Elevate Your Practice: Mastering Inversions and Arm Balances with Strength and Grace

A conversation with Hola instructor, Alexis Jones on the art of building an inversions + arm balance practice.

Crow…pincha…headstand…handstand. You hear about and maybe even witness these arm balances and inversions all the time… which can be intimidating just as much as they are inspiring. 

I assume you’re reading this because you have some pre-existing interest in arm balancing or are eager to learn more about them. My name is Alexis — retired gymnast, personal trainer / corrective exercise specialist, mom of 2 with 12 years of experience teaching yoga, barre, pilates and sculpt style movement formats. You will often see me upside down and I’d love to share with you my journey and love for inversions / arm balancing while encouraging you to start or continue exploring your own practice! 

First off, just know that there are so many different approaches to practicing these poses and it's never too late to start. 

As a young gymnast I learned one way, as a yogi I learned a completely different way… and as a newly postpartum mom trying to regain a lost inversion and arm balance practice, I had to get creative and very strategic in my approach as to not injure myself along the way! It truly depends on your body’s current strength and mobility. While there is such a thing as proper form, what works for one person may not be the route you take when first learning.

I say all of that to say, be patient and open minded in your journey.

If you are looking to start practicing inversions especially, I would get comfortable being upside down first — whether that’s forward folding, back bending or just hanging off the side of the bed for any prolonged period of time. Going upside down can feel scary and often can come with a big rush to the head. You want to familiarize yourself with that feeling. 

As I mentioned before, when I first learned to invert I was a gymnast about 5 or 6 years old. The gymnastics style approach is very much like… “Hey, here’s a soft padded mat to fall on... now go for it.” While technique was always taught, repetition was the name of the game until you perfected it. It was great for challenging your fear (which is half the battle) while being in a safe environment. I don’t necessarily disagree with this method when it comes to approaching fear, but we don’t always have the same safe landing or safe space to take this route.

In the yoga studio, it can feel quite the opposite. There is no soft landing and oftentimes you are confined to the narrow space of your mat. Not to mention, unless you are in a private lesson, there is the humility and vulnerability of falling without someone to catch you... I get it! So it tends to be taught in a slow, steady progression over weeks or months in a class setting with lots of props. You may even aim to master other arm balances first before going upside down.

Regardless of the approach, I will tell you this…
Half the battle is overcoming the fear of failure / falling…

After that, from a Corrective Exercise Specialist and Personal Trainer POV:  You will want to focus on building a strong core first. Then the upper body. You could have the strongest building on the outside, but if all the support beams on the inside are made of noodles, exposing a lack of core stability— the structure will wobble and your exterior will have to work 2x as hard to stay up. *So, come see me Mondays Flow+Core at 4:30pm ;) 

If you are regularly practicing yoga, chances are you are already working towards a strong core combined with shoulder loading with all the downward dogs, knee drives, hops to the top of the mat, etc. These advanced poses can become easily accessible with steady progression of strengthening core and shoulders. 

Which leads me to my workshop on April 25th…

I look forward every year to sharing this empowering practice with you all! Whether you’re brand new to arm balancing, or have mastered them all and are advancing into inversions, I will be teaching you how to do them all, with plenty of opportunities to practice with hands on assists.

Each arm balance and inversion will be broken down into its shape, prep poses, ways to safely enter and exit, multiple ways to transition in/out inside of a flow, and especially multiple drills to help you gain the strength and mobility to access and stay strong in each pose. We will review several techniques —some using props, others just progressing through entry poses.

Therefore, it truly is for everyone — beginner to advanced. Feel free to participate / practice as much as you want. Or simply observing and taking notes is welcome! 

Going upside down is a daily practice for me and often how I choose to regulate most days. It can be fun and definitely addicting once you have unlocked your first one! I look forward to seeing you all take that leap, surprise yourself and to feel empowered by your own strength and capabilities!

Much love, 

xo 

Alexis

Flip your perspective

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Flip your perspective 〰️

Defy Gravity: The Art of Arm Balances & Inversions

Curious about arm balances and inversions but not sure where to start? Alexis will guide you on building strength, stability, and confidence in these empowering postures. We’ll break down key techniques, explore alignment principles, and practice drills to support safe and sustainable progress.

Friday, April 25

6:00-7:15PM

Led by: Alexis Jones

Registration: $50