February Theme: Lift Off! Pathways to Inversions

This month we will explore strategies for sustainable inversions. Learn what muscular activation is required to support a safe, fun, reliable, and well-aligned inversion practice. Ground your inversion practice from the foundation up to your toes so it does not feel like a wild hope each time you kick up that you will stick. Build strength and confidence, experiment with playful inversion variations, and flip your perspective.

2/7

Shoulderstand Prep: Extension and Adduction of the upper arms.

Today we will work with a chair, blankets, and a strap to find a well supported shoulderstand. This pose rests on the foundation of an open chest so that you can actually stand on the pillar of your upper arms and not slump the chest and rest on the neck so there will also be lots of opportunities for chest neck and shoulder opening and modifications for folks who do not wish to move into full shoulderstand today.

We might explore:

• Shoulderstand

• Chair Shoulderstand

• Chair Plow

• Chair Plow in Lotus

• One Legged Shoulderstand

• half shoulderstand, Plow

• Ear Pressure Pose

2/14

Yang to Yin: Headstand

We ground the most dense, yang bone of the body, the skull and reach up through the most yin area of the body, the pelvic floor. Let's clear up some common misconceptions about the Headstand and learn to call on the support of your shoulders and core so your neck is not the prime player in this pose.

We might explore:

• Headstand at the wall

• 6 block headstand

• Headless Headstand

• Interlace Headstand

• Tripod Headstand

• Headstand C

• Crow to Headstand Transition

• Prasarita Padottonosana to Headstand

• Pike Up and Pike Down

• Twisting Headstand with Helicopter Legs

2/21

Forearm Work: Bridging strength from arms to back to belly

We might explore:

• dolphin

• Forearm Stand

• Strateties for kick up press up, pike down, straddle up
  
  

2/28

Free Flying: Handstand

There is a teaching that says that behind all hardening and tightening and rigidity of the heart, there’s always fear. But if you touch fear, behind fear there is a soft spot. And if you touch that soft spot, you find the vast blue sky. You find that which is ineffable, ungraspable, and unbiased, that which can support and awaken us at any time.

- Pema Chodron, "Practicing Peace"

We might explore:

• core exercises to identify and target the Transverse Abdominis, Pelvic Floor, Multifidus, and Serratus Anterior that helps to support a strong handstand practice.

• the coordination of breath, bones, and bandha:  how to stack yourself well and build your own “inner parachute” to suspend floating transitions and cultivate longer hang time.

• sustainable “exit” strategies.

• techniques that create confidence, body awareness, and a more reliable, precise path in and out of handstand.