Tip of the Week: Toe Stand Tips

We previously discussed Toe Stand a bit in a blog post you can find by clicking "here", but today we're going to give you a few more tips and modifications.

Modifications & Variations

Practicing Toe Stand Pose can be a great way to gain leg and abdominal strength, while challenging your concentration and poise. Try these simple changes to adapt the pose to your current abilities.

• Only bring your foot up as far as you can without causing pain. If you’re unable to rest your foot on your hip, place it on your standing-leg thigh, instead.
• If you’re having trouble coming down to the floor while balancing, practice the pose while holding onto the ballet barre at the back of the room for extra support.

Tips:

To gain all of the benefits of Toe Stand Pose, try to keep your mind calm while maintaining correct alignment. Here are some tips to help you in the pose:

• Take it slowly. As with all balancing poses, it’s easier to enter the pose slowly and with awareness. If you come into the pose too quickly, you’re more likely to lose your balance — and it’s more difficult to regain your balance once it’s been lost.
• Keep your spine long throughout the pose, extending through the crown of your head. Imagine that you’re trying to touch the ceiling with your skull. It's a common mistake to want to round your spine.
• Try to keep your knees on the same plane, with your hips level.
• To help with balancing, keep your standing foot as close to the central line of your body as possible.
• Practicing Toe Stand Pose will open your hips, but tighter hips will make it more difficult to achieve the pose. Add extra hip-opening poses into your practice to help with your flexibility in this pose.