What is Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Full Arm Balance or Hand Stand) Preparation
This pose entails taking the hands to the floor, back to the wall, and then walking our feet up the wall to a right angle with the trunk, thereby learning to trust the intelligence and capacity of the arms.
In some ways, it is more effortful for some than going into the full pose, but it serves the practitioner well in building confidence with being upside down and using the hands as a base for the pose, without losing the lift through the arms and shoulders.
When and how to do Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Full Arm Balance or Hand Stand) Preparation
We use this pose in Iyengar Yoga to build confidence towards doing the full Adho Mukha Vrksasana and to see how important inverted poses are to our mental energy.
For many students, the full pose seems an impossibility at first, and this modification gives an approach that can safely be practiced at home and whilst learning to kick up into the full pose.
The hands need to be experienced as broad and generous supports for the rest of the body, as the arms, trunk, and legs lift up into the unknown and unseen space on top of us.
