HARRIS: Handstand Warm-up / Prep

  1. Standing sensitization: 10 breaths
    *Standing stillness, checking into body, micro-sensations, and balance awareness

  2. Free-form movement: 25 breaths
    *Emphasis: Everywhere active, nowhere strained

  3. Soft pogo jumps: 20x

  4. Jumping jacks: 20x

  5. Pike: 3 x 5 breaths
    *Focus: Relax / release tension for 5 breaths in each stretch, no active reaching

  6. Standing back bend: 5 breaths
    *Focus: Gentle active ab stretch

  7. Overhead arm raises: 1.5lbs plates x 15

  8. Kneeling hip flexor stretch: 5B / side

  9. Downward dog (5 breaths) -> Plank (5 breaths)

  10. Wall front split stretch: 5 breaths per side

    • Hands: palms flat on wall

    • Front leg: Ball of foot on wall, underneath hands

    • Back leg: Knee on floor, aiming to bring knee as far from wall as possible without taking palms or front foot off the wall

    • Reminder: Only go to moderate stretch and then hold for 5 breaths, don’t force it (rule of thumb: if you couldn’t do 25 breaths there without pain, it’s too deep)

Previous Handstand Practice

  • Could include one or both of the following:

    1. Breathing + mobility or yoga flow to loosen up body and prepare for movement

    2. Light cardio warm-up, such as walking, running, or jackhammer for 2-5min

    3. Single-leg "wall writing" (forward, sideways, backward facing; as of 8-28: A-E in each angle)

  • *Can be rolled into general warm-up if using a mobility/yoga flow that includes any of the positions / movements below

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    Wrist / shoulder warm-up example 1:

    1. Tabletop free-form (1-2min)

    2. 4-leg free-form (1-2min; same as tabletop, but with only hands/feet on the floor)

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    Wrist / shoulder warm-up example 2:

    1. Overhead arm raises (10-20x)

    2. Cat-cow (~30sec)

    3. Straight-leg bear crawl (~30sec)

    4. Monkey (3-5 / direction)

    5. Crab scoot or crab bridge (~30sec)

  • Primary handstand practice elements (any given day can practice multiple sets of just one or a mix of different drills):

    1. Frog to handstand (sets of 8-10 reps)

    2. Chest to wall hold (if doing multiple sets, start with a light set of 10-20sec as a warm-up, then increase time)

    3. Bailing practice (sets of 2-3 / side)

    4. Kick-ups (can be done as a single set or for open practice of 5-10min, resting as needed between mini sets of 3 reps on a single side)

    5. Back-to-wall leg switches (goal: work toward getting hang time during slower switch of legs)

    6. Chest-to-wall leg switches (once comfortable bailing from the CTW position, this is one of your best bets for practicing balance and can replace back-to-wall switches)

  • Focus: general circulation while softening and relaxing the body

    Examples:

    1. Jackhammer (1-25min; note: 25min goes well beyond a cool-down but if you ever have time to follow along the whole video it's a great exercise for releasing tension)

    2. Light cardio of any kind + savasana relaxation