Handstands
•Vinyasa
I grew up in Western Washington in a small town near the stunning Mt Rainier. I spent four years in Eastern Washington at Washington State University obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism with a minor in Sport Management. I also spent ten years across the Pacific Ocean on Maui where I met my husband and had my children. My family and I currently reside between those two location in a small adventurous town in the Cascade Mountains. Ironically, 13 years ago when I was in college I wrote and illustrated a fitness column and one of my articles was on Yoga. Besides a few VHS classes I had watched and a few classes I took at the recreational center on campus, that was my first deeper look into the practice. Including that deeper glance, it was limited to beginner level vinyasa and I had no concept of the depth of Yoga. I have been an athlete my entire life. Basketball was my main love but I also played fast pitch, ran cross country and was a pole vaulter. In the third grade I took gymnastics for one year and loved it. It was an expensive sport to pursue and my interests were vast, so I gave my parents a financial break and stuck with school sports. However, my heart and body still loved to climb and jump and flip. Life went on and eventually I was one child, one serious surfing injury, one marathon and one full triathlon deep when I decided my body needed a more therapeutic sport. It was on the way home from that triathlon with my baby in the back of the car and my husband at the wheel when a Yoga studio caught my eye and a thought crossed my mind. I told my husband to pull over and I hobbled my sore body up to the steps to pick up a schedule. The owner was sitting outside and asked if I was going to start attending classes. I told her, I wasn’t sure if Yoga was for me since I like more intense sports but that I was feeling the need for a different pursuit and one that would be kinder to my body. She grinned and told me to come to her class the next morning. I did and I haven’t stopped Yoga-ing yet. I had no idea arm balances and inversions existed! I had no idea you could work so hard in Yoga mentally AND physically. I had no idea you could work very intensely at a sport and still take care and even improve your mind and body! Since then I have had another child, obtained my RYT 200 and I am currently in pursuit of my RYT 500, both with Yoga Medicine. I continue to grow my personal practice and learn as much as possible. It is my personal belief that inversions and taking care of your spine are the keys to the fountain of youth and will lead to success in the pursuit of health and happiness. Handstands aren’t a traditional Yoga asana and I am not a traditional Yogi. I am interested in spirituality and science; the power of the mind and anatomy. For over one year now, I’ve been hosting an instagram handstanding challenge called #HollysHandstands which began as handstand shapes flashcards and led to the creation of The Book of Handstands. I am happy to share my passion and my research, but know that I too am a work in progress, constantly learning and evolving. Just like you, I am on a journey and hope to always have room to grow mentally and physically.
I grew up in Western Washington in a small town near the stunning Mt Rainier. I spent four years in Eastern Washington at Washington State University obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism with a minor in Sport Management. I also spent ten years across the Pacific Ocean on Maui where I met my...Read More