Yoga Seaforth is a practice that is always challenging people, both off the mat and on the mat. One yoga facet that can be hard to do is yoga inversions. Inverted yoga postures require you to find your balance on your head or hands, redefining your sense of gravity and even challenging you to upgrade your abilities.
Whilst spectacular to witness, these types of yoga poses offer more than Instagram-worthy shorts. When done safely, they have a lot of positive effects on our physical and mental well-being helping you to build flexibility, balance, and strength in your practice.
Read on to learn more about inversions in yoga as we break down the benefits, meaning, potential risks and other things about this type of yoga.
Inversions in yoga
Inversions in yoga are a type of yoga pose where you turn your body upside down with your hands and head below either your hips and heart or your legs and heart. Inversions are tricky to do but they can offer you a new perspective on your yoga practice and a number of health benefits for your mind and body. Some of the most popular inverted postures include a handstand, headstand and shoulder stand.
If you are not ready for these then there are a lot of easier inversions you can do such as the child’s pose, downward facing dog, the dolphin pose and so on. It is crucial to start slowly and follow the guidelines of your yoga schoolor coach to avoid injuries.
Muscles used for inversion poses
An inversion yoga pose is a great way to stretch and strengthen different muscles in your body. Practicing inversions include the use of different muscle groups such as your arms, core, back, legs and shoulders to support your body weight and keep your body balanced and aligned. Some of the major muscles used include the following.
Core muscles
Core muscles including your obliques, rectus, and transverse abdominis are necessary for keeping your body stable during yoga inversions. Core muscles help you maintain a stable and strong base which is crucial to mastering inversions.
Upper body muscles
Yoga inversions also target upper body muscles, including your arms, shoulders and chest. In the upside down poses such as the bridge pose, crane pose and headstand, we all rely on these muscles to support our weight and ensure we do not collapse.
Leg muscles
Some yoga inversions such as the handstand and headstand require you to engage the leg muscles to lift your body and keep it balanced. These muscles include your inner thighs, quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
Neck muscles
Depending on the yoga inversion, you may use your neck to support your head. It is crucial to be careful to avoid straining your neck during yoga inversions.
The benefits of yoga inversions
Yoga Seaforth inversions have a lot of benefits and that is why they are incorporated into yoga. They boost brain health because when the body is inverted, blood flows in the opposite direction and nourishes the nerves and tissues in the head. Inversions also regulate blood pressure, aid digestion, stimulate the lymphatic system and improve thyroid health.