Hand Stand Adho Muka Vrksasana

Inversions are a great part of a Yoga program, they relieve leg fatigue, strengthen the shoulder girdle and align and tone everything in between. They are challenging for everyone, so beginners should many chose to practice with an instructor first. Hand Stand also known as Adho Mukha Vrksasana ( Handstand) is a very challenging inversion. An inversion is any pose that causes your head to be below your heart.DO NOT DO THIS POSE IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE CATCHING YOUR BREATH, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE OR ARE MENSTRATING.
Students must first be comfortable in and move freely without complication in Adho Mukha Savasana (Down Ward Dog Pose). This is the Prep pose for a handstand. (Another good prep pose is Baby Puppy.) Finger and palms are open and spread turning slightly out to the outside of the mat (dialing out ward). Elbows turning inward and straight. This stabilizes the arms, as this will be your base it will need to be strong to hold you up and protect your head. Do this facing a wall until you have a firm understanding of how your body relates to the pose.
1.) Face the wall and come into a Adho Mukha Savasana (Downward Facing dog) with your finger tips 2 - 3 inches from the base of the wall ( sometimes more depending on the yogi student). From here students look to see if they can see the edge where the wall meets the floor. 2.)Walk your feet towards your hands until your shoulders are directly over the wrists, straighten your elbows.
3.) Bend one knee hop on that foot and come up, (feet over head) to express the pose.
Once you are comfortable and stable, if you want drop your head and look forward. From here lift vigorously out of your wrists, straighten your elbows and your shoulders. push your heels up to the ceiling, up the wall as far as you can, reach up do not collapse in the low back, to express the pose fully. To RELEASE Bend the knee you came up on and slowly bring your feet back down to the floor. STAY IN CHILD'S POSE OR UTTANASANA- FORWARD BEND BEFORE COMING TO STAND FOR 3-5 breaths!

Vinyasa 2 Review- Yoga Works Tuesday Thursday 6:00 P.M

Yoga Works: West Side Studio-

37 W. 65th St. 4th Fl, New York, NY 10023
(212) 769-9642

Vinyasa Flow 2 Tuesday Thursday 6:00 
Instructor: Lisa Yi

$22 Mat rental $2 free for the first time,

Membership and special rates available depending on promotions.

37 West 65^th Street 4^th floor 212-769-9642

Get ready to work up some major Vata (heat) in the largest among 3 studios available at this 4th floor, Yoga center.  There is an elevator, lockers, mat storage (rentals), tea/water, shop private instruction available.

This class is a strenuous work out for strength and flexibility linking the breath and the movement.  Students should have the foundational training to be comfortable holding poses for a few breaths and quickly moving into and out of poses.

This class starts with a short seated posture and the teacher opens the class with a prayer and then goes right into a very rapid sequence of posing and counter posing. There are props and though during the moving sequence there is not a lot of time to utilize, students of varying experience were among the group and many of them chose to use the props for longer held poses.

Students are encouraged to take an inversion at the end of the practice. This is where strength and experience is important, as not to injure ones self.  This is effective part of the practice so I suggest getting into a pose that you are comfortable with, that you have worked one on one with an instructor with and that you feel no pain in, as you will be holding it for a few breaths. 

For more information or to talk to a membership adviser please go to:

http://www.yogaworks.com/en/Locations/New%20York/Westside.aspx