S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 3 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 7 3 5 Rebecca Papa-Adams II. Mastering the Handstand 8 Get Over the Fear of Kicking Up! Place a pillow or a bolster at the wall, head against the support. One leg forwards with knee bent, one leg back. I kick up with my right. Left foot forwards right foot back. Tap the back foot on the mat and kick up with a straight leg, springing off the bent leg… Repeat until your body meets the wall. Push through your fingers, hugging in your tummy. The heels might just come away from the wall (Fig. 8). Repeat at the wall without a cushion. 9 Bunny Hop with Both Feet Rotate the pelvis away, butt to the wall scrape the heels up as before support the head, heels away from the wall. Then take the head away from the wall (Fig. 9). When you return from the position, take a short relax so that the blood pressure gets even in the body. Enjoy the benefits. 5 Spinal Mobilization in Down- ward Facing Dog (parvatāsana) 6 Abdominal Strengthening From long cat, draw right knee to chin, abdominals draw inwards as in cat head down, lift the toes to max! Repeat 3 times on both sides (Fig. 6). Right knee to right elbow. Repeat 3 times on both sides. 7 Stages Towards Hand- stand at the Wall From neutral cat, toes untucked and touching the wall, move into Downward Facing Dog. Bring the right knee to the chest, then take the heel up towards the wall into Three Legged Dog. Repeat to the other side. Walk both legs up the wall making an L-handstand at the wall. Hips above the hands, feel in line with the hips. Take one leg up towards the ceiling. Repeat on the other side (Fig. 7). Acknowledgment The current article is a revised version of an article originally published under the title Handstand fun in the magazine of the British Wheel of Yoga Spectrum (2017): 20–21. References Iyengar, B. K. S. 1974. Light on Yoga. London: Allen and Unwin. Jeraci, Allison Ray. 2017. "5 Ways to Prepare for Handstand." Accessed September 20, 2017. https://yogainternational. com/article/view/5-ways-to-prepare-for-handstand
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