HandstandSave PDF
Adho Mukha Vrksasana
ah-doh moo-khah vrik-SHAH-sah-nah
Strengthens arms, shoulders and wrists
Expands lungs
Improves balance, relieves stress
How to perform Handstand
- Begin in Downward Facing Dog with your hands shoulder distance apart, fingers spread wide. Walk your feet toward your hands and gaze at the floor beneath you.
- Bend one knee deeply and sweep the opposite foot toward the sky with an exhale. Allow the other leg to follow.
- Draw your belly toward your spine and reach your tailbone toward the sky.
- Hold the pose and take slow, controlled breaths.
- Lower your legs to the floor with an exhale, one leg at a time.
Alignment cues
- Fingers spread wide
- Hug outer arms in
- Lift shoulders toward tailbone
- Draw ribs in
- Reach tailbone toward sky
Modification: Practice against a wall. Do a few practice hops before inverting completely.
Avoid this pose if you have high blood pressure, a heart condition, or shoulder, back or neck injury.
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More yoga poses to discover
Handstand · Adho Mukha Vrksasana
Shoulder Pressing · Bhujapidasana
Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe · Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
Handstand (Adho Mukha Vrksasana in Sanskrit) is an intermediate yoga pose that belongs to the balancing and inversions categories. This asana targets biceps, shoulders and triceps, and also involves abs, forearms and wrists muscles. Handstand expands lungs; strengthens arms, shoulders and wrists and also improves balance, relieves stress. Refer to the illustration and instructions above for how to perform this posture correctly. Discover more yoga asanas and yogic breathing exercises in our free yoga pose directory – a visual resource for yoga teacher training students as well as practitioners of all levels. Finally, shop our best-selling Yoga Cards products!
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Discover our best-selling Yoga Cards – professional study, class sequencing and practice guide for beginners and beyond.
Studying to be a yoga teacher? Learn the essential yoga poses the easy way with Yoga Stacks app!
New to yoga? Our Yoga for Beginners pack covers everything you need to know to get started with your practice.
Personal trainer? Try Train - our beautifully simple training platform you and your clients will love.
