Face Plant

The 1st time I got the courage to bring my legs over to my head without a wall wasn't pretty. The teacher was guiding us from dolphin pose into forearm stand & then encouraged anyone who was ready to try scorpion. I was feeling confident so tried it & actually held it for a whole 3 seconds! Just as I was about to give myself that "Ah-ha" moment my face fell nose first into the floor. Not a graceful landing whatsoever. My girlfriend next to me actually stopped what she was doing to laugh with me but also tell me how awesome it was that I fell! I was a bit red in the face but got over it & was eventually glad that I at least got out of my comfort zone. I had been trying to do this pose without a wall for a while so this was a big step. My nose hurt for about 2 weeks, but after falling & realizing you have to just go for it I knew I would be able to control the pose if I kept building my strength & wasn't scared of falling. After a few more falls & lots of practice, I've picked up some tips & tricks along the way and hope they can be of help to those of you working on this one...

Tips & Tricks

To strengthen your Forearm stand, you can practice forearm plank. Make sure your forearms are square, tummy is in and your spine is neutral. Hold anywhere from 30 seconds- 3 minutes.

Dolphin Pose kicks: Practice lifting one leg at a time & get a feel for where your balance is at when both legs are up together. I used a wall in the beginning of learning forearm stand & would slowly step further away from it once I felt like I was strong enough to hold the pose on my own.

IF you are going to FALL: (and are comfortable in forearm wheel pose) Fall forward. Let your feet drop to the ground in front of you, that way you land in a forearm wheel type position, not on your face;)

Other Variations:

Feet to Head

Creative Expression

Handstand Scorpion

Benefits:

Challenges Balance, Coordination & Strength

Stretches Back, Chest, Hip Flexors & Shoulders