Inversions in Yoga

When you are stuck in life, a shift in perspective can do wonders. Practicing an inversion may be just what you need to see the world from a different viewpoint.

I personally love inversions and include them in my practice daily. I enjoy teaching them as well, as they bring a sense of playfulness for students at any level.

Inversions are powerful  asanas, so exercise care in their practice. It’s a good idea to have a skilled  yoga  teacher guide you in the beginning, including giving you adequate preparatory poses and showing you how to fall safely without hurting yourself if you lose your balance. Learn to avoid injury by practicing the poses from the ground up, which means focusing on stability with whatever part of your body is on the mat.

Like all things, you’ll get the best results from inversions when you use the right approach for your  dosha, or current state of balance.

No matter what your primary dosha is, you’ll receive many benefits from getting upside down. Inversions move stagnant energy and circulate lymph, which supports the flow of prana  throughout the body. They also support the function of the heart by circulating blood through the head and upper body. They also stimulate the crown and third eye chakras, and the very important master glands - the pineal and pituitary glands. Do check for any contraindications with your teacher.

I like to think of these poses as “heart above head,” which is where the shift in perspective comes from.

Upside down, things seem different than you had previously thought. The mind has to let go of using sight as a reference, and suddenly you have a new way of seeing things.

Learning inversions and looking at the world upside down is a lot of fun. What you practice on your mat is what you get in life, so infuse your journey of learning inversions with a sense of enthusiasm and fun. When you come back to standing on two feet, these qualities will stay with you and guide you through the rest of your day.