I’ve been doing quite a bit of handstand practice recently. I’ve liked the thought of being able to nail a handstand since I got into Yoga. In the past the ability has come and gone, but I’ve never felt really confident.
A few years ago I went to a Yoga workshop with David Williams, and he suggested practicing handstands against the wall until you can hold them for 50-60 breaths. I tried it at the time, found it too difficult and ignored it. 🙂
Recently, due to a knee operation I found myself with time to burn, so I started to practice handstands again. I thought back to what David had said and gave it a go. I managed about 20-25 breaths. Over the course of the next 3 weeks I managed to get up to 60 breaths.
Once I had reached that point I moved into the center of the room and tried a handstand. I felt really strong and confident. I’m not saying I could nail it every time, but it was pretty cool. What’s more, when I did loose my balance, I was sometimes able to walk on my hands a little to regain it.
Like everything else, handstands all come down to practice. The more time you spend on your hands, the easier they get. I know it sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many people, including myself, ignore the simplicity of it and assume we will get expert balancing skills from a couple of attempts once a week. 🙂
Cheers
Tim…
Update: These are interesting: