An inverted pose is when your hips and heart are higher than your head. In other words, you are upside down. Inverted poses often require good core, shoulder and arm strength to avoid injury.
With some poses, inversion is a lot more obvious, like the handstand. However, many of the common poses in Yoga, like the child’s pose, you won’t even notice are inverted.
Examples of inverted poses
Downward-facing dog
One of the most common inverted poses in Yoga, if you don’t count child’s pose, is the downward-facing dog.
You’ll begin with your knees below your hips and move your feet hip’s width apart. Then extend your hands slightly forward and lift your hips up and back. At this point, your hips will be the highest part of your body, making it an inverted pose.
Lastly, you relax your shoulders, chest and heels.
Halasana
On your mat, lie down with your back flat against the floor. Move your shoulders underneath your back and connect your hands. Then slowly lift your legs up and over your core until you pass your head and meet the floor above your head.
Feathered peacock
You start this pose off like you would downward dog, but your forearms are on the mat with your elbows shoulder-width apart. Engage your core and slowly walk your feet closer to your body. You can then lift one, or both, feet at a time until they are directly above your hips. Your back will arch slightly.
Normally, you associate being upside down with a head rush. However, there are many benefits associated with inverted poses:
Improves circulation
When you are inverted, the rush you feel is more oxygen and blood moving through your brain. This can improve your mental functions, like concentration, memory and processing abilities.
Increases immunity to illness
Lymph moves through the body and picks up toxins and bacteria that make you ill. They move as a result of muscle contractions and gravity. This is why, being inverted will help your lymph to move easily into your respiratory system, where many toxins and bacteria enter your body.
Helps you relax
Some inversions can help calm your nervous system by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and producing feelings of balance and calm.
Improves your muscles and balance
Inverted poses are balancing acts on their own. Once you master the poses, you will feel that your day-to-day balance also improves. This is especially appealing to the clumsier people of the world.
It also increases your core strength, which also makes your body stronger and more balanced.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
Among benefits like improving your physical health, immunity and brain functionality, inverted poses give you a different perspective on life. Literally! Once you have perfected them, you will feel invigorated and more confident with what you are capable of. It is also very relaxing, once you get past the falling over that results in laughter. Want to learn more about Yoga – and perhaps even become a Yoga instructor yourself? Trifocus Fitness Academy’s Yoga Certification Course is the perfect way for you to achieve this! If you are .keen to discover more about this course, please follow this link.
