Most sports don't ask you to go upside down, but yoga is one of the few systems of health that recommends it.
There are amazing health claims associated with inversions: it reverses aging, increases blood flow to the brain, regulates pituitary and pineal glands, relieves constipation, tranquilizes the nervous system, and the list goes on.
Different people react in different ways, but a regular practice of turning upside down to one degree or another is soothing and balancing, and it can be a necessary step for many to stop their chattering minds before meditation.
Inversion doesn't have to mean a Headstand Inversions don't have to be special yoga poses - they can include a broad range of both yoga and commonplace stretching positions.
Even just hanging your body forward while sitting in a chair can be enough to reset your inner rhythm.
Downward dog is an inversion, as is Legs Up the Wall Pose.
As you become more advanced, there are more intense inversion poses like headstand, shoulder stand, handstand and plow.
More Benefits of Inversion Therapy Need more reasons to go upside down? Inversions are excellent for aiding in draining blood and lymph from the lower extremities and the abdominal and pelvic organs.
They are also a great stretch for the diaphragm.
All inverted poses significantly increase blood flow to the brain, heart and lungs.
This extra flow helps to saturate the often neglected upper lobes of the lungs with a fresh wash of blood and stimulates action in its upper air sacs (arterioles).
Whether the inversion is subtle or extreme, the pull of blood towards our hearts and heads toggles our nervous systems to turn off the sympathetic "flight or fight" stress response while turning on the parasympathetic "rest & digest" response.
When blood pressure accumulates in the aortic arch above the heart and the carotid arteries in the neck, the final result is that they quiet the "chatterbox" centers within the brain itself so that we can have some peace and quiet.
Should I practice Inversions? As with any physical exertion, there are some conditions that are contraindications to inversions.
Students with high blood pressure are advised against aggressive inversions such as headstand, shoulder stand, or plow.
Certain students who have lost their cervical curve are at serious risk when doing headstand or shoulder stand.
Students with degenerative bone disease or detached retinas are also strongly discouraged.
Functionally, we were not made to put all of our body's weight on the neck bones, whether in flexion, extension or neutral.
A healthy headstand or shoulder stand needs strong arms, shoulders, and core muscles to displace some of the body's weight from the neck and skull.
When settling in for an inversion, give yourself some time, make sure your practice space is quiet and warm, and dim the lights for an optimum result of calm.
There are amazing health claims associated with inversions: it reverses aging, increases blood flow to the brain, regulates pituitary and pineal glands, relieves constipation, tranquilizes the nervous system, and the list goes on.
Different people react in different ways, but a regular practice of turning upside down to one degree or another is soothing and balancing, and it can be a necessary step for many to stop their chattering minds before meditation.
Inversion doesn't have to mean a Headstand Inversions don't have to be special yoga poses - they can include a broad range of both yoga and commonplace stretching positions.
Even just hanging your body forward while sitting in a chair can be enough to reset your inner rhythm.
Downward dog is an inversion, as is Legs Up the Wall Pose.
As you become more advanced, there are more intense inversion poses like headstand, shoulder stand, handstand and plow.
More Benefits of Inversion Therapy Need more reasons to go upside down? Inversions are excellent for aiding in draining blood and lymph from the lower extremities and the abdominal and pelvic organs.
They are also a great stretch for the diaphragm.
All inverted poses significantly increase blood flow to the brain, heart and lungs.
This extra flow helps to saturate the often neglected upper lobes of the lungs with a fresh wash of blood and stimulates action in its upper air sacs (arterioles).
Whether the inversion is subtle or extreme, the pull of blood towards our hearts and heads toggles our nervous systems to turn off the sympathetic "flight or fight" stress response while turning on the parasympathetic "rest & digest" response.
When blood pressure accumulates in the aortic arch above the heart and the carotid arteries in the neck, the final result is that they quiet the "chatterbox" centers within the brain itself so that we can have some peace and quiet.
Should I practice Inversions? As with any physical exertion, there are some conditions that are contraindications to inversions.
Students with high blood pressure are advised against aggressive inversions such as headstand, shoulder stand, or plow.
Certain students who have lost their cervical curve are at serious risk when doing headstand or shoulder stand.
Students with degenerative bone disease or detached retinas are also strongly discouraged.
Functionally, we were not made to put all of our body's weight on the neck bones, whether in flexion, extension or neutral.
A healthy headstand or shoulder stand needs strong arms, shoulders, and core muscles to displace some of the body's weight from the neck and skull.
When settling in for an inversion, give yourself some time, make sure your practice space is quiet and warm, and dim the lights for an optimum result of calm.