INTRODUCTION TO HANDSTAND | 4-WEEK COURSE

WITH AARON MARTIN & CLARE LIM MARTIN

OVERVIEW

NEW DATES: EVERY SATURDAY, SEPT 5 - SEPT 26

• 4x 90 minute sessions
• Includes practice time and Q&A
• Exact homework recommendations
• Video-tutorials through WhatsApp
• A group learning experience

THE MAIN THINGS WE ARE LEARNING HERE ARE:

• Safe beginner balancing exercises
• The key to kicking up with ease
• Strength and conditioning work that supports the hand-balancing practice
• Cartwheeling out of a handstand without the fear of falling

WHY IS THIS HANDSTAND COURSE 4 WEEKS LONG?

There are 4 fundamental learning blocks to having a good handstand, and they each take a session of in-class learning, and a week of practical application (practising on your own!).

WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP FOR?

• Regular yoga practitioners who would like to explore different movements and expand their practice creatively
• Anyone who is interested in exploring introductory, injury-free handstand practice
• Practitioners who are ready to commit to building a strong foundation for an inversion practice
• Anyone who has always wanted to be able to do a handstand, but has been afraid to fall over or hurt themselves - arm yourself with good technique, and support of good community at IKIGAI, and overcome that fear.
• Yogis who would like to build more strength in their practice.

TICKETS FOR A FULL 4-WEEK PACKAGE

Course Price = $1,590

Also includes 2 extra complimentary group classes at IKIGAI

IKIGAI Members Price (anyone who has a valid package) = $1,200

Please contact us at hello@ikigai.hk to enjoy the offer (email subject "HS Workshop")

FULL CURRICULUM

As a teaching team we recognise that the handstand can be a scary skill to learn and we are aware that many have had negative experiences, some have a fear of falling, and few have injured themselves before during self-practice or even in classes lead by experienced teachers.

Having safely and successfully taught many practitioners, from inexperienced to seasoned, we are happily offering a tested curriculum that will take much of the guesswork out of hand-balancing.

Learning takes place at an individual pace and every movement can be adjusted to the practitioner. If you don’t feel safe, you haven’t received the right exercise yet.

In that spirit we don’t push people beyond their comfort zone, because we have experienced better results through offering and creating options that meet the practitioner at eye level.

Week 1 - Getting up

Kicking up into a handstand is not random, there are 3 levels of tension that help to kick up with certainty:

• Leg tension: cartwheel good morning series and leg tension drills
• Shoulder tension: the handstand shrug and shoulder lean
• Finger tension: beginner frog balance, visual sliding scale and closed eye-balancing

Week 2 - Strength and mobility

If balancing is impossible, we will check if any of these 5 points are getting in the way, and put our recommended exercises into your home-work-out:

• Wrist mobility
• Forearm strength
• Shoulder mobility
• Shoulder strength
• Core tension

And by learning to assist in the handstand we will get everyone to spend time upside down!

Week 3 - Turning out at the right angle

The key to managing fear of falling, is having a fail-safe exit strategy. The cartwheel turnout is a technical move that we practice step-by-step:

1. Handstand good morning
2. All weight shift cartwheels
3. Wall turnouts for safe self-practice
4. Assisted wall turn outs to improve awareness

Week 4 - The balancing act

Balancing the handstand is only the 4th stop in our journey, after kicking up with precision, the right strength and conditioning work and safely turning out instead of falling.

Leaving out a basic step in the beginning may be a crucial factor for previous mishaps or a lack of progress.

After practicing smart balancing exercises, opposed to just kicking up and hoping for a lucky hold, we will also prepare you to follow your own balancing training plan and continue to progress!

If you have questions about the course, please get in touch! Don’t hesitate to sign up, we expect the spots to fill quickly.

See you soon!

FAQs

1/ Can I join this workshop if I’m a beginner?

YES!

2/ Can I join if I have shoulder weaknesses or injuries?

Yes, but do get in touch and share some details about what you might be going through, so that we can give you a proper OK.

3/ Do I have to join the full course?

We highly recommend participating in the full course to deepen your knowledge and build a safe base for self practice moving forwards!

All course participants will be put in a WhatsApp group chat for accountability and troubleshooting any questions, you will be growing with a community in this process!

The course will be supported by video tutorials from SharedSpace’s Movement Library as well, so that you remember the exercises you’ve been taught.