Inversion workshop I

[flexagon]

Through great good luck I found out that Eliott from my studio was doing an arm balance workshop yesterday -- it wouldn't necessarily have been an inversion workshop except that Eliott loves handstands. I'm doing an inversion workshop (actually an inversion workshop) with Ana Forrest next weekend at Back Bay Yoga, so I feel especially lucky in my handstand training lately. This balances my bad luck in being sick all week, and therefore really weak. :b

The best thing we did in Eliott's class is practice falling out of handstand into wheel in the middle of the floor. I didn't really straighten up into my full handstand before falling, just came over with knees bent. Up and... thud. Up and... thud. Up and... thud. It was rather cathartic, actually. I still wonder why gymnastics people caution against doing it that way, while yoga people caution against cartwheeling out and rolling out. All three ways seem okay to me. The gymnastics ways do seem lower impact as long as a person is good with working with momentum, but I'm getting better at falling into backbend and I certainly see it as a legitimate way out. It probably helps that I have a pretty comfortable wheel.

I haven't whined yet on LJ about having a slightly torn hamstring. :-( It's my right semitendonosus, for those who really care. The massage therapist wants me to go to physical therapy, where the badly healed-up fibers in the muscle can be ultrasounded away and where they will give me exercises to do. Also, I'm supposed to not be stretching it too much. It's hard for me to feel the difference between the good stretch and the bad stretch, so I may just take this opportunity to focus on other muscles for a while. I suppose this could screw up my annual stretching pictures in March... only the hamstring ones though, and healing up properly is more important. Goddamn hamstrings.

I'm still strongly considering NASM peronal trainer certification. I have a friend who will do it with me if I do. We're about to start up another technical book club at work, so I might be studying a lot this spring.

Comments

[nevers.livejournal.com]

the reason i don't exit via backbend is the thud factor. you have to have a retty tight backbend and open shoulders to avoid the thud (and also you have to practice). and then you have to stand up befoe you can do a new handstand! cartwheeling feels much faster.

[flexagon]

so true, about getting back to your feet quickly! that's a big reason why i want to get better at the cartwheel (can't believe i just missed 2 weeks of gymnastics in a row, but i have, so i haven't practiced that lately, GRUMBLE).

bluechromis used to do gymnastics and she says she learned a front-walkover way out of hs... that is, just fall into a one-foot bridge but keep going and stand up. That sounds like the bomb (especially for falling out of split hs) if you can do it. as it is, i've been working on standing up from backbend anyway, so that's what i was doing... thud, walk in, ergh, strain, slowly stand up.

[nevers.livejournal.com]

yeah, i wish i could front walkover! it's totally lame that i can't. i got really close in just ten mins of beth spotting me. but without her i couldn't again. i just don't have the timing, and either i need to make it a priority in solo training (which might never happen) or i need someone to work on them with me repeatedly over the course of a few weeks (which might never happen). bah.

[flexagon]

you have my problem, i bet (except even worse because you're so much better at balancing)... so much practice trying to stop at the balance point that it's really hard to come through that point with momentum.

you do front handsprings, right? do you do them with legs still split as you come over, or are you bringing legs together at the top? I learned in gymnastics last night that if you do them that first way they're almost a walkover. you'd just need to tone the momentum down a bit until you find the right amount so you never quite leave the ground... or that's what it sounded like.

i had a handstand dream last night, btw! you were in it, spotting me. and i did this handstand on the back of a chair and stayed up for a long time. :)

[nevers.livejournal.com]

yeahhh, i never thought of that problem, but i think you're right. i do front handsprings, and i originally learned them as step-outs (splitting legs). i should go back to those and slow them down.

sweet dream!

[nahele-101.livejournal.com]

so whats the yoga method?

for handstands i will swipe one leg in front of the other and sorta lock them into place as i kick up so they stay together. once upside down i will place them side by side. if i was to kick over i'd "hollow back" and allow my legs to fall over behind me so I would land into bridge/wheel.

[flexagon]

yep, falling into bridge/wheel is the yoga method of falling out. there are a few ways to get up, of course... tuck up, straddle up or pike up are the three main ways I know of that are symmetrical.

I learned yesterday in gymnastics that what you describe is also how you do a front handspring! You just don't balance at the top, because you have momentum.

[nahele-101.livejournal.com]

yay gymnastics!

i was learning one handed stalls yesterday. throwing yourself down like you go into a handstand, only with one hand. one leg falls back and the other goes straight out. with your free hand you reach out and grab your foot while looking behind you!

fun! i want to do an adult tumbling class!

p.s do the personal training thing!!!