The Handstanding Yogi: The Hows, Whys & Wtfs of Being Upsidedown

235 Pages·2017·2.68 MB·English

by  Ash Bond

Copyright © 2017 Ash Bond and Gabrielle Parker The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as
permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced,
stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or
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Matador
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ISBN 9781788034296
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd
This book is written as a guide to help you on your individual journey upside
down. It is not meant as a replacement for a good teacher.
Especially if you are new to inversions or are on a healing journey, please check
with a medical professional as to your fitness and suitability for exercise.
Handstands are magical things. Please use this magic wisely with no other
intention than to increase your own unique brand of awesome.
You are awesome.
In gratitude,
To our parents and housemates who let us use their kitchen tables to write this
book.
And to our students, who will always be our best teachers.
“Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?”
“…Because it’s there.”
— George Mallory in
Climbing Mount Everest is work for Supermen,
The New York Times, 1923
Contents
Prologue
Part I: The Foundations
1. Introduction
2. The Pillars of Handstand
3. The Acrobatic Handstand
4. The Building Block Conversation
5. How to Build a Handstand
6. The Anatomy of Handstand
7. Hand Placement
8. Scapula Elevation
9. Serratus Engagement and Activation
10. External Rotation of the Shoulder
11. Glute Engagement
12. Spotting
13. The Lesser Spotted Handstand
14. The Greater Spotted Handstand
Part II: The Exercises
The Exercise Index
Part III: The Plans
1. How To Use The Training Plans
2. Training Plan 1
3. Training Plan 2
4. Training Plan 3
5. Training Plan 4
6. Training Plan 5
7. Training Plan Templates
8. Rest Day Restorative Practice
Part IV: The Story
1. The Injury
2. Chasing The High
3. Breathe if You Want To Go Faster
4. The Work
5. The (tangled) Web
6. Yin, Yang and Yanger
7. The Magic
Part V: The Beginnings
Q1. How Do I Start To Handstand?
Q2. How Do I Find The Time?
Q3. How Do I Find The Space?
Q4. The Handstand Worry Goblins
Epilogue
The Players
The Books
The Handstander: Gabby. 4’11”. Professional acrobat and handstand teacher.
Gabby is a terrible yoga student, although she tries.
The Yogi: Ash. 5’2”. Yoga teacher and writer. Ash can not really handstand,
please don’t ask her to.