I thought I’d be practicing up a storm this month. I’m stuck in California without a car, TV, or much furniture.. so what else would there be to do? It turns out, there’s a lot of free TV on the Internet, and I’ve gotten really into a few bad, melodramatic, teen shows. That’s right. Instead of practicing yoga for two hours a day, I’m spending my free time watching teen soap operas on my 13-inch laptop screen. I’m not ashamed. But I have decided I need a little extra motivation to get my yoga mojo back. A pose that I will work on for at least a few minutes a day, even if it’s just during the annoying commercial breaks that interrupt my shows.
In honor of my new favorite TV show, Make It or Break It, about Olympic gymnastics hopefuls (who are, of course, always caught up in love triangles and other silly teenage drama), I’ll work on my Handstand for a few days.
It’s sometimes fun to just kick right up into Handstand on an impulse, but I’ve found it’s better to do at least a few poses to work up to it (especially when the pose is just a dangling carrot to get you to get up and get moving.) My goal is to start working toward Handstand in the middle of the room someday. Here’s my prep plan:
1. Open the hamstrings so I can comfortably get into position to kick up: Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog), Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)
2. Arms and Core: Plank Pose, Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose), Bakasana (Crow Pose), and one of my favorites–Wild Thing!
3. Backbends. If I’m practicing moving away from the wall, I want my body to be ready for the inevitable: flipping all the way over and ending up in Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward-Facing Bow Pose). So I’ll practice a few of those before I kick up, too.
What pose are you working on this week?
I am continuously working on crane pose! I just can't get it!!
Still working on cleaning up my shoulder stand! 🙂 Oh and Half-Moon pose. LOVE them both 🙂 I can't wait to learn handstand!!
Have you been watching Pretty Little Liars along with me? 🙂
Y is for Yogini, OMG! How did you know!? I can't decide if it's really good or really terrible.. but I CAN'T STOP!
Now you're making me interested in Make It or Break It – I love that kind of stuff. Darn you! right when I just got myself down to 1 show a week.
On other topics – I've been working on 10 minute headstands for about 3 months… and as an Anusara junkie you know handstands are something I do always. I find that I can pop up into a handstand anytime anywhere – as long as my shoulders are feeling open because they're chronically kinda tight. Same with forearm stands.
Also – since I just a couple weeks ago got to where I can bring my foot to my head in pigeon pose – I'm working on that at least twice a week to work on making it easier.
Geeze, I'm working on a lot of stuff… so I'll stop there.
This week?
I feel like I've been working on (particularly) Handstand for the past decade! 😉
Ha, me too! I have yet to get to handstand in the middle of the room, but I can't say I've been practicing it much either. One of my yoga teachers did a handstand against the wall when she was a good 8 months pregnant.