Turning your body upside down, whether it is standing on your hands, forearms, head or shoulders, not only has to do with body strength but also your mind as it makes you face your fears. In inversions our world is literally turned upside down, giving us a totally different perspective of the world! A Yoga practice without inversions is like a body without a heart or a cake without sugar -the essence is missing. Inversions set yoga apart from other physical disciplines.
In inversions the breath becomes slow and deep, maximizing the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange and encouraging correct respiration. In addition the abdominal organs receive a powerful message, helping them to function better. They encourage blood flow to the brain, energizing it and flushing out the toxins.
To receive the benefits and to avoid injury, specially to the neck, it’s important to learn the correct setup and alignment for each pose.
To prepare for inversions, it’s important to keep core stability in mind, as well as openness in the shoulders, hamstrings and stabilization of the spine. For example before moving into a forearm stand, it would be beneficial to practice dolphin.
Simple props and techniques come in handy while getting into inversions with the right alignment.
We will study the alignment, benefits and contraindications of a few inversions, in detail, over the next few weeks.
Namaste!
Neelanjana Bharadwaj– Yoga Expert