Yoga at Home: Inversion poses - Why They're Valuable

Here I am doing the shoulder stand - one of the ultimate yoga inversion poses

I hold the above shoulder stand for 3 minutes virtually every time I practice yoga.  Because of an schedule change, today I did yoga in the early evening and the shoulder stand felt ESPECIALLY good!  So, I felt compelled to write about it today.

Inversion poses such as the shoulder stand are classified as "passive" because you place your body into a certain position and then allow internal processes to work their magic on your body as you count down your time rather than actively manipulating your body.

One major benefit of the shoulder stand shown here is that it has a positive impact on the circulation, especially the veins and arteries of your legs. In addition, because you are inverting your whole body, the blood flow reverses its usual direction and moves through and stimulates the organs and glands of your upper body including the thyroid gland.  For that reason, some people feel relief from nervous and mental fatigue. I usually enjoy an overall sense of refreshment, relaxation, and body strengthening after doing the shoulder stand.

This shoulder stand has also been said to be helpful because it re-positions the internal organs, albeit for a short time.  We spend virtually all our waking time upright, so it is beneficial to your body to reverse its usual position, even if only 3 minutes seems a relatively minimal amount of time compared to the hours we spend upright.

The shoulder stand comes with a few caveats. People who have excess weight around their waist or in their upper bodies need to be more cautious when doing the shoulder stand to avoid straining their necks and upper backs. Also, they may not be able to raise their legs fully into a vertical stance and may have to rely on a nearby wall to help support their bodies. Another key recommendation is to enter and exit this pose extra slowly.  However, regardless of any adaptations you may have to make while executing the should stand because of your body's particular constraints, your intention and time spent doing the pose to your best ability far outweighs perfection every time, in my humble opinion.

Yours for including an inversion pose with every yoga at home session.

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the Beginner's Yoga at Home Coach 

 

Comments

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