Re-finding Balance in Handstand

8 weeks postpartum

I have been really working I cultivate my handstands for over five years and about two years ago I was able to hold my balance in the middle of the room! Then I got pregnant... I continued to do handstands until I was 29 weeks pregnant and got put on bed rest. Then I had a c-section because my placenta was abrupting from the uterine wall. Shortly after giving birth to y beautiful son a flexed my abes an pushed my stomach... Nothing. Total mush. I later tried to do a handstand. I kicked up, did alignment actions + flexed my stomach to stop and balance, but I just kept going over and fell to the floor. Can you say "timber"?
One thing Anusara philosophy teaches us is to look for the good. So besides the obvious goodness of temporarily losing my handstands is gaining my sweet baby boy. Another benefit is that in the process of re-learning and re-finding my balance. I am learning new refinements and ways of phrasing how to teach handstands to my students.

Middle of room:
Muscular Energy: from down dog or from standing slits I kick up toward handstand and squeeze my ankles together crossed. I don't think. I am going to balance in handstand. Instead I think I am going to squeeze my ankle to the front of my opposite shin. Bam! I am balancing in handstand. This happens because I am squeeze the midline (one of the three aspects of muscular energy).

At wall:  I teach handstand at the wall in almost all of my classes. I rarely see handstands being taught in other classes and so many people fear handstands. "I'm not strong enough" I hear so much. Doing handstands at the wall each week I get to see the students gain confidence and get closer and closer to balancing. Now students get excited when we move to the wall and if I don't teach handstand at the wall a few students will hand around after class to get their handstands in. Anyways a few students have been closed to balancing for a while but still can't quite find it. So a I was practicing coming to balance in handstand at the wall both straight up and from "L" pose I found a trick called organic energy.

organic energy: When one is pushing off from L or from regular handstand at the wall they have horizontal movement that brings them to the place they should balance at but the problem is they any stop hat horizontal movement and keep going. Normally I teach don't push off the wall but use inner and outer spiral ad you will natural come off the wall into balance. But still students insist on pushing off. So I suggested that when their body gets stacked to extend down to the floor like crazy from the focal point I. The heart and out through the toes. This will turn the horizontal movement into vertical movement.

Postpartum Practice for Low Back *video

A friend asked me to post a yoga video for her to addressthe low back tension she feels after just having a baby. The sequence below is to remind your body of optimal alignment while releasing stored up tension in the body. It will release tightness in the back of the legs and low back while strengthening the low back. Do the whole sequence or bits and pieces when you have time. I am did the practice with my baby so you could see how I adapt my practice with him. He actually cooperated quite well I just needed to bounce his chair every once and a while. Often I need to pick him up for some poses or put him on the ground next to me. My baby comes before my practice so if he needs me and doesn’t seem happy I stop practicing and come back to it later. When I really want to practice my husband watches the baby so I can get some “me time” and a bigger practice in. My baby boy is 8 weeks old.

Teaching focus: Learn to hold healthy spine in lower back
Principles of emphasis:
1^st principle: side bodies long
2^nd: Hug the midline inner thighs strong
3^rd: inner spiral thighs
4^th: scoop tail bone so low belly tones to hold curve of low back
Theme: Taking time (even if only a few minutes) to take care of your self. When we are feeling good in our body we experience more health and happiness and from that place we can better care for our new babies.

*check with your health care provider before picking up your practice and remember to always listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel right, hurts, pulls… don’t do it! You just had a baby. Give yourself a break. P.S you are superwomen!! Your practice will deepen in time. No rush.

The Video:

(if the video above doesn't work here is the youtube url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcj6CYlnjS0&feature=youtube_gdata&noredirect=1)

The Sequence:

Sucasana Uddiyana Bandha Pranayama
Sucasana side stretches
Cat/cow
Table jump rope spine
Anahatasana modified
Down Dog
Table - Shalabasana
Table - Shalabasana butt burner (toe touches, knee bends, knee bent hip extenders, abductor burner)
Thread Needle
Mod Utkatasana hands on knees cat/cow- jump rope spine
Tadasana- half moon side stretch
Down Dog - 3 Leg Down Dog
Wide Leg Forward Fold- Twist (with block, stack of books, soup can..)
Supta Pigeon
Supta Femur Rooting *my go to low back pain move*
Shavasana
Childs Pose

Heart Openers for Breast Feeding

Our beautiful baby boy arrived October 22nd (birth story to come). It has been so amazing having him out of my belly and in my arms. When he was born my heart expanded to make room for all the love I have for him and the new love I have for my husband seeing him in his daddy role. I want to lift my now bigger + fuller heart up. However holding and breast feeding baby Sage puts my body in a position that hides my heart, tightens my upper neck and pec muscles while over lengthening and straining my back muscles. Ouch. I have been doing these gentle stretches to keep my body somewhat in alignment. 

Holding a baby and breast feeding takes my body into horrible alignment that creates more stress and tension in my life. I am so happy to do it and LOVE all over my baby. But I don't want my body to forget optimal alignment, the alignment that creates more harmony and happiness in my life. 

The main alignment actions I am reminding my body of during this sequence are:

• Side Bodies Long + Inner Body Bright
• Arm Bones Back  + Shoulder Blades Together
• Chin Up + Palate of Mouth Back

my favorite thing to so with a strap to help integrate arm bones back. start with the strap horizontally behind back under shoulder blades, bring the tails of the straps in front, over and behind the shoulders, cross the tails behind your back forming am X, tighten strap and grab each strap and pull forward. Lengthen from hips up through arm pits and into the sides of the neck. Expand your ribs and broaden the collar bone opening your chest. Watch that the floating ribs don't stick out causing a collapse in the kidneys. If you notice this is happening pull the floating ribs in toning the abdominal muscles. Lastly check your head, is it sticking forward? Lift the chin to horizontal and slide throat back until the palette is over the spine. Once in this pose you can do some neck lengtheners: take chin to chest, and then one ear to one shoulder and other ear to other shoulder, then back to center

I like to start with a strap and pull up as high as I can and then pull down as far as I can. then I take the full pose by bringing my hands together. Just like in the sequence above: lengthen your side bodies, expand your chest opening your heart, draw arm bones back, squeeze shoulder blades together, draw floating ribs in, extend from pelvis into floor and from pelvis up through crown of head. I like to hold these shoulder stretches for 2 minutes.

Start with a block on the 2nd level horizontally placed below cervical vertebrae 7 (to find look toward belly button feel the back of your neck. That boney vertebrae that sticks up is C7) and slowly wiggle your way down stopping between each vertebrae from C7 to T12. Keep floating ribs pulling toward pubic bone to avoid kidney collapse. With each breath lengthen from hips up side bodies and draw arm bones back hollowing arm pits out. I like to hold each place for 2 minutes.