PE1

I am able to complete step 9 of PE1, but I want to make sure my form is descent enough to progress to PE2.

Hi Valerie,

It looks pretty good. Before moving on, I recommend making some small adjustments. As you do your tripod, place your knees on top of your arms rather than to the side. Placing your knees on top of our arms will allow you to straighten out your spine and build the strength needed to move on to more difficult handstand progressions. As you balance, make sure that your hands are placed right below your elbows.

It looks like you are doing a good job on your iM. Can you also upload a video of your iM taken from either the front or back?

Thanks for the tips. The tripod is easier with my knees on my elbows. Here are the new videos.

Hi Valerie,

Good adjustments. Your tripod looks much better. You are doing a nice job of straightening your spine. On your iM avoid bending your elbows as you open the shoulders. Your hands are also too wide. Work on bringing them in to shoulder width.

Little additional tip: sit on a block, one side of your glutes it is probably more tight than the other side, in this way you can prevent possible twist in the spine and shoulder compensation.

Thanks for the tip about the block. As I look at my back video, I can see that my left knee is higher than my right knee. Part of this is due to how I cross my legs, and is something that I have been wondering about. Does it matter how i cross my legs, considering i am crossing them unevenly (one ankle over the other)? 

I also have a question about my shoulder/thoracic tightness. I have seen you recommend doing the elevated cat and inverted cat on a daily basis for extra tight shoulders. Do you think it would be appropriate for me?

thanks for your help