Want to stand on your hands? Our cork yoga wheels and blocks can help you get there. In this blog, handstand coach Dakota of Mays Yoga has put together 4 specific drills designed to strengthen the muscles needed for handstands.
1. Pike Pulsations
Start by placing the wheel on the floor in between your feet. Bring your toes onto the wheel and bring your hips over your shoulders. Then flatten the tops of the feet on the wheel. Pull the hips up and bring your gaze through your armpits. Inhale, let the wheel roll back and bring your gaze forward. Exhale, bring your hips back over your shoulders and gaze through. Repeat as many times as you like. This is a great exercise for finding isolation in your shoulders.
2. Rhomboid Pushups
Start in the same position. This time, keep hips over shoulder and gaze through armpits. Inhale, drop your shoulders down. Exhale, push them back up. Keep everything else exactly where it is and just focus on moving the shoulders.
3. Handstand Prep
Bring your hands about 8 inches away from the wall. Bring your left shin to the wheel. Inhale, bring your right knee in to your chest. Exhale, roll your left foot towards your hands, lifting your right knee up. Repeat until you are comfortable with this motion.
Once you are comfortable, you may play with straightening the right leg on the exhale. Eventually, you may be able to float your left toes off of the wheel and come up into a handstand. Be sure to repeat this exercise on the other side as well.
4. Toe Taps
Finally, bring your hands onto blocks about a foot and a half away from the wall. Allow your legs to be supported by the wall. Come up onto your tippy toes. Flex your toes towards your shins, lifting your feet off the ground. Play with tapping your toes to your wrists. If this is easy for you, you can try without blocks as well!
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