Overcome Handstand Hurdles
STRENGTH
OVERCOME HANDSTAND HURDLES
Getting upside down is often harder than staying there. Matt teaches us that once we confidently arrive in Handstand, the effort can actually become quieter. The real work lies in the entry, where strength, precision, technique, timing, and skill must meet. For some of us, developing that relationship may take years, and setting that expectation can transform frustration into curiosity. In today’s video, we overcome handstand hurdles by literally building from the ground up. Instead of repeatedly throwing ourselves toward Handstand and hoping everything coordinates at once, Matt breaks the process into drills that train specific pieces of the posture. Core organization, shoulder strength, vertical forearms, hand engagement, and supported Handstand preparation each become something we can practise repeatedly. This is Chromatic Yoga in action: isolate the skill, understand its purpose, repeat it, and gradually integrate it into something more complex.
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CORE DRILL
Before the feet travel overhead, we can teach the torso and shoulders what Handstand asks of them. Matt begins with a forearm based core drill, moving between a relaxed arch and an active hollow body position. The chin draws toward the chest, the ribs pull back, and the tailbone tucks as the lower back rounds. Meanwhile, the serratus anterior helps protract the shoulder blades, supporting their movement away from the spine and contributing to the upward action we eventually need in Handstand. Pulling the elbows and knees toward one another intensifies the core engagement before we slowly lower, resisting gravity rather than collapsing into it. Matt repeats the drill and then progresses it by extending the legs with pointed feet. Each repetition teaches us to remove the backbend and maintain the hollow shape. To overcome handstand hurdles, we first make the invisible architecture of Handstand familiar.
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OVERCOME HANDSTAND HURDLES: BUILD THE SKILLS TO GET UPSIDE DOWN
VERTICAL FOREARMS
Sometimes the obstacle to Handstand is not strength but geometry. With the fingers gripping the floor and blocks providing feedback, Matt first establishes vertical forearms. From there, the challenge is bringing the rib cage into a more vertical relationship while maintaining the actions we have already practised. If tight hamstrings limit the forward fold, the feet can simply move farther back. What matters is preserving the mechanics rather than forcing a particular distance. Lift the heels, draw the ribs back, lean forward into the fingers, grip, and push through the shoulders. Matt’s familiar lean, grip, push strategy becomes increasingly important as more body weight travels toward the hands. Think of the push as a continuous line of energy travelling through the shoulders, elbows, hands, and ultimately into the fingers. Repeating this transition helps us overcome handstand hurdles by making weight transfer intentional rather than accidental.
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HANDSTAND PREPARATION WITH A CHAIR
A chair gives us the opportunity to experience greater load without immediately demanding the full balance. With one or both feet supported, Matt emphasizes pushing down into the chair to activate the hip flexors while the upper body recreates the strength of his Down Dog push-up action. The outer edges of the hands press firmly down as the shoulders continue to push upward. From here, we can repeatedly lean toward the wall and away from it, noticing how increasing weight in the hands also increases the demand through the shoulders. The heavier the hands become, the more important it is to resist sinking. Matt reminds us to extend the action through the elbows and all the way into the fingers. Repetition turns this preparation into much more than a modification. It becomes a controlled environment where we can practise receiving body weight through the hands while developing the strength required to send it back upward.
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BUILD YOUR ROUTINE
Handstand progress rarely arrives through one heroic practice. It is accumulated through smaller encounters with the skills that challenge us. Core drills teach the hollow body. Vertical forearms establish our foundation. Leaning, gripping, and pushing teach us how to manage weight, while the chair allows us to rehearse Handstand mechanics with greater support. Repeating each drill within a practice gives the nervous system another opportunity to recognize the pattern and the muscular system another reason to adapt. Eventually, the goal can be some form of Handstand practice each day, but not at the expense of burnout. Some days may be strong, while others may involve only a few deliberate repetitions. Consistency does not require intensity every time. Slow, small, repetitive practice can create profound change. When we overcome handstand hurdles this way, progress becomes less about conquering Handstand and more about patiently becoming prepared for it.
Continue developing the skills behind your practice through Matt’s Chromatic Yoga Training, where progressive sequencing and biomechanics turn challenging poses into movements we can understand, practise, and progressively embody.
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Article by Trish Curling
Video Extracted From: 10 Day Handstand Workshop
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