Turn Your World Upside Down with Elina
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Do you remember when you were a child – let’s say three or four – when food went into your mouth however which way you managed to get it in there, and little did you know (or care) that the majority of it was actually all over your face?
Do you remember seeing other kids on your street grinning their heads off and letting go of that outrageous squeal as they sped down the street on three wheels? But do you also remember still running with glee for your turn, even though they fell flat on their face and crying on the pavement? That didn’t stop you though, did it?
And remember how handstands were free and easy? And how sometimes you even walked across the room upside down?
At what point growing up did we lose that fearlessness? That easy joy for life’s challenges?
For some of us turning our world upside down can be very challenging and yet it is highly re-invigorating. Inversions reintroduce us to our inner child, allowing us to be playful, light hearted and fully present. However, many of us find Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) very challenging as it asks us to confront that primal human fear of falling. For a beginning inverter the seemingly simple act of kicking the legs up to a supporting wall can be frightening. Even for more advanced Handstanders, going to a next level with the pose—say, leaping up with both legs at once or balancing in the center of the room—presents challenges that call up the fear factor.
So if they are so terrifying for so many – why do we put ourselves through the horror?! Well, before you run screaming from the studio, grasping desperately at your flailing mat behind you, consider that there are plenty of great reasons why turning our worlds upside down – even for a short time – can actually be a wonderful, joyous thing…
It brings you face to face with your insecurities and fears. From this new space, you can observe and work on overcoming these emotions.
You develop self-confidence and courage whilst also increasing concentration and mental clarity.
Awaken your free spirit. As adults, many of us have forgotten how to have fun with all the responsibilities and pressures of daily life. Handastands allow us to reignite our playful, curious side and harness your sense of adventure when faced with challenges.
You increase your understanding and control of your body in mastering an unfamiliar relationship with gravity.
Your vital organs receive a much-needed rest, whilst improving your circulation, respiration, along with elimination.
The bone-strengthening benefits of weight-bearing exercise to the wrists, fingers, elbows, arms, and shoulders may help to prevent osteoporosis.
You improve your balance and build core strength as well as other key muscle groups such as your hip flexors, hamstrings, inner thigh muscles, obliques and lower back.
Boost your mood with all that blood flow to your brain. It has an energizing and calming effect, reducing the production of the stress hormone, cortisol, which can not only de-stress you in the short-term but could also help relieve minor depression and anxiety.
Need we say more??
This workshop builds up your physical and mental edge step by step. You don’t need any previous handstand experience to attend. Elina will prepare you with strong postures to awaken your core and upper body stability – and you choose if and when you come up.
For me, handstands leave me feeling light, playful and with a great sense of freedom and energy. They wake me up and make my eyes feel clear, in a funny way.
I find doing a handstand gets me right into the present moment in no time, inquiring about the action of my fingertips, my breathing and exactly how much energy to apply to be able to hold the handstand – then boom! I’m here.
I do handstands almost every day and highly recommend you trying it out, especially if you have never done one before, do it!
– Elina Iso-Rautio