Turn your life upside down!
Ever wondered why we go upside down quite so much in Yoga? We class an inversion as any position where the heart comes below the hips so even if you’re not standing on your head or chilling in shoulder stand you can still reap the rewards!
In my upcoming workshop we will be focusing mainly on headstand aka sirsasana and if you already have a headstand beginning to work on forearm stand aka Pincha mayurasana.
What is it that makes people want to stand on their head?
Benefits of Supported Headstand aka Salamba Sirsasana and Forearm stand aka Pincha Mayurasana
- Strengthens shoulders, arms, abs, back and legs.
- Stretches shoulders
- Improves balance
- Vitality and renewal
- Clears the mind & creates focus
- Builds confidence, challenges fear
- Always acknowledge fear and be reassuring and self-compassionate, taking things in stages.
- Shifts perspective
- Energy from the lower chakras moves
up to the heart
- Creativity
and power -> Insight
- Gives us opportunity for inner growth
- Creativity
and power -> Insight
- Said to be cleansing for the organs
- Stimulates the lymphatic system and helps drainage
- Helps with digestive problems and sleep issues
- Its even anti-aging! As we turn our head down to the floor we begin to activate our crown chakra (Sahasrara) where our ‘amrita’ or ‘immortal nectar’ is held. During our lives our amrita drops down through the body over our lives, for this reason it is believed that inversions keep the nectar at the crown and thus allowing us to life longer.
- Best of all… It’s fun to have a go and find your sense of playfulness!
Are there any reasons to avoid inverted postures? Inverted postures are not necessarily for every one and it is advised people with certain health conditions avoid these postures.
Contraindications
- Glaucoma (excess pressure in the eyes)
- Recent stroke
- High Blood pressure
- Neck or shoulder injury
- Epilepsy
- Pregnancy
- Menstruation
- Yogis’ choice – energetic focus is down so makes less sense to invert the body. More difficult to activate bandhas so not always safe
So if you think you’d like to have a go at progressing your inversions come along on the 23rd Feb 2019 We will go through some strengthening exercises to start to get the body ready to support itself inverted. Identifying which muscle groups help us to find the correct alignment whilst upside down and learning how to fall out safely. Whilst you may not achieve the full posture, you will have all the tools to use to safely further your inversions.
Suitable for those with at least 6 months practice to ensure the body is strong enough to safely attempt headstands.
23rd Feb 2019 at 16:30-18:30 £25 (£20 for members)
Workshop held at Jiva Health Wimbledon, 19A Wimbledon Bridge, Wimbledon, London, SW19 7NH, phone: 0208 9469721
Call to book or click HERE
yogalifewithharri 