Handstand

What you need before you start

• Comfortable in Downward-Facing Dog for about a minute
• A steady Plank and Forearm Plank for 30 seconds or more
• Shoulders that can lift the arms fully overhead without the back arching
• Wrists that are warmed up and pain-free when bearing weight
• A clear space and a wall, with nothing breakable nearby

Learn to come down first

Before you go up, practise getting out. Facing away from a wall, if you tip over, turn one hand out and step down sideways in a cartwheel exit, rather than falling straight over onto your back. Practise it from a low kick a few times so it becomes automatic. Knowing you can bail safely makes the rest of the learning much less frightening.

Wall drills step by step

• L-shape: hands on the floor a leg’s length from the wall, walk the feet up the wall to hip height so the body makes an L; hold for 5 to 10 breaths
• Wall walk: from plank with the feet at the wall, walk the feet up and the hands in until the chest faces the wall
• Kick-ups: facing the wall, hands about a hand’s length away, practise small, controlled hops before full kicks
• Wall hold: once up, press the floor away, draw the ribs in and stack hips over shoulders over wrists
• Toe taps: slowly take one foot and then the other off the wall to find balance

Who should avoid it

Skip handstands, or ask a doctor first, if you have high blood pressure, glaucoma or other eye pressure problems, a heart condition, a recent head, neck, shoulder or wrist injury, or are pregnant and not already practised in them. Come down straight away if you feel dizzy, a headache or pressure in the eyes.