Handbalancing and yoga

Handbalancing and yoga

The balancing asanas on the hands are usually accompanied by various epithets: the most difficult, the most effective, ego-boosting, useless, and traumatic. There are probably no other asanas that provoke so many contradictory opinions, emotions, and discussions. Have you heard anything similar about Virabhadrasana or Trikonasana? Let’s find out what’s so special about hand balances and why practitioners of all levels have such mixed opinions about them.

Balance asanas are the most important part of Hatha yoga practice. It does not matter whether they are performed on the hands or on the feet. The need to keep the balance, to distribute the weight, to engage the right muscle groups—this work leads to the realization of one of the main goals of yoga: to calm the mind. What is a calm mind in today’s world, where an avalanche of negative information and low-frequency energies hits us every day? It is the ability to control your life, react adequately to what is happening, change your energy, and follow the path of self-development.

The more advanced your progress on the yoga path, the more difficult the practices become. Balancing asanas are no exception. You can join handbalancing classes at capital circus school and combine your knowledge of yoga with new techniques. Not long ago, you could barely hold Vrikshasana (Tree Pose) or consider Bakasana (Crane Pose) impossible, but today you’re already able to go to Titibhasana (Firefly Pose) or Eka Pada Bakasana (Crane Pose with your legs extended). This is a natural process of development, not always related to ambition or an inflated ego. Endurance, patience, and willpower are qualities that are developed in the step-by-step mastering of balancing asanas on one’s hands.

Hand balances to strengthen patience and willpower

These two qualities, patience, and willpower are as necessary in life as sanity. We need willpower in order to cope with the tasks at hand. And within the framework of yoga, there are several such tasks: to practice regularly on the mat, improve the spiritual realm (reading developmental literature, meditation, chanting mantras), and follow a healthy lifestyle (dinacharya, vegetarianism, respect for nature and the world around us). In today’s reality, shaped by the “take-it-all” motto, practitioners need a strong will to pursue their goals. Taking private or semi-private handbalancing classes at Nepean creative arts center with Capital circus school in Ottawa will level up your hand-balancing technique.

Patience manifests itself in a relaxed attitude toward the tasks at hand. Even if you don’t want to or don’t succeed, you continue to make efforts, not obsessing over getting the result, but concentrating on the process.

Hand-balancing asanas play an important role in the process of forming these qualities. The complexity of performance and the need for a thoughtful approach are impossible without willpower and patience.

Hand balancing asanas in yoga

Hands-on asanas help strengthen the body:

corrects posture and relieves stress on the spine;

strengthening abs and buttocks;

Strengthen the arm and back muscles.

Balances on the hands redistribute energy flows in the body, which contributes to the development of spiritual potential. With regular practice of these asanas, you will get rid of negativity and can draw energy from the reserves of your body and surroundings.

When performing handstands, keep your current health and psycho-emotional background in mind and follow the recommendations:

You should not practice arm balances if you have injuries to the wrist and shoulder joints. With caution – in case of spinal diseases.

Asanas should be performed after warming up the shoulder girdle (Chaturanga Dandasana, Urdhva Chaturanga Dandasana, push-ups).

Avoid learning the asanas through jumping or asymmetrical moves: perform entry and exit through slow, controlled movements.

Get out of the asana immediately, if you feel strong discomfort.

Balances on the hands involve a special emotional attitude. Irritation and bad moods do not allow you to perform the asana properly and achieve balance.

How to keep balance in a handstand.

What are the peculiarities of performing balance asanas, and how do you learn to hold a balance handstand? There are some general tips to help create the right mindset for this practice.

If you’re feeling anxious, remember a few effective tools for balancing our mental state: pranayama and the OM mantra. Include these techniques before the balance asana block, and you’ll see that performing them is more effective.

The key to the success of doing balances is in the ability to create a firm support on the hands, to distribute the weight of the body over the entire surface of the palms, and “rotate” into the mat. Such work involves the muscles of the shoulders, forearms, and chest area.

Find your center of gravity. It should be over the fulcrum. This simple geometry will allow you to get your feet off the floor. Tighten the mula bandha. This stabilizes the cortex muscles and reduces sagging in the lower back.

Apply drishti, the direction of the gaze, which will help you concentrate on doing the asana and not spray your attention on external objects.

Watch your breathing. If your breathing is calm and even at any point, you should exit the asana and rest. When your breath is restored, try performing the asana again.

Entry-level hand balances

What balances or handstands are available for beginners? Learn handstands gradually at capital circus school, while strengthening your body, willpower, concentration, and patience. Start learning hand balances with the simplest asanas. But do not forget that some asanas have contraindications and should be performed with caution.

Handstands in Yoga

After you have mastered simple balances on the hands, you can move on to complex variants. An experienced hand balancer as a rule, feels his body well and is confident in himself and his strength. However, complex asanas should be performed under the guidance of a teacher, because their performance implies observing a number of nuances that affect both correctness of performance and safety from injury. In addition, the teacher can objectively assess the capabilities of each student and his or her readiness to master new asanas.