12 Days of Handstands

Community Funded Online Training Program

About This Program

YogaSlackers 12 Days of Handstands goal is to empower participants around the world to train handstands wherever they are with the support of an online community.

In this page you will find this month’s training program. We update this page during the last days of the month. Join our newsletter to receive a notification when the new training program is loaded.

We also recommend you join our Facebook group to connect with our community of supportive and dedicated handstanders around the world.

Funded By People Like You

Thank you for joining the YogaSlackers 12 Days of Handstands. This training program is supported by your contributions.

You can make a one-time or monthly contribution to support the creation of handstand training videos, monthly training programs and online support. Any amount helps.

If you prefer to contribute monthly, we set up three different Paypal Subscription plans at $5, $10 and $20 per month. You can cancel your subscription at any time. But we hope seeing that small payment at the beginning of the month serves as an additional incentive to train!

Or make a one-time contribution via PayPal or Venmo (@poweredbyyoga)

Thank you!

Contribute Monthly

Monthly Subscriptions
Thanks for your Support!
May
12 Days of Handstands Online Training
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I love how the 12 days of handstand is available for free to help me grow in my handstand journey. I am over 50 in age and started my handstand journey a little over a year ago. The beauty of this online challenge is that the goals are set up very clearly for each levels. There are videos for us to access which gives clear detailed explanation on how to execute the specific skills.

I get very motivated and inspired by the participants who posts daily and also reading the comments by the hosts and other participants. I personally do not posts much but I find that when I do, the hosts are very responsive and I get pointers and encouragements immediately.

There is no pressure and even though my practice is inconsistent, this online challenge has helped me improved immensely as I can come back at anytime to work on the skills. Thank you to the hosts of this challenge as I am now closer to attaining my goal to do a handstand.
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Recommended Tools

Practice your handstands on a wood board, hard carpet, or a thin yoga mat. This will help you absorb some of the pressure created on your hands while handstanding, without creating too much instability.

Avoid practicing on soft surfaces – such as thick carpets, puzzle mats or thick yoga mats – as the instability created by them can put your joints in compromised positions.

Nothing fancy is needed. I use a homemade 1/2 in (3.81cm) plywood board.

Clear out some space around a wall or pillar in your home. Make sure to clear up enough space to create a safe fall zone in case you fall in any direction.

Remember to use your thin yoga mat or handstand board during your wall training drills.

We use yoga blocks to help us maintain proper forearm alignment. If you don’t have any, think outside the block and experiment using water bottles, books or boxes.

You will need to time the length of your handstands. It can be done with a friend and a chronometer or by trimming a video.

Here are a few of our favorite apps to time our handstands: M Stopwatch, Handstand Quest, and Seconds.

Handstand training like any other training stresses your body. Take time after each training session and between training days to massage your body.

We recommend Armaid and RAD rollers. Check out our resource page for discount codes for both.

This Month's Training Program

In-Person Training

Choose Your Level

Warm Up

Pre-Handstand Warm Up | Practice Before Wall Series
This video will guide you through a short yoga-inspired warm up series.

Practice this warm up series before any handstand wall series. It focuses on preparing the wrist and shoulders to carry the weight of handstands. While also activating the muscles and body movements to find a straight handstand line.
Full Warm Up Series
Warm ups are very personal. What your body needs to warm up, is probably really different than what is needed by someone else. If you are tight your warm up should focus on opening up your muscles and releasing tension. If you are very flexible, your warm-up may required more strengthening moves. If something hurts, then we need to release and prepare the muscles that support the aching joint.
There are so many variables. With that in mind, try this warm up series. It works for me and several of my students. I am looking forward to hear how it worked for you.

Drills

Supine Tuck Ups with Wall
This drill will help us understand the pathway we want to follow while entering a handstand through a Tuck Up.

Supine Straddle Ups
This drill will help us understand the pathway we want to follow while entering a handstand through a Straddle Up.

Supine Pike Ups
This drill is a good way to work on our body mechanics while waking up the hamstrings and core. Throughout the entire movement focus on keeping a hollow body position. Ribs in and lower back flush on the ground.

CROW
Learn to balance on your hands while maintaining proper forearm placement.
Plank and Forearm Plank with Blocks
Learn to maintain the Belly to the Ground alignment, while working on the correct hand and forearm placement required for handstands and other arm balances.
Play Video
Cumulative Handstands
Enter a freestanding handstand. Unspotted.

Start a timer as soon as your feet leave the ground and stop the timer as soon as your feet return to the ground. During your next handstand you will continue the timer until you accumulate your desire time for the day.
Headstand Presses: Tuck, Straddle & Pike
Practice your handstand entrances on Supported or Tripod Headstand.

Shapes & Leg Variations

Meditation

End each practice with meditation.

Explore how your core engagement helps you stay centered. Observe how the breath can create a shift in your center of gravity. See how you can modify your breath to take full breaths without rocking your body forwards and back. Then apply that change in your breathing pattern to your next handstand practice.

Just like in your handstand, it may be useful to video yourself from the side. This will allow you to see if you are leaning, curling or loosing your line in any way.

Report Your Progress

Post a video, image, quote or support message in our 12 Days of Handstands Facebook Group. It helps us stay inspired to practice! Post your successes, but most importantly post your struggles. Let’s use this group to support each other practices.

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