Category: Inversion

Day 5: Tripod Headstand

Welcome to Day 5 of the #YogawithTFM 10-Day Challenge! Today’s pose is Tripod Headstand.

Tripod Headstand is oftentimes one of the first inversions people experience.

For step-by-step details on how to get into Tripod Headstand, view our article. And, for help falling out of Headstand, check out this article!

If you are new to inversions, please check out our Inversions Tutorial available on iTunes today!

In the meantime, take a look at the video below for variations on Tripod Headstand.

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October 4, 2014
Day 4: Sarvangasana or Shoulderstand

Welcome to Day 4 of the #YogawithTFM 10-Day Challenge! Today’s pose is Sarvangasana or Shoulderstand.

View the video below for variations and keep in mind these three tips when trying Shoulderstand!

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– Keep your elbows hugging in, shoulder blades drawing down the back.

– Press your upper arms and shoulders down actively into the mat.

– Try to relax and breathe into this pose as you lift the upper spine and back off of the mat.

Also, if you are new to inversions, try our tutorial HERE!

October 3, 2014
Yoga Straps 101

When I first started practicing yoga, I received all sorts of advice. One great suggestion was to go out and buy a yoga strap. A yoga strap, I was told, would assist me greatly in my practice. As a newbie, I was excited to buy all sorts of yoga gear, so I ran out to Target and immediately bought a strap. For months, I used this strap without any guidance. I ignored the fact that the strap had metal ends. I’m not even sure if it crossed my mind that those metal ends had any purpose! I just wrapped the strap around my foot repeatedly until it felt secure. Some days, my foot was so wrapped up, it appeared as if I had a foot injury with a large Ace bandage.

If this scenario sounds familiar, this article is for you. I know that there must be others out there who are new to yoga and have no idea how to deal with a yoga strap. I will not discuss the many stretches and exercises you can perform with your strap in this article. The purpose here is to just get you accustomed to the idea of creating an adjustable loop with your strap. (This loop would then slide over your foot and be used for a variety of exercises, which we can discuss in future posts.)

Here is your Yoga Strap Looping Lesson 101:

Your yoga strap should have metal ends. One end will have two rings, and the other end will have a single flat metal strip. If you are right handed, use your left hand to hold the end of the strap with the two rings. Your right hand will hold the end of the strap with the flat metal strip.

I know this may sound ridiculous, but my yoga teacher taught me how to loop a yoga strap with a choo-choo train analogy. Yes, she actually used the phrase “choo-choo”. It felt juvenile, and I laughed, but she didn’t have to explain it twice. Let me teach you with that same choo-choo train. Pretend that the end of the strap with the single metal strip is a train. The train goes through both tunnels. (That is, put the end of the strap with the flat metal strip through both metal loops.)

The train forgot something. It goes back over the first tunnel it sees, and through the second tunnel.

It’s as simple as that. Now continue pulling the end of the strap with the flat metal piece until you have a small adjustable loop that can fit over your foot.

You are now ready to use your strap! Stay tuned for future tutorials…

July 27, 2014
Daily Practice: 5 Tips to a Better Handstand

The most common question I receive is: “How can I improve my handstand?” While understanding basic principles and alignment is key, I do have some tips!

Here are five ways to help you improve your handstand and get you balancing on your hands.

New to handstands? Make sure to check out my Handstands 101 Part 1 and Part 2 articles!

#1: Grip it!

Your 10 little fingers truly play an important part in your handstand practice. They can help you keep your balance and prevent you from falling over. From the moment your hands touch the earth, spread your fingers and actively grip or claw your mat. Making slight adjustments in your fingers can take your practice to a new level.

#2: Square your hips!

Keeping your hips square while kicking up may be the most important tip of all. When you go to lift your leg to kick up, be mindful of where your toes are pointing. Are they facing the ground or are they off to the side? If they are off to the side, you are opening up your hip which can cause you to kick up tilted and, ultimately, fall down.

Once you lift your leg, flex your foot, and internally rotate the inner thigh so your toes face down towards your mat. Another great tip to keep your hips square is to plug the femur bone (or thigh bone) into your hip socket.

#3: Move away from the wall!

There is no shame in using the wall when learning to handstand. In fact, I encourage it. Unless you know how to gracefully fall into wheel or cartwheel out, having a wall as a safety net is your safest route. You don’t, however, want to become overly reliant on the wall – at least not if your goal is to handstand without its assistance. Therefore, I suggest practicing about a leg’s distance away from the wall, only using it when needed. Doing it this way will help you learn to control your kick ups and make it that much easier to handstand in the middle of the room.

#4: Learning to Balance

If you are at the point in your handstand practice where you can gently kick up but cannot find your balance point when you bring your legs together, this exercise is for you!

Start in tabletop position with your fingertips right at the wall, and notice the placement of your heels and your hands. Move your hands back now so your fingertips are where the heels of your hands were…Essentially you are now a hand’s distance away from the wall. (You may need to play with the distance at first.) Kick gently up to the wall (notice how softly I land), and extend both legs up.

Press the crown of your head firmly into the wall and notice how my feet float off of the wall. My body comes into complete alignment. From here, you can learn what it feels like to have everything stacked, and you can also start to experiment with taking the crown of your head off of the wall.

[KGVID poster=”http://www.twofitmoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Video-Jun-09-9-51-26-AM_thumb25.jpg” width=”640″ height=”360″]http://www.twofitmoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Video-Jun-09-9-51-26-AM.mov[/KGVID]

#5: Slow down and have PATIENCE!

This last tip is probably the hardest. First…Slow down!!! Everyone is quick to plant their hands down onto their mat and start kicking up at a frantic pace. Take a moment to set yourself up and check your alignment. Do this before each and every kick up attempt! If you are always rushing, you are decreasing your chances for success.

Second…have PATIENCE! Patience with yourself, patience in your practice. Progress may be slow, you may get frustrated…breathe. Slowly but surely you will reach your goal!

XOXO

June 12, 2014
Handstands: The Art of Falling

If you are ready to move your handstand practice away from the safety of a wall, you must embrace the art of falling. I call it an art because there is actually a bit of technique involved. Once you master the technique, you will not be afraid of practicing in the middle of a room. You will realize that falling out of any inversion can be a controlled transition from one pose to another. When you feel your body wavering as you balance on your hands, you will not flail around and then land flat on your back. You will be armed with a game plan—a real exit strategy. You will fall (or transition) from handstand into wheel pose.

Practice Wheel Pose
Before moving your handstands away from the wall, you MUST be very comfortable in wheel pose. You will be falling into this deep backbend from a height, so you certainly don’t want to fall into this pose if you are uncomfortable or feel any strain at all when you lift into wheel from the floor. Please review the proper form for wheel pose HERE.

If you cannot do this pose with ease, continue to practice your handstands with a wall. Every day, you can continue to work on your backbends and heart/shoulder opening stretches until wheel pose is no longer a struggle.

At this point, if you are uncomfortable with wheel pose, you may be wondering if there are other alternatives to exiting a handstand. Yes, there are other options, but I don’t like teaching them. Falling into a cartwheel, for example, is a very popular exit strategy from handstand, but it doesn’t make sense for beginners. As a recent beginner myself, I know that once you begin to lose your balance in a handstand, you do not have enough control to do anything but fall straight back. Attempting to do anything else (like lift one hand to cartwheel to the side) is dangerous and could result in injury. Trust this process. If wheel pose is difficult, keep practicing your backbends each day. Soon enough, you will be practicing handstands in the middle of the room, and you will stay safe because your hands will be rooted in one spot and remain there for the duration of any fall/transition.

Practice the Transition
Make sure you are warmed up before practicing this transition. Kick up into any variation of handstand that feels stable, and when you begin to lose your balance, don’t fight the natural momentum. The inclination will be to fall straight back, and that is what you will do.

The most important step in this transition is to maintain straight arms the entire time. If you bend your elbows during the fall, you might hit your head or land flat on your back. Just think—strong, straight arms. Repeat it over and over in your mind. One way to stay strong is to grip your mat firmly with your fingertips. By maintaining an engaged feeling in the tips of your fingers, you will be reminded to engage the entire length of your arms by staying strong and straight.

If You are Scared…
Kicking up into handstand in the middle of a room and then falling back into wheel requires a huge leap of faith. You must believe that you have the strength in your arms, the flexibility in your back, and the overall balance necessary to land on your feet in wheel pose. If you are not convinced of your own ability to do this, don’t be discouraged. You can practice transitioning into wheel from handstand WITH the safety of a wall.

To begin, lie down on your back with your knees bent, the soles of your feet flat on the ground, and the tips of your toes against a wall. Review your form before continuing—make sure that your heels are as close to your bottom as possible. Bend your elbows, and bring your hands alongside your ears, with your fingers pointed toward your body. You are now set up on the floor as if you were going to lift into wheel pose with your toes against a wall. Take note of where your hands are relative to the wall. THIS will be your starting point for your handstand practice. No need to lift into wheel pose right now. Go ahead and stand up, and place your hands down onto this starting point that you just determined. Kick up into handstand, and when you lose your balance, allow your legs to fall against the wall. Keep your arms strong and straight, and begin to walk your feet down the wall onto the floor into wheel pose. Repeat this exercise as many times as necessary to become accustomed to the feeling of transitioning from handstand to wheel. Once you feel confident, go ahead and try the transition in the middle of the room.

Stay safe, believe in yourself, and enjoy the process.

June 2, 2014
10 Reasons I Do Instagram Yoga Challenges

Over the past year, Laura and I have been very active in the Instagram yoga community. We’ve hosted some of the very first yoga challenges offered on Instagram, and we continue to remain active in hosting and participating in challenges today.

Since our early days of posting very detailed step-by-step picture tutorials, we’ve watched thousands of people connect and grow a virtual Instagram yoga community just by attempting the daily pose of the day and posting a photo of their attempt to a designated hashtag. What an overwhelmingly positive experience to watch Instagram yogis grow, inspire, and BE inspired!

If you have not yet given a challenge a try, I suggest that you pick one and get involved today. Here are my top reasons for participating each month.

It Creates a Daily Habit
A daily yoga challenge makes you commit to a daily practice. Let’s be honest—it’s hard to commit to a daily hour-long yoga session. We are all tired and busy, but, I assure you that it feels much less overwhelming if we believe that we just need to stretch and warm up for one yoga pose. This is a great way to take baby steps toward a longer more meaningful daily practice. Get in the habit of rolling out your mat daily by participating in a challenge.

It’s Fun
Everyone loves a good challenge. I still remember the first time I saw a photo of an arm balance pose on Instagram. It looked incredible. How was it even possible to balance in that way?!!! I was fascinated and excited to get on my mat and try. Perfecting the pose was not the goal. The goal was to try, and practice, grow and play. As adults, we rarely play. Practicing new yoga poses each day awakens our inner child, and it’s just downright FUN.

It’s Free
Do I have to say more? It’s free. Free instruction, free participation, free fun, and often, you can even score a free prize! Not everyone has the money to take a yoga class in a studio. By participating in an Instagram yoga challenge, you can get your yoga fix without shelling out the big bucks.

It’s Inspiring
It’s incredibly inspiring to look through a yoga challenge hashtag and see thousands of yogis from all walks of life doing the same pose. These yogis are different ages, races, sizes and nationalities, but they have all come together to participate and grow in their practice. Seeing a yogi that is twice your age is inspiring. Seeing a parent and child together attempting a pose is inspiring. Seeing yogis that are overcoming sickness and pain by using yoga as a healing tool is inspiring. All of this inspiration will make you want to come back day after day and practice with the Instagram community.

It Can Be Done from Home
Some people don’t have the money to take a yoga class, and others don’t have the time to take a class. As a mother of young children, it takes a village for me to be able to leave my house to do basic things—like shop for groceries or get a haircut. Traveling to a yoga studio does not happen often, and it doesn’t happen without planning in advance for babysitters. By getting involved with Instagram challenges, I can practice at home whenever it’s convenient—even if that means taking photos of poses at midnight.

It Documents Your Journey
For better or for worse, if you participate in a daily Instagram yoga challenge, you will have a visual record of each pose that you attempt. In the beginning, seeing your poor form or lack of flexibility may be discouraging, but as time passes, you will be grateful for these photos. It amazes me to look back at my old yoga photos and see how far I’ve come in my practice. My posture, flexibility, strength and form have improved dramatically, and I am aware of the progress that I’ve made over weeks or months.

It’s a Great Way to Meet Yoga Friends
The Instagram yoga community is an amazingly supportive group. Everyone is encouraging and supportive, and that is a great kind of environment to learn and grow in your practice. When you join an Instagram yoga challenge, you get the feeling that you are a part of something greater than yourself. As soon as you join a challenge, you are no longer alone. You have joined a movement, and it feels amazing to get caught up in the positive energy and practice (virtually) alongside your new Instagram yogi friends.

It Creates a Well-Rounded Practice
We all have our strengths. We all also have our weaknesses. I’ve found that when I practice yoga on my own, I have a tendency to work on poses that come easily to me, and I avoid working on the poses that target my weaker/less flexible body parts. The wonderful thing about Instagram yoga challenges is that the pose of the day forces you to work on body parts that you might otherwise completely avoid. If the challenge pose is a backbend, you will work on backbends, even if you dislike them. If the challenge pose is a deep hamstring stretch, you will spend time stretching the backs of your legs. I’ve found this aspect of the challenges to be very beneficial. Rather than focusing on just the poses that I enjoy, I also work diligently on the poses that I don’t enjoy so much. By doing this, I’ve become much more well-rounded in my practice than I otherwise would be.

It Exposes You to Different Types of Yoga
I used to think that there was one type of yoga—the kind where you sit with your hands in prayer and maybe do a warrior 1 pose from time to time. The idea of doing yoga used to bore me to tears. I had no idea that yoga could be a challenging, sweat-inducing workout. There is a type of yoga for everyone, and the world of Instagram yoga has opened my eyes to it all. Who knew that yoga could include inversions like headstands and handstands or arm balances that tested your strength, balance and flexibility? Take a look through all of the available challenges this month and you will see how much variety yoga has to offer.

Enjoy the Non-Physical Benefits of Yoga
If you join an Instagram yoga challenge and you’ve never tried yoga before, you might start out just enjoying the physical benefits of the poses. That’s definitely the experience I had. I would stretch, strengthen, sweat, take a photo of the pose of the day, and move on with my life. Over time, however, I’ve noticed that my body has loosened up to the point where my practice has truly become a moving meditation. I can find peace in each pose, as the poses become more accessible. I am now able to focus on the present moment as I’m living it, and THIS is an invaluable skill on and off the mat.

May 21, 2014
Daily Practice: 5 Reasons to Do a Headstand Every Day!

Headstand, or Sirsasana, is often referred to as the “King of all asanas”… and rightfully so. It requires both physical and mental preparation to practice this inversion. Getting upside down can be a scary experience! The fear of falling, the fear of failing, the fear of the unknown, all come into play. Once you get over the initial fear though, the practice of inverting will offer new perspective and many benefits. Here are my top five reasons why I love to flip upside down every day.

If you’re a newbie to headstands, no worries! Check out the beginner’s guide to getting into a headstand here.

#1: Increases Blood Flow to the Head

Getting upside down reverses the flow of blood from the heart, giving your heart a much needed break. Blood is able to flow more easily to your brain including the pituitary and hypothalamus glands. These two glands play a vital role in your mental and physical well-being, and regulate all other glands in your body. They also regulate sex hormones, so daily headstands can improve your sex life!

#2: Fountain of Youth

Added blood flow to your head also means added blood flow to your scalp and face. These added nutrients can possibly delay the onset of gray hairs and also give you an instant face lift by reversing gravity. Who needs botox and hair dye when you can just invert every day!

#3: Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

The pituitary gland located at the base of your brain controls the release of endorphins. Endorphins trigger a positive, happy feeling in your body. The extra blood flow to this gland, helps to release more endorphins, thus making you a happier person. It also helps to relieve stress, anxiety and depression. You cannot help but smile while upside down!

#4: Tones and Strengthens

Headstands are a FULL BODY exercise. You use every single muscle in your body in order to get into a headstand! Doing a headstand every day will strengthen every muscle in your neck, arms, shoulders, back, abdominals and legs.

#5: Become the Life of the Party!

Headstands are just plain fun to do and there’s nothing wrong with that! Bust them out at parties or in the park! Your friends and family will be impressed!

As always though…practice mindfully and honor your body! Have fun and laugh lots!

XOXO

May 15, 2014
Pincha Mayurasana: The Art of Falling

If you’ve recently added Pincha Mayurasana (forearmstand) to your inversion practice, you may be wondering when or if you should move away from the safety of a wall. As a general rule, you should NEVER move your inversion practice away from the wall until you have perfected your exit strategy.

Falling flat onto your back and injuring yourself is NOT an exit strategy. Falling safely out of an inversion is actually a skill, and today, I will show you how to turn your fall out of forearmstand into a controlled transition.

The goal? Forearmstand into forearm wheel. Yes, forearm wheel is a deep pose requiring flexibility, but once you master this pose and this transition, you will practice in the middle of the room without fear.

Getting into Forearm Wheel
The first step in perfecting this transition is to practice the final pose: forearm wheel.

Step 1
Lie on your back, with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your palms onto the mat on either side of your head with your fingers pointing toward your feet. Press through your hands and feet and gently lift up onto the crown of your head for a breath or two. Continue to press through your hands and feet, lifting your head from the floor. Straighten both arms and lift your hips toward the sky for wheel pose. If you are unable to do wheel pose, please continue to practice your forearmstands against a wall and re-visit this article at a future date. Being comfortable with your backbends is essential for this exit strategy.

Step 2
Slowly bend your elbows and gently lower the top of your head to the mat. Keep your elbows stacked above your wrists and your chest lifted.

Step 3
Slowly lower yourself onto one forearm. If the stretch feels too intense, stop.

Step 4
If your back is not straining, lower yourself onto the other forearm.

Step 5
Press down firmly through your forearms and lift your chest to raise your head off the mat.

If you are unable to do this forearm backbend with ease, then please continue practicing your forearmstands with a wall. Falling into a deep backbend from a height is potentially harmful until your flexibility improves. Each day, make it a point to work on your backbends and to open up your chest, shoulders and hip flexors. The sooner you become comfortable in your backbend practice, the sooner you will become free from the wall.

Practicing the Transition
Now that you’ve mastered the forearm wheel, let’s practice falling into it. Make sure you are thoroughly warmed up before attempting. When you begin to lose your balance in your forearmstand, your natural inclination is to simply tip over. Work with that natural momentum, and do not try to fall to the side or to lift your forearms from the ground. Keep your forearms firmly rooted into your mat, with your elbows stacked right under your shoulders. Do not collapse into your arms! If you stay strong through your shoulders and arms, your legs will touch down, your head will never touch the mat, and you will be in a forearm backbend.

Remember:
Keep your inversion practice at the wall until you perfect your exit strategy. Perfecting an exit strategy, however, may take a great deal of time. Do not get discouraged. Your yoga practice is not a race, and it is here to serve you through your lifetime. Practicing your inversions with a wall is FINE. Be prudent and use a wall if your body is not quite ready for the exit strategy presented here in this article. Good luck!

March 12, 2014
Quest for the Press 101: Toe Taps

My quest to press into a handstand probably started around eight months ago. “Pressing” is when you can place your hands onto the ground and float your legs up into a handstand…No kicking required! There is no science to pressing into a handstand, and everyone’s experience is unique. I am going to show you how I learned — hopefully it will help you!

The only prerequisite is that you MUST have a solid Bakasana practice. You can view my tutorial for this particular asana here.

Step 1: Start in Bakasana

Key points to remember in Bakasana…Fingers should be spread wide to help grip the mat. Hands are shoulder width apart. Elbows and knees squeeze in toward the midline. Upper back rounds to avoid “dumping” into your arms and making the pose feel heavy. Navel pulls in toward your spine to activate the core.

Step 2: Flex the feet

Flex both feet so your toes point down towards your mat. Using your core to keep the knees on your arms, slowly start to shift forward slightly as you bring your toes toward your wrists. You may only get an inch or two down before you fall… That’s Okay! Try again!

As you move your feet down, concentrate on rounding the upper back and squeezing your arms in. If your arms begin to open out, try using a strap. Measure the loop shoulder width in length and place the strap just above your elbows.

Step 3: The toes have landed!

Eventually, your toes will touch your wrists! Once you get to this point, try to hold them there for as long as possible. Not only will this build arm strength, but it will build your core strength as well! You will begin to feel your deep ab muscles engage. These are the ones that will eventually help lift you up.

Step 4: Lift up!

Once you can hold your toes to your wrists for a few breaths, you can try lifting your bottom up towards the sky and taking the knees off of your arms to hover. To do so, actively push your toes into your wrists and engage your core (Uddiyana Bandha). Press actively into your mat using your fingers for grip. Start out by trying to lift your butt higher! If that goes well, then try to straighten the legs. Proceed slowly and with patience.

As always… Have FUN and be SAFE!

XOXO

February 27, 2014
Floating Down

Slowly floating the legs down from any inversion can be challenging. It takes time, patience and practice to develop the strength and body awareness to successfully lower down. It also requires being able to engage deep abdominal muscles. Despite popular belief, you don’t need a six-pack to float down! And, once you float down, floating up will likely follow — it did for me!

What muscles do we need to engage?

There are a total of six abdominal muscles in your body; from deepest to superficial they are the the transversus abdominis, the internal obliques, the external obliques and the rectus abdominis. The deeper the muscles, the more impact they will have on your posture and maintaining a healthy spine. Here is a brief description of each:

Transversus Abdominis: It is the deepest of your abdominal muscles, and it wraps around your torso. You cannot feel this muscle from the outside. The best description I’ve read for this muscle is that it is like a back support belt but for the front of your body.

Internal Obliques: These are a pair of muscles that run alongside your torso that help your spine twist and move laterally.

External Obliques: These are another pair of muscles that also run alongside your torso and help your spine twist and move laterally.

Rectus Abdominis: These are the most superficial muscles of the group and the ones that make up the “six-pack” abs.

Do I need six-pack abs to do this?

Quite simply… No, you do not. In fact, a six-pack will help you the LEAST when working with floating down or pressing up for that matter. It is the ability to engage the transverse abdominal muscle that will have the most impact on your inversion practice.

Engage those bandhas?

Before going through my yoga teacher training, I’d always hear teachers say “engage your bandhas”! If you haven’t been practicing long, more than likely your first reaction is “what the heck does that mean??!! Simply put… a “bandha” is a lock in the body that helps seal in the energy and engages the muscles.

The two bandhas that most teachers will reference during inversions are the Mula Bandha and the Uddiyana Bandha. In very simple terms, the Mula Bandha occurs in the pelvic area and low belly while the Uddiyana Bandha occurs in the upper abdominals. The best way to describe the Mula Bandha is the feeling you get when you have to go to the bathroom and are holding it. The Uddiyana Bandha can be felt when you draw your navel up toward your heart while wrapping your lower ribs in towards one another. I learned how to do this by placing my hands on my lower ribs, fingers facing in towards each other, and by making believe my hands were a corset. As I exhaled and drew my navel up and in, I closed my hands towards one another.

Start the float down from Tripod Headstand

If you are new to this, start off by attempting this from your Tripod Headstand. Working the float down from here will also help you gain strength within your core!

Slowly come into your Tripod Headstand. Start by flexing your feet to activate your entire lower body… and also to prepare your feet for the landing! Take a deep breath in. On the exhale, engage those bandhas and try to lower your legs down a few inches. Inhale. On the exhale, lower them down a little more. Make a mental note where your legs come down if you cannot float them gently onto the ground.

Come back into your Tripod Headstand again. This time, float them down to your “breaking” point or slightly above that… On the inhale, try to lift them back up again. Try to do this three to five times. This small action will help strengthen your core over time. Keep working this as low as you can go… eventually coming all the way down onto the ground gently and maybe back up!

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Ready to move on?

Once you can comfortably float down and up in Tripod Headstand, you can start to work on your float down from Handstand. Feel free to use a wall if you have trouble balancing and you can even press the crown of the head into the wall to help slow your descent. You may feel this in your wrists, so take it slow! Remember the foundations of a handstand and press firmly into the ground with your hands. Engage your core and slowly start to float down. If you are having serious trouble with this, you can also try straddling your legs to float down! Play with it…but most importantly, have patience!

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XOXO

February 21, 2014