shoulder, arm, & wrist strength, and
• increases your proprioception & balance.

My favorite place to practice handstands is outside on grass so I'm not afraid to fall (you can also use a wall to avoid flipping over). And my quick tips are:

• look 12 inches in front of your hands to shift your weight forward,
• lift up through one leg & let the other follow instead of kicking both legs,
• really engage your core - imagine you're drawing your bottom ribs closer to your hips,
• press into all of your finger tips, and
• don't overthink it!

I recruited my friend, James Hipp, to help me gain even more strength and control in my handstands and work toward my goal of nailing a press-up. We created a 6 week series to break down the steps I need to work on to get there. And while I didn't practice as consistently as I'd like, I have noticed a big difference in my handstands and am still working on it!

​Check out all of my handstand videos - from 5 Minute Yoga Pose - Handstand, 20 Minutes Yoga Class - Handstand Practice, 30 Minute Yoga Class - My Favorite Flow, 60 Minute Yoga Class - Inversions Flow with Kat Pummill and Nick Larsen, to the 6 Week Challenge - Press-Up Handstand I created with James. Play along at home, and send in your tips for handstands.