Inversion Immersion

0%

Course Outline

2 hrs to complete

Collapse all

Section 1

  • How to Use the Course

    1m55s
Section 2
  • On Day One, you’ll prepare for handstand with a standing split focused warm-up to build flexibility in your legs. You’ll also do block squeezes to strengthen your shoulders and arms, practice L-shape handstand at the wall in manageable steps, and learn a handy strap tip that will help you feel more secure in L handstand at the wall. Stick with this practice for as long as you like or keep going—you choose!
  • In the second handstand practice, you’ll do leg stretches at the wall and in downward dog that can help you develop flexibility and awareness throughout your body. After that, you’ll move to your mat to practice block-supported supine leg and core work before moving into the hopping stage of handstand where you’ll learn tips on how to progress with control.
  • On Day Three, you’ll jump right into things at the wall. First, you’ll add momentum to your hops up to handstand using the “heel to the butt” technique. After that, you’ll do whole-body alignment work at the wall so you’ll have a better sense of your upper arm and chest mobility as well as your core and the integrated role they play in handstand practice. With this new awareness, you’ll practice hopping up and holding handstand at the wall using Jessica’s alignment cues.
Section 3
  • In Day One of this strength and flexibility practice, you’ll prepare for forearm stand with holds in forearm plank, “nose dives” in forearm down dog, block work at the wall to open up the shoulders and arms, and more.
  • This practice focuses on the mobility you’ll need for forearm stand. You’ll do lots of prop-supported shoulder and wrist opening work, learn how to use props to address arm misalignments that can occur when practicing forearm stand, practice rhythmic leg lifting at the wall, and more.
  • On Day Three, you’ll refine what you’ve learned about hopping up at the wall, do helpful hip movements so you’ll feel well-aligned (balanced in the center), heel to butt kicks, and more. Then, you’ll work on techniques to help you hold forearm stand at the wall.
Section 4
  • On Day One, you’ll work on the strength and mobility you need for headstand. You’ll do forward folds to open your hamstrings, shoulder mobilizations with a block, an exercise in down dog to help you gain the strength you need in your shoulders and back, and more.
  • In this practice, you’ll focus on the posture itself. You’ll learn about and practice wrist alignment and then do movements in forearm down dog to help you experience the shoulder and whole-body alignment needed for headstand. After that, you’ll work on neck alignment and drawing your knees in one at a time to further strengthen and prepare your body for Day Three!
  • On Day Three, you’ll bring both knees into the chest to see if you can maintain your balance at that stage of the headstand ascent. If you can, you’ll move into extending your legs straight up into the air, into the pose. Then, you’ll do the sequence in reverse, moving back down to your mat. After that, you’ll move to the wall to refine your headstand technique. This is especially helpful if you’re working on moving away from the wall in your practice because you’ll try doing that in stages. You’ll also work on lifting your head away from the mat (if that’s appropriate for you) so you can discern...
Section 5
  • On Day One of shoulderstand practice, you’ll work on chest-opening and shoulder mobility to prepare for shoulderstand. You’ll do standing and supine stretches using a strap before moving to wall where you’ll practice rolling up and down the wall into a prop-supported shoulderstand to gain strength for this inversion. After that, you’ll work on lifting one leg at a time, and then both legs, away from the wall. Grab and extra blanket for this practice.
  • In the second shoulderstand class, you’ll practice a supine stretching and strengthening sequence. After that, you’ll focus on supine core strengthening reps so you’ll be able to lift up more easily into your shoulderstand. You’ll also do rolling movements followed by a bolster and blanket-supported wall practice where you’ll focus on leg activation. At the end of this practice, you’ll rest in a supported supta baddha konasana (reclined bound angle pose).
  • Put everything you’ve learned in the first two classes together as you practice shoulderstand. Jessica shows you how to set up for practice, how to move into the pose step-by-step, and how to use a strap to help you build strength and refine your alignment in shoulderstand. You’ll conclude with matsyasana (fish pose) or another counterpose of your choice from the shoulderstand series.

Course Overview

Flip your world upside down in a fun and exciting yet methodical way in this four-week inversion course that features the foundational inversions: handstand (at the wall), forearm stand (at the wall), headstand (at and away from the wall), and shoulderstand (at and away from the wall).

Each week consists of three 10-minute practices where you’ll work on developing flexibility, mobility and strength for the inversion of the week. You’ll do lots of prop-supported alignment-based practices so you’ll feel well-prepared for Day Three of each inversion practice. At any point, you can take a break to repeat a practice for a few days or a longer period of time. Decide what works best for you because refining these skills will help you move with more safety and confidence into these poses.

This course is a great way to learn warm-up practices that you can use to support your inversion practice, deepen your awareness of optimal alignment for these poses, learn how to use props and timing to support your effort, and work on holding the poses.

Have fun inverting with alertness!

Meet Your Teacher

teacher avatar image
Jessica Stickler
Jessica Stickler grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico and has always felt an irresistible magnetic pull towards... Read more

Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely, you can include this course in your Yoga Alliance training hours, with each hour equivalent to one continuing education credit.
This course is entirely self- paced, allowing you to learn at your convenience.There are no imposed deadlines or time constraints for Course completion.
No prerequisites are required; this course is open to anyone interested in deepening their knowledge and practice.
No, the course is accessible to all individuals interested in enriching their understanding and practice of yoga.Yoga teaching certification is not a prerequisite.