How Do I Avoid "Banana Back" In My Handstand? - Ask a Yoga Teacher
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Ask a Yoga Teacher:
How do I avoid "banana back" in my handstand?
If you’re working on your handstand and have taken progress photos or videos, you might be all too familiar with the “banana back” shape: that slight curve you get in your back after kicking yourself upside down. And no matter how strong you feel when kicking up, this annoying fruit shape persists — unless, of course, you know how to fight it. According to Alo Moves yoga instructor and master teacher trainer Briohny Smyth, the key to success is to set yourself up properly before lift off.
“The best way to get rid of banana back is to make sure that before you even kick up, you’re already in a hollow body position,” said Smyth. “Don’t kick up in a backbend. If you’re already in a backbend on the ground, you’ll be in a backbend upside down.”
When it comes to handstands, the entrance is just as important as the handstand itself. “Make sure that you draw your ribs in and navel in, and that your gaze is more between your wrists rather than forward of your fingertips,” said Smyth. “If you kick up with your chest low or parallel to the ground and your gaze forward, you will kick up into a backbend because you already are in a backbend. Set your body up in the right position, then push through the hands so that your ribs and navel draw in and your shoulder blades spread out wide.”
Another reason you might be entering a backbend: you’re kicking or flailing your leg up. “Most of us are going to hop because it’s easier and creates more momentum,” said Smyth. “The only problem with that is that the flailing of the lifted leg will throw our body into a backbend and likely bring our lifted leg up and over rather than our hips up. The idea is to bring your hips up over your shoulders, stacking your body. Your bottom leg thigh bone should be the driving force to lifting your hips up and over rather than the lifted leg flinging up.”
To feel this action of lifting your hips, Smyth suggests these two drills:
Drill #1:
From Down Dog, rise to the balls of your feet, draw your ribs and navel in, and think about pulling your thigh bone up higher than it already is. This action helps you to utilize your hip flexors to get the leg off the ground and your erector muscles to bring your hips over your shoulders.
Drill #2:
Set yourself up on the mat with your back to the wall. Stand on one foot, and let your other foot reach back to the wall. Make sure that your lifted foot is right up against the wall. Plant your hands flat and move them back a little step so that when you push into your hands, you can feel that there’s traction up against the wall with the foot that’s on the wall. From here, squeeze your forearms in, spread your shoulder blades, draw your ribs and navel in, and look between your wrists. Inhale to push against the wall with your left heel, and exhale to draw your thigh bone up off the ground.
It might be tough to get the hang of at first, but Smyth also offers a tip for beginners. “If you’re new to this and just getting used to building the strength to throw your body up, it’s completely fine to get yourself up there anyway you know how.” She suggests coming back to these drills once you feel ready to take it to the next level.
Want to practice these drills along with Briohny Smyth? Check out her Essential Handstand Foundations class from her Learn to Handstand series on Alo Moves. Try it free with a 14-day trial.
