Yoga / Asana
FORWARD FOLDING
Now let’s take a look at another path to handstand involving the action of a forward fold in the body. While forward folding may not be as noticeable as back bending to the outside viewer, the feeling inside the body is significantly different. Every time you stand/walk the weight in your body moves forward (hips) and you have to somehow resist that weight to maintain balance in the process. This resistance is mostly coming from your feet and ankles. When applying this concept for a handstand, activate the hands and flex the wrists to create resistance against the weight (shoulders) moving forward just like you do in the feet. Try standing upright with the feet hips width apart. Without stepping forward or bending the knees too much, lean as far forward as you can and observe how the feet push into the earth to resist the weight moving forward. Look at the toes and think of your fingers. Now try to mimic the look and create the feeling in your hands using crow or plank pose. Look to identify the edge where the resistance in your hands against the shoulders moving forward creates a stalemate, which is the balance point.
THE “L” JUMP I promote this path to handstanding because it teaches you how to achieve the pose using the resistance of muscle instead of counter balancing body weight. Beginning with this approach enables you to protect the body as you make your way through more challenging variations and transitions. Once you learn how to build the handstand with resistance and core stability, the back bending progression can be natural and safe. Using resistance in your handstand will change the dynamics of the balance and require the body to be in more of a forward folding action once in the air. The fold is like a micro pike in the body, which teaches you how to engage the core and bandhas without being totally aware you are doing so.
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The most recommended and popular jump I have seen is the “L” jump. This is where one leg is working towards the sky and the other is hanging towards the earth allowing the body to access the hip safely in a forward folding (micro pike) action. So instead of the legs dangling over the head as weight to pull you forward (back bend), one leg lifts and the other leg hangs (forward fold) to keep you from going over or getting the “wheeling effect”. Learning to access the hip through this forward folding (micro pike) action will change the center of gravity and make it easier to understand and feel the pose foundationally in the hands.
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