What Handstands Really Teach You {Hint: It's Not Just About the Pose}
Let’s be honest, handstands are INTIMIDATING.
They look impressive, yes. They build strength, also yes. BUT for most people, they also bring up a healthy mix of excitement and fear. That’s normal.
^^^And NO. You don’t need to do a handstand to be a “real” yogi. You don’t EVEN have to like them.
Buuuuuut if there’s part of you that’s curious, that wants to feel a bit stronger, a bit braver, and maybe a little more in control when things flip upside down, then THIS this is for you.
Because handstands aren’t about proving anything. They’re about learning to stay steady when everything feels unstable.
And so, it’s far less about the acrobatics and more about trust, in your hands, your shoulders, your breath, and yes, yourself.
You don’t just change your body in this pose. You change your point of view.
Let’s Start With the Real Stuff
Technically speaking, handstand = Adho Mukha Vrksasana (ah-doh moo-kah vriks-SHAHS-anna), literally means “Downward-Facing Tree Pose.”
Sounds almost poetic, until you realize, you’re the tree, and your hands are the roots.
If that sounds like a lot of pressure… it is. But don’t panic, we’re taking this one grounded, practical step at a time.
Why Even Bother With a Handstand?
Let’s flip the question:
What would it mean to trust yourself in a moment of total uncertainty?
What would it feel like to play, fall, and get back up, without making it mean something about you?
Here’s the truth: handstands give you a whole “new” perspective, not just physically, but mentally too.
They make you confront control, fear, and frustration, and then teach you what it means to breathe through them.
And beyond the mental stuff, the benefits are plenty, to name a few:
It’s an energy boost. The shift in circulation wakes you up and clears your head.
It builds strength. Shoulders, arms, wrists, core, everything works together.
It builds confidence. You can’t fake your way through a handstand. You either commit or you fall. {And both teach you something.}
It builds resilience. Because every fall reminds you it’s not the end, it’s just feedback.
So NO. It’s not just about the pose. It’s about who you become while figuring it out.
1. Build the Foundation First
Handstands start at the ground, literally.
Your hands become your **NEW feet. And just like your feet, they need to know how to support you.
Start by spreading your fingers wide. Feel every part of your palm connect with the mat, the base of the fingers, the thumb mound, the heel of the hand.
If you tip too far forward, press into your fingertips. If you tip too far back, press through the base of your palms.
It’s a small detail, but it changes everything.
‘Cause balance doesn’t come from gripping harder. It comes from paying attention.
2. Engage, Don’t Collapse
Strong arms don’t just hold you up. They protect you. And so, before you EVEN think about kicking up, build awareness in your shoulders.
Push the floor away. Broaden your shoulder blades. Lock your elbows, but keep a sense of lift through your arms.
Think of your upper body as a frame, NOT a wall. You want strength with space, not tension that locks you up.
That’s what makes a handstand safe. And, honestly, what makes it sustainable.
3. Train Smart {Use the Wall, Use Props, Use What You’ve Got}
I’m afraid, there’s no medal for going straight into the middle of the room. I want you to remember that the wall is not a cheat code. It’s a teacher.
Start in Downward Dog with your hands about a hand’s distance from the wall. Walk your feet up slowly until your hips stack over your shoulders.
From there:
Draw your ribs in.
Engage your core.
Press the floor away and breathe.
Stay here for a few breaths. Let your body learn what it feels like to be upside down without panic. If it feels okay, try lifting one foot off the wall. Then the other. Even if it’s just a moment, that’s progress.
If handstands taught you anything today, it’s that foundation comes first
The same is true for Chaturanga, and it shows up in every vinyasa. If your wrists ache, your shoulders grip, or you brace every time you lower, it’s not you. It’s the approach.
Inside Chaturanga Dandasana: Beyond a Simple Push-Up Blueprint, we slow it down, build it right, and make it repeatable, so your practice feels strong and sustainable, not like survival.
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4. The Little Things That Help
A few details most people skip:
Eyes: You want to keep the gaze between your hands. Looking back at your feet throws off your balance.
Core: Think “lift” instead of “tighten” as you are creating space, not compression.
Legs: Hug them together. It’ll give you more control.
Wrists: Warm them up. Gently stretch and strengthen them before you start.
And most importantly: don’t rush. You’ll build more progress in one mindful attempt than in ten rushed ones.
5. Getting Up {Without Losing It}
Start from a short Downward Dog. Walk one foot closer in, that’s your base leg.
Bend that knee slightly. Kick gently with the other leg, letting it guide the lift. Keep your gaze steady. Keep your arms strong.
You might float. You might not. Both are fine. The point isn’t to stick it perfectly. It’s to notice, where you hesitate, where you push too hard, where you surprise yourself.
Every try will teach you something.
6. Coming Down Matters Too
Falling out of a handstand isn’t failing. It’s learning. And so when you come down, see if you can be intentional about your descent. Simply drop one leg at a time. Land softly.
Take a pause in Child’s Pose or Forward Fold so that you can let your breath slow before you try again.
That pause, that deliberate reset, is what teaches your body to stay calm when things feel uncertain.
7. It’s a Long Game
There’s this idea that once you “get” handstand, you just have it forever. NOT TRUE. Even experienced teachers wobble. Even strong practitioners fall.
Progress in this pose isn’t linear. You will find some days it clicks. And some days it just doesn’t. That’s just how it goes.
The growth happens when you stop chasing the perfect moment and start trusting the process, the wobbles, the falls, the rebuilding. That’s the real work.
8. Counterposes and Recovery
After any inversion, take a few moments to balance out your body.
Try:
Child’s Pose (Balasana) – to rest and reset.
Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana) – to stretch your spine.
Cat-Cow (Marjaryasana/Bitilasana) – to release tension from your wrists and shoulders.
You’ve asked a lot of your body. Let it unwind.
9. What Handstand Really Teaches You
Handstand has a way of revealing who you are under pressure. It shows you how you react when things don’t go as planned, when you lose balance, when you fall, when you can’t quite get there.
It teaches patience.
It builds resilience.
It helps you understand that strength isn’t about force, it’s about awareness.
And confidence? That comes from showing up again, even when you’re tired of trying.
Final Thoughts
If you want to practice handstands, do it because you’re curious. Because it challenges you. Because it teaches you something about yourself.
But not because you think you should. This pose doesn’t make your yoga better. It just expands what your practice can teach you.
So take your time.
Fall often
Laugh at yourself.
And maybe, one day, you’ll kick up and realize the thing that once felt impossible now feels completely within reach. That’s the real transformation.
