Hey Everyone — Happy weekend and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! 🙂
(Happy Halloween from Hal Johnson and Joanne Mcleod from Body break!! 😉 )
Today I want to share with you the power of being upside down – also known as ‘inversions’. For a really long time, I wasn’t really a yoga fan, and I didn’t really pay much attention to the benefits of some of the ‘yoga’ poses. I would do the odd back bend or forward fold in attempts to stretch out, but I wasn’t doing those things for the sake of being ‘inverted’.
Lets first be sure to understand what an inversion is. Well, simple really. Any time your head is below your heart would be considered an inversion. So, this could be anything from a forward fold, to a back bend, to downward dog, to the typical head or hand stand that everyone associates being ‘upside down’ with!
A couple years ago, a friend of mine Laura Martini (who just happens to be the most kick @$$ yoga instructor around) was chatting with me about inversions. She mentioned that she too, had been a stranger to them for quite sometime, but had recently read about the benefits they offered, so she decided to give them a whirl. She swore that being inverted for a few minutes each day helped keep her immune system strong! She said she didn’t get sick for almost a year after she started doing inversions!!
Anyway, lets talk about the nitty gritty for a moment. What are some of the reasons for doing inversions daily?
Improve Circulation
By reversing blood flow in the body, having the head below the heart. This is so important for people with poor circulation and for those that always have cold extremities (like me!)
Increase Immunity/Illness Prevention
Just like Laura said!! Being upside down helps the lymph travel through our bodies, and lymph helps to eliminate toxins and bacteria
ENERGIZE!
Inversions get blood to the brain, revitalizing us and giving us a surge of energy! Next time you’re falling asleep at your desk, skip the coffee and try doing a quick forward fold (or a head or handstand if you’re really gung ho) and see how you feel after. What about the inversions?
The list really does go on and on for benefits of inversions here guys, but these are just a few of my faves and ones that I felt are pretty important to most people!
Like I said, any time your head is below your heart is considered an inversion, but if you want to learn how to do a head or a hand stand check out this YouTube video I found explaining it.
Keep me posted on how it goes, and let me know what is YOUR favourite way to get upside down?
xxx
Andrea
*** post originally written for UGIFIT.com — http://ugifit.com/en/community/get-upside-down ***