If you love being upside down- but you are scare because you believed that to be upside-down you need to know how to do headstand or handstand?
Are you getting influenced in a negative way by those Instagram photos where everyone is getting upside-down in super crazy ways with a big smile?
Please stop,
You can start practicing even if you don’t have any experience, yet..
If you would like to try to be upside-down but you are afraid you will “break” your neck.
Let me tell you my friend, we have all been there.
There is always a first step to take in order to begin and I will suggest starting with 3 inverted yoga poses.
Now…
I am not saying these poses are easy; that will depend on each person’s practice.
But yes I these 3 options are easier than a headstand or a handstand balance.
And there is a good way to start your inversion journey if:
- You have never tried any upside-down balance posture before
- You are afraid of “breaking” your neck
- You have little experience in any arm balancing postures
- you would like to prepare your body for more challenging postures to practice in the -no too far away- future
- You know how to get upside-down but today you want to chill
These are the 3 easier yoga poses that will help you start your inversion journey
Downward Dog | Adho Mukha Svanasana
Sanskrit name
Adho = downward
Mukha = face
Svana = dog
Asana= pose
This is one of the most practiced postures in almost any yoga sequence.
A lot of us don’t know this is already an invention posture.
Every time the head is lower than the heart it is an inversion posture.
How should we practise this pose?
Ideally, we should have the and separate shoulder-distance apart, with our finger separated and pointing forward, elbow straight with the “eyes of the elbows facing each other and our shoulders pushing the ground.
Nice and elongated spine, relaxing the lower back, engaging your core
As well as your legs muscles with the heels pressing down towards the mat.
But what happens if you can not do all this?
- Is ok to bend your knees if needed it.
- Is ok to lift your heels if you can’t reach the ground.
- Is ok to take your breaks in the child pose
Now, let’s explore the benefits of practicing this pose.
- Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
- Energizes the body
- Stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands
- Strengthens the arms and legs
- Relieves menstrual discomfort when done with head supported
- Helps prevent osteoporosis
- Improves digestion
- Relieves headache, insomnia, back pain, and fatigue
You shouldn’t practice if have any of the following:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Diarrhea
- Pregnancy: Do not do this pose late-term.
- High blood pressure or headache: Support your head on a bolster or block, ears level between the arms.
Plow Pose | Halasana
Sanskrit name:
Hala = plow
Asana= pose
I love this pose, and I teach it in almost all y aerial acrobatics classes.
This is such an important pose to help us keep our spine flexible.
But I understand not everyone is comfortable in this pose.
However, give yourself time to get used to and practice the variations when your neck is sore.
What is important to focus on here?
Shoulders far from your ears, think you are creating a triangular shape with your neck and shoulders and there is where the weight of your body should be distributed.
Elongate the neck, chin close to your chest.
The Breath is so important that here please breathe from your belly and try to relax the jaw.
If your feet can not touch the ground behind your head, the option will be:
- To place a chair or a yoga block to rest your feet on, behind your head.
- You can bend your knees
- You can always support your spine with your hands holding at the level of your ribs.
Some of the benefits of the practice:
- Calms the brain
- Stimulates the abdominal organs and the thyroid gland
- Stretches the shoulders and spine
- Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
- Reduces stress and fatigue
- Therapeutic for backache, headache, infertility, insomnia, sinusitis
Don’t practice if you have any of the following :
- Diarrhea
- Menstruation
- Neck injury
- Asthma & high blood pressure: Practice Halasana with the legs supported on props.
- Pregnancy: If you are experienced with this pose, you can continue to practice it late into pregnancy. However, don’t take up the practice of Halasana after you become pregnant.
Shoulderstand | Shalamba Sarvangasana
Sanskrit name
salamba = with support (sa = with
alamba = support)
sarva = all
anga = limb.
asana= posture
This can be a more advanced posture for some of us.
However, there is always a variation you can adapt to your body.
How should we practice?
After practicing halasana pose, bend your knees close to your face and start lifting your legs towards to sky or the roof on to of you.
Keep your hand supporting your spine, spread your fingers at your ribs level.
Don’t forget to engage your legs, glutes and core
Press with you elbow down and create that triangle space between your shoulders and neck.
a more advanced variation of the pose will be to interlace your fingers and keep your arms straight pressing down towards the mat, behind you.
These are the benefits of practicing shoulderstad:
- Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
- Stimulates the thyroid and prostate glands and abdominal organs
- Stretches the shoulders and neck
- Tones the legs and buttocks
- Improves digestion
- Reduces fatigue and alleviates insomnia
- Therapeutic for asthma and sinusitis
Don’t practice if you have any of the following:
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- High blood pressure
- Menstruation
- Neck injury
- Pregnancy: If you are experienced with this pose, you can continue to practice it late into pregnancy. However, don’t take up the practice of Sarvangasana after you become pregnant.
If you have injuries, please check with your physiotherapist or your qualified teacher before practicing.
Full Yoga Flow including these 3 poses
link in the image below
