Inversion Prep: getting ready for Handstand and Headstand

25 min Advanced 23 poses voice-guided in the app subscription

Shoulders, wrists, and core ready for inversions

A program for people still working toward Handstand or Headstand. The inversions themselves aren't here: 23 poses in 25 minutes strengthen your shoulders, wrists and core, and Legs-Up-the-Wall is the only upside-down shape you'll meet. It's rated advanced because of Star Side Plank, Two-Legged Arm Balance and Upward-Facing Forward Fold.

Wrist, elbow and shoulder injuries, a lumbar disc herniation, pregnancy and the first days of your period rule out some of the poses, and the wall pose is skipped with glaucoma or hypertension that isn't under control. In the app, this program comes with voice guidance and a timer in the subscription.

  1. Neck Warm-Up Neck Warm-Up 1
  2. Wrist Warm-Up Wrist Warm-Up 2
  3. Shoulder Rolls Shoulder Rolls 3
  4. Puppy Pose Puppy Pose 4
  5. Cat-Cow Cat-Cow 5
  6. Downward-Facing Dog Downward-Facing Dog 6
  7. Plank Pose Plank Pose 7
  8. Side Plank Side Plank 8
  9. Star Side Plank Star Side Plank 9
  10. Child's Pose Child's Pose 10
  11. Reverse Tabletop Pose Reverse Tabletop Pose 11
  12. One-Legged Reverse Tabletop One-Legged Reverse Tabletop 12
  13. Two-Legged Arm Balance Two-Legged Arm Balance 13
  14. Child's Pose Child's Pose 14
  15. Both Big Toes Pose Both Big Toes Pose 15
  16. Upward-Facing Forward Fold Upward-Facing Forward Fold 16
  17. Low-Angle Leg Raise Low-Angle Leg Raise 17
  18. Raised Legs Pose Raised Legs Pose 18
  19. Knees-to-Chest Pose Knees-to-Chest Pose 19
  20. Bridge Flow Bridge Flow 20
  21. Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose 21
  22. Fish Pose Fish Pose 22
  23. Supine Twist Supine Twist 23
  24. Relaxation Pose Relaxation Pose 24

Why this order

Your neck, wrists and shoulders warm up first, then Puppy Pose and Cat-Cow open the shoulder girdle and back. Downward-Facing Dog loads your arms overhead, the way a handstand does. Plank, Side Plank and Star Side Plank teach you to keep your torso and shoulders stable.

Reverse Tabletop and its one-legged version work in the opposite direction, after which Two-Legged Arm Balance lifts your body onto your hands. Four core poses build the center that no inversion can be held without. Bridge Flow and over two minutes in Legs-Up-the-Wall introduce the upside-down position, and Fish and Supine Twist balance out the work for your neck and back.

Cautions

  • Acute neck pain (Neck Warm-Up)
  • Dizziness (Neck Warm-Up)
  • Acute wrist injuries (Wrist Warm-Up)
  • Shoulder injuries (Puppy Pose)
  • Acute back pain (Cat-Cow)
  • Wrist injuries — practice on your fists (Cat-Cow)
  • Wrist and shoulder injuries (Downward-Facing Dog, Side Plank, Star Side Plank)
  • High blood pressure — don't stay in the pose long (Downward-Facing Dog)
  • Glaucoma (Downward-Facing Dog, Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)
  • Wrist injuries — practice on your forearms (Plank Pose)
  • Diastasis recti (Plank Pose)
  • Pregnancy — widen your knees (Child's Pose)
  • Knee injuries (Child's Pose)
  • Wrist injuries (Reverse Tabletop Pose, One-Legged Reverse Tabletop)
  • Wrist, elbow, and shoulder injuries (Two-Legged Arm Balance)
  • Pregnancy (Two-Legged Arm Balance)
  • First days of your period (Two-Legged Arm Balance)
  • Lumbar disc herniation (Both Big Toes Pose, Upward-Facing Forward Fold, Raised Legs Pose)
  • Hamstring injuries — you can bend your knees (Both Big Toes Pose)
  • Only with a warmed-up body (Upward-Facing Forward Fold)
  • Lower back problems — keep your legs higher (Low-Angle Leg Raise)
  • Neck injuries — skip the backbend, keep your head on the floor (Raised Legs Pose)
  • Pregnancy from the second trimester onward — take your knees wider than your belly or skip the pose (Knees-to-Chest Pose)
  • Neck injuries (Bridge Flow, Fish Pose)
  • Flare-up of lower back pain (Bridge Flow)
  • Menstruation (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)
  • Uncontrolled hypertension (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)
  • Hypertension (Fish Pose)
  • Migraines (Fish Pose)
  • Disc herniation in the acute phase (Supine Twist)

This site is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have pain, an injury, a chronic condition, or are pregnant, check with a qualified professional before practicing.