Handstands & Backbends Workshop: A Gymnastics-Based Approach by Gregory Gan

12 - 13 December 2026 10am - 12pm / 2pm - 4pm PURE Yoga Asia Square About the Workshop Take your inversion and backbend practice beyond shapes and into true strength, control, and awareness. These two-day intensive blends gymnastics principles to help you build a stronger, safer, and more sustainable practice. Through progressive drills and clear instruction, you'll learn the mechanics of handstands and backbends, understanding how the shoulders, spine, core, ribs, and breath work together to create efficient movement. Gregory will address common limitations, improve body awareness, and give you practical tools you can continue to use long after the workshop. Whether you're working toward your first handstand or refining advanced skills, you'll leave with greater confidence, stability, and ease in your practice. About Greg Movement has been at the heart of Gregory's life since he first stepped onto a gymnastics mat. After spending 15 years representing Singapore as a national gymnast and earning medals at the SEA Games, he transitioned his passion for movement into coaching. With over 16 years of teaching experience and more than a decade specializing in hand balancing, contortion, and aerial arts, Gregory is dedicated to helping students move with strength, confidence, and control. His coaching emphasizes safe, progressive, and accessible techniques, empowering practitioners of all levels to build the mobility, body awareness, and resilience needed to master handstands, backbends, and beyond. Schedule Beginner Handstand - Saturday, 12 December / 10am – 12pm Build a strong foundation through progressive and safe techniques to create an efficient handstand. This workshop focuses on developing the strength, alignment, and body awareness needed to balance with confidence. What You'll Learn Shoulder mobility and mechanics for healthy overhead movement. Shoulder strength, stability, and core engagement. Proper handstand alignment from hands to toes. Weight distribution and balance control. Progressive drills to improve mobility, positioning, and confidence. Common technical mistakes and how to correct them. Focus Skills Kick-ups Straight handstand balance Safe bail-outs Intermediate Handstand- Saturday, 12 December / 2pm – 4pm Take your handstand practice to the next level by refining your balance, body awareness, and movement quality. Learn how to transition seamlessly between different handstand shapes while developing greater control through efficient gymnastics techniques. Prerequisites Able to kick up to the wall with control. Comfortable performing a safe handstand bail-out. What You'll Learn Shoulder opening and active rib engagement. Alignment principles for different handstand shapes. Balance refinement through improved proprioception and vestibular awareness. Shape changes and handstand transitions. Entry techniques including kick-ups, straddle entries, and press handstands. Advanced drills to improve consistency, efficiency, and confidence. Focus Skills Press handstand Tuck handstand Straddle handstand Pike handstand Beginner Backbends - Sunday, 13 December / 10am – 12pm Backbends are more than just flexibility. It is teaching your nervous system how to command your spine while adapting to that range. Learn how to move safely by combining breathwork, core engagement, and active mobility instead of relying on passive stretching. What You'll Learn How each segment of the spine contributes to a healthy backbend. Breathing techniques and core engagement to support and protect the spine. The difference between muscular stretching and neural tension. How to recognize common red flags and reduce injury risk. Mobility and conditioning exercises for every section of the spine. Focus Skills Wall Cat Wheel Low Lunge Dropback Cobra Basic Dropback Progressions Intermediate Backbends - Sunday, 13 December / 2pm – 4pm Prerequisite: Comfortable performing a full Wheel. Develop the active strength, mobility, and body awareness needed for deeper backbends and introductory contortion skills. This workshop emphasizes efficient movement, spinal safety, and learning to create range through muscular control rather than passive flexibility. What You'll Learn Breathwork for spinal control and stability. Active mobility techniques for deeper backbends. Strength and muscle engagement to support spinal extension. Safe progressions into contortion-based skills. Efficient movement patterns for sustainable flexibility and injury prevention. Focus Skills Full Cobra Scorpion Contortion Handstand Chest Stand Tuition Individual Session (2 hours) Early Bird: S$150 Regular Price: S$180 2 Sessions (4 hours) Early Bird: S$280 Regular Price: S$336 All sessions (6 hours) Early Bird: S$390 Regular Price: S$468 *Non-members will be charged 10% more than members *Before completing your purchase, indicate in the Notes section which session(s) you will be attending. *Early-bird pricing will be reflected at check-out *Early-Bird Pricing ends 30 November 2026. TERMS AND CONDITIONS This event is open for registration to Public and PURE members. No refund or credit will be given for cancellation starting from 1 December 2026. All refunds are subject to a 10% processing fee that will be deducted from your refund. PURE bears no responsibility for any missed sessions. No refunds or makeup sessions will be provided. PURE reserves the right to modify the event schedule, content, or venue. Participants will be notified of any changes in a timely manner. If there is any discrepancy between the printed and web versions, the web version shall prevail. Photos and videos may be taken solely for PURE’s marketing purposes.