Inverted asanas are the royal yoga poses. Why are inverted asanas so important?

In this lesson I give you the classic inverted asanas hatha yoga. Any beginner can do them. These asanas are performed on an empty stomach - no earlier than 3 hours after eating. The asanas are written in a certain order - each asana has its own counter-pose, which compensates for the effect of the previous asana, so it is important to follow the order of execution.

Can be performed as an independent set of exercises, as well as after warming up: dynamic pranayama, joint exercises. It is very useful to perform them after a set of standing asanas in order to relieve stress from the legs and spine.

Inverted asanas improve blood circulation in the brain, help strengthen individual parts of the body, normalize sleep and increase concentration, and improve overall health. They help relieve tension in the cervical region, make the spine stronger and more flexible, regulate water-salt balance (thanks to blood flow to the hypothalamus and kidneys), and prevent constipation. In Hatha Yoga it is believed that inverted asanas reverse the aging process and reduce the effect of gravity on the human body.

Inverted asanas - General contraindications

All inverted asanas Contraindicated for hypertension, severe atherosclerosis, and heart disease. Also, performing inverted asanas is not recommended if the practitioner has had spinal injuries, has pain in the back, neck, or feels discomfort in the throat or thyroid gland.

You need to start these exercises very carefully, only gradually increasing the time they are performed. As with all yoga exercises, focus on how you feel and the sensations in your body. Stay in the asana for as long as you feel comfortable.

inverted asanas - Therapeutic effect

Viparita Karani Mudra eliminates anemia, constipation, colitis, indigestion. Stimulates the thyroid gland and other endocrine glands.

Contraindications: high blood pressure. Hyperfunction of the thyroid gland. Serious heart disease. High intravenous pressure. Weak blood vessels in the brain. Retinal detachment.

Matsyasana (fish pose) has a stimulating effect on the spine and all back muscles, eliminates various disorders in the spine, neck stiffness. Gives blood flow to all organs of the neck and muscles, helps with colds, improves the functioning of the thyroid gland. Rejuvenates facial tissues, eliminates wrinkles and prevents their appearance. It has a positive effect on patients with bronchial asthma, as it activates all organs of the respiratory system. The asana is useful for women, stimulates the function of the reproductive organs, and helps in the treatment of hemorrhoids.

Contraindications: Spinal injuries in the cervical and thoracic region.

Halasana (plow pose) unique in its effect on the genital area. Stimulates the sex glands, has a therapeutic effect when their function is weakened, impotence, frigidity and lack of sexual activity, and restores menstrual irregularities. The asana normalizes the condition of the entire spine, cures its diseases, rejuvenates it, makes it flexible, and eliminates curvature. Halasana quickly relieves fatigue, helps reduce body weight, restores body proportions, heals the liver, kidneys, pancreas and adrenal glands, treats diabetes, and has a positive effect on the organs of the chest and neck.

Contraindications: Pregnancy, hypertension, neck injuries.

Setubandhasana (Bridge Pose) helps increase the flexibility of the spine, develops the hip joints, eliminates pain and various disorders in the shoulder joints and neck. Eliminates bloating and gastric disorders, cures respiratory diseases.

Sarvangasana (shoulderstand) is one of the most useful of all asanas. Sarvangasana is the queen of all asanas. If Shirshasana develops masculine qualities - willpower, mental acuity and clarity of thinking, then Sarvangasana develops feminine qualities of patience and emotional stability. She is considered the mother of asanas. Improves blood circulation in the legs, abdomen, chest and brain, treats and prevents the appearance of varicose veins. Sarvangasana eliminates circulatory disorders, gives rest to the heart, strengthens and rejuvenates blood vessels. Tones and normalizes the activity of the thyroid gland, rejuvenates facial tissues. Improves digestion, eliminates constipation and gastric disorders. It has a powerful healing effect on the bronchopulmonary system. The asana also eliminates bends and displacement of the uterus, prolapse of internal organs, and improves mental abilities.

Contraindications: high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, damage to the cervical vertebrae or displacement of the intervertebral disc, pain in the cervical spine and shoulder girdle, otitis media, sinusitis, migraines or severe headaches, hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, increased intraocular pressure.

Approach mastery inverted asanas carefully, relying on the sensations in your body. After finishing the asana complex, relax for 10-15 minutes. These asanas can be practiced daily, spending as long as you feel comfortable in each asana.

Write about your feelings and results in the comments to the article! You can also ask questions here.

Postures in which the heart is higher than the head are called inversions (or inversions). This unusual body position for a person has a number of advantages and many contraindications, which the site will familiarize you with. Headstand, forearms and shoulders are the first asanas that come to mind when thinking about inverted poses. However, there are also “softer” inversion poses, which are easier to perform and involve fewer risks. These include Downward-Facing Dog, Bent Candle Pose, and Happy Child Pose.

Inverted Yoga Poses: Key Benefits

Despite the fact that inverted poses do not place the body in its natural position, inversion asanas have a number of benefits for the state of the body and mind. Among them:

Improved blood flow. By staying in a head-down position, you ensure blood flow to the brain, so that it is saturated with oxygen and other nutrients necessary for proper functioning. As a result, memory, concentration and ability to process information improves. The beneficial effect of improving blood flow is also observed in the lower part of the body, so such asanas will be especially useful for people who spend their days primarily in a sitting position.

Improved balance. It is simply impossible to perform an inversion pose without sufficient ability to maintain balance. Therefore, inverted asanas perfectly strengthen the arms and muscle corset and, accordingly, help maintain balance.
Improving the functioning of the immune system. You probably know that the lymphatic system is one of the most important components of the body's immune defense. Since lymph, unlike blood, can flow exclusively from the bottom up, staying in an inverted position helps improve lymph flow and remove toxins from the entire body, especially from the lungs.
Influx of energy. If you feel low on energy in the morning, try standing in downward-facing dog pose. This asana is easier to practice than full inversion poses, but it will provide a burst of energy due to the flow of blood to the brain.

Improved mood. Inversion poses are a great way to combat stress. Yoga is considered one of the best ways to reduce stress hormone (cortisol) levels and stay in a great mood.

In addition to the above benefits, inverted poses:

help improve vision and hearing;
improve digestion;
improve skin color;
normalize weight;
slow down aging.

Contraindications and safety precautions when performing inverted yoga poses

Before you start mastering inverted yoga poses, make sure that there are no following contraindications:

high blood pressure;
diseases of the spine (especially herniation and prolapse of intervertebral discs);
pregnancy;
menstruation;
serious heart disease;
neck injuries, etc.

Before performing inversion poses, make sure there are no contraindications.

Cautions when performing inverted poses:

for beginners, it is better not to start inverted asanas without first strengthening the muscles of the arms, shoulders, neck and core, and also without mastering simpler poses;
learn to perform inversion poses better under the guidance of a specialist;
you cannot practice inverted asanas on a full stomach; at least 3 hours must pass between eating and practicing these asanas;
the time spent in inverted poses should increase gradually;
It is necessary to take a pose smoothly and carefully;
After performing inverted poses, you need to relax in corpse pose.

Inverted yoga poses have a beneficial effect on the condition of the whole body, however, the site calls for taking into account possible contraindications for performing such asanas and recommends learning the technique under the strict guidance of an experienced instructor.

Inverted asanas are one of the important components of any type of yoga complex. In hatha yoga they are usually called royal asanas, probably indicating their special importance in practice. According to yoga practitioners, inverted asanas, in addition to the general healing effect on the human body, help achieve harmony between the internal state and the external world without resorting to drug treatment.

What is an inverted asana

An inverted asana is a yoga exercise in which the lower part of the body is raised above the head. Inversion poses are key for those who practice yoga. To perform them correctly, despite their apparent simplicity at first glance, it is necessary to maintain a balance of body and mind, first of all. It is also important for beginners to understand that it is no coincidence that such asanas are performed at the very end of the lesson, when the body is already quite well warmed up thanks to other asanas.

It should be noted that inverted poses are extremely beneficial for health, because their main function from the point of view of the physiology of the body is to enrich the blood with oxygen, improve blood flow, which in turn improves thinking abilities.

What is the benefit and importance

Those who practice yoga on their own need to carefully select asanas for practice. The fact is that many Russian yoga schools, underestimating the health benefits of inverted asanas, exclude them from the range of classes. At the same time, inverted poses have one of the most important meanings in yoga, because thanks to them:

blood flow to the brain improves, stimulating their renewal and affecting many organs of the human body;
the process of blood renewal is launched, helping to avoid its stagnation and, as a consequence, the manifestation of diseases such as thrombophlebitis, varicose veins, and pelvic organ disease;
prevention of diseases of the respiratory system occurs, because thanks to the position of the body, the process of gas exchange in the lungs improves;
the flexibility of the neck increases and, in addition, pain is relieved from the entire spine;
have a positive effect on human vision and hearing;
improve appearance - condition of skin and hair.

From a medical point of view

In ancient Indian treatises on hatha yoga it is written that inverted poses save a person from old age and death. Today, someone will doubt how great the influence of yoga on a person from a medical point of view, but, as already mentioned, inverted asanas have a direct effect on the condition of the entire body.

By accelerating blood circulation, this type of asana normalizes the nervous system, improves memory and increases performance. Positive changes also concern the functioning of the endocrine system and improvement of the metabolic process, affecting both a person’s appearance, his hormonal levels, and his psychological state.

Performing inverted asanas serves as a good prevention of heart attack, stroke and other diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Spiritual values

Performing inverted asanas in yogic practice is associated not only with a person’s physical health, but also has an impact on his mental level. The benefits for spiritual life from performing inverted asanas are manifested in the following:

harmonization of the external and internal world of a person occurs, leading to qualitative changes in personality;
in the process of performing asanas, the mind calms down and the ability to concentrate develops;
the body is filled with vital energy, which is directed to the highest energy centers of a person;
updating the work of higher energy centers allows you to engage in meditative practices more efficiently;
at the emotional level, performing inverted asanas allows you to look at the problem from a different angle;
sublimation of sexual energy into human energy centers – chakras, as a result of exercise, allows one to reveal creative abilities and slow down the aging process of the body.

Confirming the influence of yoga on the spiritual component of human life, UNESCO in 2016 added the practice of yoga to the list of intangible human cultural heritage.

Contraindications for implementation

Before you begin to perform inverted asanas, which stimulate blood flow and affect the strength and flexibility of the cervical spine, you should not forget about the serious contraindications that exist for this practice.

So you should not perform this type of asanas in the following cases:

during pregnancy and lactation;
during menstruation;
if there are spinal injuries;
with high blood pressure;
if the thyroid gland is significantly enlarged;
if there are traumatic brain injuries after which less than a year has passed;
with exacerbation of chronic diseases and elevated body temperature;
if less than 4 hours have passed since eating.

Is it possible during pregnancy?

Performing inverted asanas during pregnancy is generally prohibited, especially in the early and late stages. However, under the strict supervision of a trainer, it is allowed to perform such asanas, but bringing the body position only to the extent that is most comfortable. Therefore, it differs significantly from traditional yoga.

Medical explanation

Today, based on numerous studies of yoga as a healing practice, it has been concluded that inverted asanas can be beneficial to some extent during pregnancy. Thus, performing inversion or inverted asanas normalize hormonal balance, help the baby take a more comfortable, correct position in the uterus, help reduce the unpleasant effect of the uterus on the intestines and other organs, serve as a prevention of varicose veins and relieve cramps and swelling.

Ayurvedic point of view

According to Ayurveda, performing inverted asanas during pregnancy or during menstruation can be harmful to health. Ayurveda, one of the oldest medical knowledges, has a close relationship with yoga, so it was concluded that with the onset of menstruation, the female nature changes and the fire in it increases. For this reason, during such a period, it is important for a woman to practice those asanas that will calm her down a little and “cool” her, but inverse asanas, on the contrary, increase energy and internal fire.

Preparation and general safety rules

When performing inverted asanas, you should be as careful as possible; firstly, if performed incorrectly, you can injure the spine and, above all, the cervical region, and secondly, you can worsen not only the general physical condition of a person, but also the mental one.

For this reason, be sure to thoroughly prepare for them before starting classes:

when selecting inverted asanas for classes, it is better to follow from simple to more complex;
before performing this type of asana, it is necessary to “warm up” the body well;
to avoid injury, try to practice with an instructor;
increase the time spent in this type of asanas gradually;
When performing an asana, you should fully concentrate on your body and control it as much as possible.

Not for beginners

Those who have already been familiar with the practice of yoga for quite some time can perform inverted asanas at home, but in this case, you must follow all safety rules so as not to injure yourself. It is better to use small bolsters to secure the cervical spine, and you should also carefully choose the room for training - there should be no dangerous objects located close to your mat.

Proper preparation

The effect that will be reflected on your body depends on how correctly you prepare for inverted asanas. Beginners should not stay in inverted asanas for too long, even if they do not experience discomfort; it is better not to overload the body and enter the practice gradually. Also, after each such asana, a step should be performed that allows you to relax the body as much as possible and then, while relaxing, enter the next asana.

Imagine that you are in the gym and practicing with an instructor. 45 minutes of class have already passed, and the instructor says the “scary” words: “Okay, let's move on to inverted poses, time for shirshasana (headstand)!”

Your heart instantly leaps, your stomach clenches, and you do everything possible to avoid meeting the instructor’s eyes. You pretend to be dead and freeze in a child’s pose, pretending that you didn’t hear anything about the headstand. Common situation? Or does the idea of balancing on your head/arms/forearms/shoulders light you up? Then feel free to try raising your legs up.

However, if you are afraid, or afraid and worried, check out the list of advantages from inverted asanas:

give a burst of energy;
allow you to fully concentrate on the present moment;
you can look at the world from a different angle;
good for the heart;
improve blood supply to the brain;
strengthen the chest, arms, forearms, shoulders;
stabilize the spine;
calm the mind and increase concentration;
it is very funny!
solve the problem of varicose veins and hemorrhoids.

I started practicing headstand without a teacher. And even without preparation. I saw on Instagram how easily Americans do it, and I thought I could do it too. My neck hurt for about a month after that. At that time I did not yet know the technique of building a practice, that the back muscles should be ready to hold me in an inverted position. After two years of daily practice, I overcame my fear and began to master shirshasana against the wall. Then she moved a couple of centimeters away from her and tried again.

My three-year-old son, as soon as he sees me in the stand, runs to belay. It is very funny.

The most interesting thing happens in the process of studying inverted asanas. Remember that the result is not the main thing, the main thing is to enjoy the process, to get high from the learning itself. And when you reach your destination - the elusive combination of balance and breathing, the journey does not end there. This is where the fun begins.

Here are some tips to help you start practicing on the mat and in life.

Ask yourself questions, look for answers

Be curious and face your own fears. What are you afraid of? Roll over? Fall and get injured? What is the cause of fear? Are you afraid of looking stupid, or just don't know how to get into a pose?

Fear is an important emotion that keeps us safe. However, try to work even with the fear present. As they say, the eyes are afraid, but the hands do. Take your fears apart. Ask yourself important questions and get to the true cause of your own fear. Yes, the answer may surprise you. But it's definitely worth looking into.

And most importantly, it’s okay to be afraid. Especially if you didn’t hang upside down from trees as a child, and were exempt from physical education. My main fear was to fail and not be able to teach. Your fear may be related to something else.

Inverted poses are refreshing and invigorating. They are best practiced in the morning, because in the evening it is difficult to fall asleep after them. When you are head down, the world disappears and all that remains is your breath.

In the meantime, try starting with an experienced instructor. He will tell you when you are ready to stand on your head and when you are not.

Don't expect anything

Expectations lead to disappointment. Some people give up on the 10th try. But progress can happen on the hundredth attempt. Practice is primarily a process, do not focus on the result. The result of yoga may be that you feel healthy, strong and resilient. That, for example, you can climb to the fifth floor without shortness of breath.

This is also a good result.

So drop expectations and keep it simple, choose an alternative pose. Introduce semi-inverted poses (where the head is lower than the heart) into your daily routine. They have similar benefits as traditional inverted asanas. And they are great prep for handstands/headstands/forearms. For example, head down dog, legs on the wall, salamba sarvangasana, halasana. And of course, use blocks to prepare your lower back. Remember that when you step on the mat, your body reacts differently each time. You may have had a difficult, emotional day. Then it is better not to practice inverted. Or you are full of strength and energy and ready to move mountains. Catch your feelings. Don't expect super results from yourself every day. Sometimes preparation for an asana is the result.

Play

This is the key to all inverted poses! Get up. Fall. Try again. Laugh. Don't take yourself too seriously. Have you seen how children learn to walk? They stop at nothing, fall and rise again. They get up on their feet, rejoice, and get back on their butts. This is inherent in us, the joy of the process, we just forget. Give your body a chance, turn off your brain and let yourself soar. Sometimes in a moment of spontaneity, expectation and the voice of the ego become silent, the body ends up in the air. And here you breathe!

Watch your breath, don't let your mind interfere.

Set achievable goals

Do you really want to easily get into inverted asanas? Are you eager to learn something new? Have you been holding a handstand for a full 5 seconds? Have you asked yourself questions, gotten rid of fears and prepared your back and core muscles? Or you just want to do yoga and enjoy the process without a goal. Ask yourself and the answer will come.

If you answered yes to all the questions and have mastered breathing in inverted poses, then you are ready to set goals. For example, stand against a wall for 30 seconds a day. Increase your stand time every week. And increase the intensity of your stand-up preparation. This should be a minimum of an hour-long complex, when the body is fully warmed up and ready to take off.

Practice

To paraphrase B.K.S. Iyengar, if you want to learn how to do inversions, you need to practice them every day! Not once a week, not just in the studio with a teacher, but every day!

Make it a morning habit to raise your feet above your head before you leave the house. Try raising your legs higher during your lunch break. (if this is appropriate in your office, do not alarm your colleagues). Set goals and time to achieve them in order to practice successfully. And you will probably see positive changes, at least in the surge of energy, strength and some insights about yourself.

Find support

Support on the path to self-development is very important. I know many teachers whose close relatives did not support them on their path. We decided that yoga is fun, for which it is not worth giving up worldly joys, a good university education and work as an economist. And they did not accept the changes happening to them. This is the sad side.

But the support of at least one person in the universe will change your practice. Let it be an instructor or a friend. The main thing is that you feel that it is there. And you can find it in thematic communities where there are strong yoga practitioners with whom you can communicate, read about their path, or find a guru among them.

Use props, blocks, straps and blankets to support your spine. If you're not a fan of props, ask a good friend to hold your feet in the air. Find a teacher you trust and ask to demonstrate the inversions in a group. You don't have to do everything alone.

Find support and you will succeed.

Headstand (Salamba Sirsasana 2)

This is a lightweight version of the headstand. It is best to start mastering shirshasana with it. And the step-by-step instructions will help you understand at each stage whether you are ready for the stand or not.

Kneel down into table pose.
Place your hands shoulder-width apart and spread your fingers wide.
Lower your chin to your chest and place your head in your hands. Elbows and shoulders should form a 90 degree angle. You should stand only on the place of the head that is 4 fingers away from the crown of the head. A soft cloth (can be a carpet) is placed under this place.
Step your toes toward your hands, pointing your pelvis up.
Lift your toes and lift your knees off the mat.
Press your fingers into the mat and feel stable support.
Lift your right leg and rest your knee on your elbow or triceps muscle. Repeat with the other leg.
When you feel ready, pull both knees toward your chest. Find strength in your hands. When you feel confident, try to lift one leg up and bring it back. Try the same with the other leg. Then try lifting both legs up.
Connect your legs in the air and push off the mat with your hands, breathe!

Friends, remember the contraindications to inverted asanas, such as:

pregnancy;
displacement of the cervical vertebrae;
thoracic or cervical injuries;
thyroid diseases;
temperature;
full stomach;
high blood pressure;
cardiovascular diseases.

Start with an experienced instructor who knows how to prepare your body for inversions. And remember, it didn’t work out the first time, don’t panic, it will work out the second, third, hundredth time.

As my friend said: “Sash, what are you afraid of, no one has ever died from falling from shirshasana.”

Yoga is not just a set of poses (asanas) that keep the body in good physical shape, but it is a teaching that helps to know your soul and body. It changes your worldview, as a result of which you gain inner peace and balance, and get rid of incorrect life principles and foundations. Yoga poses (asanas) do not heal in themselves, but only activate the body’s own internal forces, which are capable of performing a healing function. Yoga allows anyone to live in harmony with themselves, the world around them and other people.

Inverted yoga poses are asanas in which the position of the pelvis is higher than the head. For many yoga practitioners, inversions are a favorite exercise. When done correctly, they provide enormous health benefits. Having returned to a normal position, a person notices a clearing of consciousness, relief from fatigue, and the appearance of vigor.

Inverted yoga poses (asanas) improve blood circulation in the brain, help strengthen individual parts of the body, normalize sleep and increase concentration, and improve overall health. They help relieve tension in the cervical region, make the spine stronger and more flexible, regulate water-salt balance (thanks to blood flow to the hypothalamus and kidneys), and prevent constipation. Inverted yoga poses (asanas) are believed to reverse the aging process and reduce the effect of gravity on the body.

All inverted yoga poses (asanas) are contraindicated for hypertension, severe atherosclerosis, and heart disease. Also, performing them is not recommended if the practitioner has had spinal injuries, has pain in the back, neck, or feels discomfort in the throat or thyroid gland. Girls and women should not perform inverted poses during menstruation. Inverted yoga poses (asanas) require preparation and should be performed with great caution, only gradually increasing the time they are performed.

There are several basic inverted yoga poses (asanas): Halasana, Viparita Karani, Sarvangasana and Shirshasana.

Lie on your back, legs extended on the floor. Extend your arms along your body. As you exhale, lift both legs up and move them behind your head, lifting your lower back off the floor. When your legs touch the floor behind your head (or are parallel to the floor), lift your pelvis and straighten your spine. Straighten your knees. Hands support your back in an upright position. The chin is pressed to the chest. Relax in the pose. To begin, maintain this position for 10 – 15 seconds. Then gradually increase the time to five minutes. Breathing should be slow and only through the nose. Concentrate consciousness in the area of the thyroid gland. As you inhale, slowly lower your back, placing each vertebra so that your pelvis rests on the floor and your legs are raised at an angle of 90 degrees. As you exhale, without lifting your lower back from the floor, lower your legs straight.

Long-term and systematic practice of this inverted yoga pose (asana) keeps the spine very flexible and flexible and helps remove fat deposits in the lower abdomen. Halasana (plow pose) stimulates brain activity and cures many diseases of the spine. spleen and liver. The pose eliminates constipation and hemorrhoids.

Inverted yoga pose (asana)

Lie with your back on the floor. Feet together, arms along the body with palms on the floor. Breathing is deep. Using your arms to support your body, lift your legs above your head, keeping them at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Bend your arms and place your palms on the top of your thighs. Breathe deeply and rhythmically. Eyes closed. Relax your body as much as possible. Concentrate your mind on your breathing. Imagine how Prana (energy) enters Muladhara (tailbone), passes through Sushumna (spine) and leaves Sahasrara (top of the head). At the end of the exercise, slowly return to the starting position and relax.

Start mastering Viparita Karani gradually, from 10-15 seconds. Slowly increase the time you spend in the pose each day. When you reach half an hour of daily practice of Viparita Karani, then after each exercise eat light food, because... This asana greatly enhances the digestive fire. After six months of practicing Viparita Karani (thirty minutes a day), gray hair and wrinkles on your face will disappear, many diseases will be healed, your body will become healthier and rejuvenate.

Inverted yoga pose (asana)

Sarvangasana - other names are birch and candle, this is one of the unique poses in the yoga system that rejuvenates the body. Lie on your back, legs extended, arms along your body, palms down. Slowly lift your legs, hips and pelvis. Elbows and palms rest on the floor. Without bending your knees, bring them above your face. Press your chin to your chest and the back of your head to the floor. Then slowly raise your legs to a vertical position, supporting your back with your hands. Only the back of the head, back of the neck, shoulders to the elbows and shoulder joints should lie on the floor. The rest of the body should form one vertical line perpendicular to the floor. Focus on the thyroid gland. Breathe deeply, slowly, rhythmically. In the first couples, the duration of stay in the pose should not exceed 10 - 15 seconds. Over time, gradually increase to 10-15 minutes. After performing the asana, slowly lower yourself to the floor and relax for a few minutes.

The effect of sarvangasana cannot be overestimated. It is a panacea for many diseases. This asana improves the functioning of all endocrine glands, abdominal and pelvic organs, prevents premature aging, eliminates wrinkles on the face, returns the body to a youthful appearance, helps in the treatment of varicose veins of the legs (if you follow the Yogi diet), hemorrhoids, impotence in men and frigidity in women. Untrained people who are not involved in physical education should not perform sarvangasana until they have mastered viparita karani and can remain in it for more than 5 minutes.

Inverted yoga pose (asana)

Inverted yoga poses (asanas) have a huge impact on human health, among them the first place is occupied by shirshasana or headstand. She is considered the queen among all yoga asanas and mudras. I recommend doing it early in the morning every day. Kneel near the wall. Place your forearms on the mat so that your elbows are shoulder-width apart. Interlace the fingers of your palms so that they form a bowl. Bend forward, place the top of your head on the mat so that the back of your head touches your folded palms. Stay 10-15 seconds in this position. Then lift your pelvis and hips, straighten your legs and, bending them at the knees, smoothly lift them off the mat, maintaining balance on your head and arms. Slowly raise your legs up and stand on your head in a strictly vertical position. The body, legs and head should form a straight line. Relax in this position. I recommend starting to perform shirshasana literally from a few seconds, gradually increasing its duration to 30 minutes. The most important thing is to be in the pose without overexertion. To return to the starting position, bend your hips and knees, then slowly lower yourself to the mat. In a bent position, rest a little to normalize blood circulation.

Shirshasana perfectly trains the tone of the blood vessels of the brain, reliably prevents strokes and provides brain cells with additional nutrition. It improves hearing, vision, has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, prevents and treats disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, varicose veins, improves memory and speed of understanding. In addition, lymph begins to circulate intensively throughout the body, washing away toxins and debris from the cells. With daily practice of asana, general healing and rejuvenation of the body occurs. It should be taken into account that at the beginning of the practice of shirshasana, some people may develop a voracious appetite and the acidity of gastric juice may increase. During this time, it is recommended to often eat fruits, cereals or drink juices. Gradually the body will rebuild itself and the need for this will no longer exist.

It is necessary to start doing inverted yoga poses (asanas) with viparati karani. After mastering it, you can move on to performing the sarvangasana pose, and after mastering it, you can already do sirsasana. It took me personally one year to master the first two yoga poses (asanas). Under no circumstances should you rush.