Your Handstand Progression Tips with Strong and Supportive Yoga

Inversions are a fantastic way to build confidence, strength, and discipline in yoga. They’re also a great tool to challenge your fears and perhaps see things from a unique perspective.

Handstand is a popular inversion practice that can be modified for new and advanced yoga practitioners.

In this post, you’ll learn the handstand progression tips with strong and supportive yoga classes suitable for all levels.

About Handstand Yoga Pose

In Sanskrit, a handstand is known as Adho Mukha Vrksasana.

It is an advanced yoga posture that requires strength in the upper torso and core muscles to balance upside down.

The toes reach the sky, and the hands anchor into the earth; a Drishti (focused gaze) will help stabilize and maintain the pose.

Body Parts Targeted:
Hands, arms, shoulders, chest, and core.
Benefits:
Improves balance, strengthens the arms and shoulders, engages the core, enhances focus and concentration, reverses blood supply, helps with purification, and relaxes the nervous system.
Who Should Do It:
Those seeking challenge and who want to build mental and physical strength.
Who Should Not Do It:
Those uncomfortable with inversions, wrist/arm injuries, or high blood pressure.

► Look at the Handstand Collection of classes on the virtual yoga studio.
► Take the 7-Day Handstand Progressive Series on the virtual yoga studio.

HOW TO DO HANDSTAND AT THE WALL WITH A PARTNER

Handstand progression at the wall with a partner is an excellent way for new students to practice and observe how an inversion feels in their body.

The wall provides support so the practitioner is comfortable and does not fear falling over. The wall also provides resistance to build strength in the core, arms, and legs.

A partner at the wall gives the practitioner verbal and tactile feedback to enhance alignment.

Here’s how to do a handstand at the wall with or without a partner:

Come into a downward dog pose facing the wall. The fingertips should be pretty close to the wall.
Bend your knees and walk your feet as close to your hands as possible.
Lift both heels off the ground and wait for your partner to support your waistline with their hands.
Lift one leg off the ground, bend the bottom leg, and swing the top leg up until the heel touches the wall.
Keep the legs split so that one heel is against the wall and the other is in line with your hips as your partner presses their palms against your waistline to support you.
Raise the second leg to meet the wall when your partner is ready. If you do not have a partner, do this when ready.
Press down with your hands, hug your two lowest ribs inward, and draw your navel toward your spine.

Here’s how to support your partner or student taking a handstand at the wall:

When your partner comes into a downdog facing the wall, place your feet on either side of their palms with your back against the wall. Bend your knees generously.
Lean to the opposite side of the mat of the leg that your partner is lifting to avoid being kicked in the face.
Once your partner has high heels and hips, use your index fingers to support the waistline at the hip creases.
Tell your partner to lift one leg toward the sky when you are ready.
Use your hands to support your partner’s waist, and verbalize when you are ready for them to raise the second leg to the sky and place the heel against the wall.
Use your hands on either side of your partner’s hips to lift them so that there is less weight in the hands.
Tell your partner to look at their belly button to lengthen the spine.

To come out, with or without a partner, scissor the legs by lowering one leg at a time.

To ground the energy, stay in a downward dog position, a forward fold, or a child’s pose.

Watch the video tutorial for handstand progression at the wall with a partner

Watch the video tutorial for handstand progression at the wall without a partner

Clara’s Guidance on Handstand Progression with a Partner

Let’s explore doing handstands together, using the wall. This is the easiest way to support someone as they work towards an unassisted inversion.

As the assistant, lean against the wall with your knees slightly bent. You will not be taking much weight. If you are much taller, squatting can be helpful.

Have your partner walk their hands close to the wall. if they are too far away and take their heels to the wall, they will create a bow shape, adding stress to the lower back.

As the assistant, you keep them as close to the wall as possible. Have them walk their feet halfway towards their hands and bring their big toes to touch. The, ask, “Which leg would you like to kick up with?”

Once you know which leg they are lifting from, place your head on this side. Encourage them to walk their feet closer to their hands.

Place your index fingers at their hip creases, where the hips and thighs meet.

Encourage them to lift their chosen lead leg to the sky,

Once their top leg touches the wall, they move out of the way. From here, with the top leg, they will push down to come up with the second leg. As the assistant, you can help lift them at this point, but avoid pulling them up. The weight should be out of your hands, making it more manageable.

To give them space to come forward as they kick, lean to the side and watch that leg. If that leg comes towards you, keep holding on to the hip crease with one hand and push the ‘rogue’ leg down.

Once both legs are up, encourage them to keep their legs slightly open to start with to find balance, take their time, and then get their legs.

Coming down, one leg at a time, place them into Child’s Pose, stand at their head, and place one hand on their sacrum, pressing lightly towards their feet, elongating their spine.

Join Practice with Clara

New members get
14-days FREE!

Sign up for a recurring subscription and get access to hundreds of different yoga classes and join the weekly LIVE yoga class.

Clara's Weekly Recommendations

Yoga Blog Categories

Social Media

Most Popular

7 Yoga Nidra Practices for Deep Rest and Transformation

May 11, 2026

Sankalpa in Yoga Nidra: How Intention Shapes Transformation

May 11, 2026

My Daughter’s Birth Story

May 8, 2026

My Mom’s Death Anniversary

April 25, 2026

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Receive Clara’s Musings right to your inbox. Enjoy her reflections, recommendations and stay current on what events she has coming up.

Your Handstand Progression Tips with Strong and Supportive Yoga

Your Handstand Progression Tips with Strong and Supportive Yoga

Inversions are a fantastic way to build confidence, strength, and discipline in yoga. They’re also a great tool to challenge your fears and perhaps see things from a unique perspective.

About Handstand Yoga Pose

In Sanskrit, a handstand is known as Adho Mukha Vrksasana.

Body Parts Targeted:

Benefits:

Who Should Do It:

Who Should Not Do It:

► Look at the Handstand Collection of classes on the virtual yoga studio. ► Take the 7-Day Handstand Progressive Series on the virtual yoga studio.

HOW TO DO HANDSTAND AT THE WALL WITH A PARTNER

Handstand progression at the wall with a partner is an excellent way for new students to practice and observe how an inversion feels in their body.

A partner at the wall gives the practitioner verbal and tactile feedback to enhance alignment.

Here’s how to do a handstand at the wall with or without a partner:

Come into a downward dog pose facing the wall. The fingertips should be pretty close to the wall.

Bend your knees and walk your feet as close to your hands as possible.

Lift both heels off the ground and wait for your partner to support your waistline with their hands.

Lift one leg off the ground, bend the bottom leg, and swing the top leg up until the heel touches the wall.

Keep the legs split so that one heel is against the wall and the other is in line with your hips as your partner presses their palms against your waistline to support you.

Raise the second leg to meet the wall when your partner is ready. If you do not have a partner, do this when ready.

Press down with your hands, hug your two lowest ribs inward, and draw your navel toward your spine.

Here’s how to support your partner or student taking a handstand at the wall:

When your partner comes into a downdog facing the wall, place your feet on either side of their palms with your back against the wall. Bend your knees generously.

Lean to the opposite side of the mat of the leg that your partner is lifting to avoid being kicked in the face.

Once your partner has high heels and hips, use your index fingers to support the waistline at the hip creases.

Tell your partner to lift one leg toward the sky when you are ready.

Use your hands to support your partner’s waist, and verbalize when you are ready for them to raise the second leg to the sky and place the heel against the wall.

Use your hands on either side of your partner’s hips to lift them so that there is less weight in the hands.

Tell your partner to look at their belly button to lengthen the spine.

Watch the video tutorial for handstand progression at the wall with a partner

Watch the video tutorial for handstand progression at the wall without a partner

Clara’s Guidance on Handstand Progression with a Partner

Let’s explore doing handstands together, using the wall. This is the easiest way to support someone as they work towards an unassisted inversion.

As the assistant, lean against the wall with your knees slightly bent. You will not be taking much weight. If you are much taller, squatting can be helpful.

Have your partner walk their hands close to the wall. if they are too far away and take their heels to the wall, they will create a bow shape, adding stress to the lower back.

As the assistant, you keep them as close to the wall as possible. Have them walk their feet halfway towards their hands and bring their big toes to touch. The, ask, “Which leg would you like to kick up with?”

Once you know which leg they are lifting from, place your head on this side. Encourage them to walk their feet closer to their hands.

Place your index fingers at their hip creases, where the hips and thighs meet.

Encourage them to lift their chosen lead leg to the sky,

Once their top leg touches the wall, they move out of the way. From here, with the top leg, they will push down to come up with the second leg. As the assistant, you can help lift them at this point, but avoid pulling them up. The weight should be out of your hands, making it more manageable.

To give them space to come forward as they kick, lean to the side and watch that leg. If that leg comes towards you, keep holding on to the hip crease with one hand and push the ‘rogue’ leg down.

Once both legs are up, encourage them to keep their legs slightly open to start with to find balance, take their time, and then get their legs.

Coming down, one leg at a time, place them into Child’s Pose, stand at their head, and place one hand on their sacrum, pressing lightly towards their feet, elongating their spine.

Share:

Join Practice with Clara

Clara's Weekly Recommendations

Yoga Blog Categories

Social Media

Most Popular

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Related Posts

► Look at the Handstand Collection of classes on the virtual yoga studio.
► Take the 7-Day Handstand Progressive Series on the virtual yoga studio.