Monday, July 10, 2017

Handstand Class, tips for pushing your boundaries and using fear to empower you

Apex: handstand 
Principles of emphasis: open to grace (foundation, breath), muscle energy (stability), shoulder loop (shoulder integration), kidney loop (core integration), organic energy 
Heart quality: playful, courageous 
Theme: lila having fun while pushing the boundaries of our comfort. Using fear to empower us but not make us reckless. 
We have to know boundaries going to far and not going far enough. If you don't practice going to far you'll be afraid. We don't want fear to scare us but to empower us! It's not the absence of fear but courage in the face of fear. But It's not wrecklessness. 
Anecdote: learning a handstand. I had to learn what wasn't enough of a hop and what was to big it a hop. I had to be curious and courageous to find the just right spot with stability. I had to confront my fear instead of reimagining to scared to try but I also had to honor my fear so I didn't get hurt. 
Having fun (lila). Having to much fun getting into trouble. I definitely pushed this when I was little. Vs. Not having enough fun.... which is not fun. 
Disciplining my children. I am constantly in this process of what is to little discipline and get walked all over and having utter chaos in the house and what to much discipline is that also doesn't serve our family. I have to be in touch with my deep compassion and remain courage on this parenting journey of raising loving, kind, useful humans. I need to have the fear knowing there are some things I can never do like spank or something that will damage them but there is also fear that if I don't do any discipline they won't know how to cooperate with this world. Just like handstands I need to find that sweet balance of discipline with compassion. 

Handstand Tips:
Arms straight for power (muscle energy, organic energy)
Integrate shoulders press from core engage upper ab muscles (shoulder loop and kidney loop) 
Leg straight for power (muscle energy, organic energy)
Kick from hip not heal (thigh loop)
Bending in arms is loss of will power and often leads 
Dd lift armpits lift more weight at front of hands so you get lighter on heals of hands 
Sequence:
-Hand theraputic work (flex wrist back see budge (flexor retinaculum) compress around wrist and retinaculum while moving hand. Engaging the muscles with good foundation in hand weight baring poses will prevent wrist/elbow/shoulder injuries and keep the retinaculum hugging in
-Table foundation of hands (hands outer shoulder distand apart index fingers facing forward. Melt heat to integrate shoulders)
-Table shalabasana keeping straight joints. Flex front wrist like a handstand index finger facing up. Don't bend bottom arm repeat. Focus on arms legs straight 
-Sit ups with lordotic curve activating upper core (kidney loop)
-Cat/cow (alternating between shoulder integration/ shoulder loop and core integration/ kidney loop)
-Table shalabasana again same as first time but add the support of the core muscles
-Uttanasana- ardha uttanasana 3x
-Tadasana - urdhva hastasana interlace hands palms up, integrate shoulders, integrate core. Look up straighten elbows arms vertical. If your elbows bend in handstand you'll dump weight into heals of hands. 
-Optional jumping butt to wall 3x in pike
-Sun A 3x 3x with like jumps and string foundation in hands 
-Tree- w3 prep- lunge- sanding splits- uttanasana
-Eagle- w3 prep- lunge- standing splits - uttanasana 
-Standing pigeon- w3 prep- w3- lunge- half moon 
-cartwheel middle of room (deliberately  let the momentum carry you past midline and over. Go both ways. Swing through vertical midline. Not like downdog. This teaches us how to eat out of handstand. Shift weight pivot and turn out of it. Learn to fall out like that comfortably. We want to get comfortable falling out of handstand in the middle of the room. When we get it comfortable we can balance and remove the fear.)
-Hero blanket rolled up between calf and hamstring start and knee join and move back towards sit bones and heels)
-anjaneyasana quad- standing splits- handstand hops 
-Torture pose anjaneyasana knee in floor shin up wall (kidney loop)
-Supta handstand feet on wall, thighs down, ribs in, shoulders integrated, extend
-Kick up handstand at wall. Practice kicking up with both legs. 
(If still can't get up put 2 bolsters stacked on top of each other at wall get a running start and through yourself up wall straight arms and top leg. Takes intense amount if courage and energy once you get up you can start taking some if the power out.)
-Cow face wrist massage, bind with strap keep working shoulder and core integration
-Double pigeon 

-Shavasana on 2 blankets zilophone folded with blanket used to support cervical curve

Intention and Testimonials

Testimonials & My Intention

My Intention It is my intention as a yoga teacher to help you bring more health and vibrancy to your body, ease and alertness to your mind...