Pose of the month - Ardha Adho Mukha Vrksasana

Ardha Adho Mukha Vrksasana - (half handstand) is a bit of a mouthful(!) and a pose that's commonly taught to beginners to help build upper body, shoulder and arm strength, and begin to conquer the fear and unfamiliarity of being upside down. 

We spend a majority of our lives standing upright, feet planted on the earth and our head in the clouds, so it's not surprising that many people become scared and uncertain when asked to flip the other way - taking our feet up into the air, with the head closer to the ground. 

We may have done cartwheels and handstands as children but as we grow older, that playfulness often stops.

Doing this half handstand pose is not necessarily easier than doing a full handstand (Ardo Mukha Vrksasana), but with the help of the wall we can slowly build the strength and courage that we need, so that one day we can go more easily and safely into the full version of the pose! 

Instructions: sit on your mat with the legs out straight and the feet pressing to the wall, to measure where you need to place your hands - i.e. beside the hips. Turn around, placing the hands down shoulder width apart and slowly start walking the feet up the wall. Only take the feet to hip-height to create a right angle by pressing the feet into the wall and lifting the hips up toward the ceiling to lengthen the spine and torso.