Inversion Yoga Poses
While many people think of challenging postures like handstands and headstands first, there are actually a wide variety of yoga inversions to choose from for your daily practice. From beginning postures to advanced, there are ways for everyone to enjoy the benefits of inversions – many without your feet ever leaving the ground!
One of the most commonly practiced and well-known yoga postures, downward facing dog (adho mukha svanasana) is a fantastic inversion that comes complete with all of the benefits of inverting. By reversing the blood flow, inversion yoga poses help to improve circulation throughout the body, providing your brain with the oxygen and blood it needs to focus and concentrate.
Another benefit of this category of postures includes an improved immune system. Because the body’s lymph doesn’t move on its own, inversions help to it pump through the body, boosting your body’s ability to fight off bacteria and toxins, especially in the respiratory system. When practiced early in the morning or during that afternoon wall so many of us hit, inversions are a great way to quickly energize the body and mind, giving you the ability to keep going without needing to rely on caffeine or sugar.
A fun way to change up your yoga practice, incorporating inversions will leave you feeling like anything is possible – because it is!
What are the best yoga poses for a beginner?
There are three great inversions beginning students can enjoy practicing while still receiving many (if not all) of the benefits. Downward facing dog is a super effective inversion and a great way to build strength and improve flexibility. Dolphin pose (ardha pincha mayurasana) is another great inversion for beginners. While it looks similar to downward facing dog, the position of the forearms amplifies the work in the shoulders, helping to strengthen and open them simultaneously. Finally, legs up the wall (viparita karani) is a powerful inversion that also falls under the category of restorative yoga postures. Practicing this pose before bed will help reduce pain or swelling in the legs and feet – and it’s a great way to ground yourself before climbing into bed.
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