Many people believe that yoga is not an effective activity from a medical point of view, but in fact it is not. Each position (which are called asanas here) has its own specific effect on the body. Especially when it comes to inverted asanas, when performing, your pelvis should be above your head. These are incredibly useful positions. They positively affect your brain, which is supplied with blood in increased volumes, and this, in turn, can lead not only to medical, but also to spiritual results with a plus sign. But how are these inverted asanas performed and what exactly are they? In total, there are not many inverted options for positions, but each of them is extremely important in order to fully engage in yoga. Therefore, you need to work on all so that they work out perfectly for you, and only then can you really benefit from your yoga classes.
Viparita Karani
If we take separately inverted asanas, then this is one of the most popular. It is not very difficult to perform, but it has a very impressive healing effect, since with it you can fight constipation, colitis and other diseases of the stomach and intestines. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that such an asana leads to positive stimulation of the thyroid gland. But how to fulfill it? To do this, you need to lie directly on the floor, arms extended along the torso. As you exhale, you should raise your legs vertically, and then a little further so that the angle is not 90 degrees, but about 60. After that, raise the lower body by about 45 degrees, and support your pelvis with your hands. This is viparita karani. You should hold this asana for at least thirty seconds, controlling your breathing, and then slowly return to its original position. As you can see, inverted asanas are not as complex as they might initially seem.
Shirshasana
But you should not think on the basis of the previous position that everyone else will be just as simple. Inverted asanas are very different from each other, and for the development of some you may need quite a lot of time. For example, take shirshasana, which ordinary people call a headstand . She is the king of all asanas and represents a fundamental position in the art of yoga. It is believed that this position has a very versatile medical effect. It is able to alleviate the general condition of a person, treat many diseases, and so on. But to master it will not be so simple, because in the end you will need to really stand on your head. Focus on your forearms with your hands and knees closed. After that, put your head in the resulting bucket of palms and slowly tear off your legs from the floor, lifting the body. When you feel that you are holding tight enough, begin to straighten your legs, and with them the entire body, until your body forms a straight line. Some people laugh and say that this is an inverted asana for those over 50, alluding to the fact that it is impossible to perform it even for the young, and it takes a long time to learn. But in fact, with proper preparation, you will quickly learn how to take this stance.
Sarvangasana
If the previous stand is considered the king of asanas, then this is called the queen. This is another fundamental asana, which some even consider to be the very first inverted stance that appeared in yoga. As in the past case, this position has no specific advantages, since it is universal and has a positive effect on the whole organism at once. To do this, you will again need to lie on your back and raise your legs, and then the lower body. Only this time you do not need to stop. Now you have to raise the upper body, tearing the shoulder blades from the ground. Naturally, the back should be propped up with your hands. As a result, you will only stand on your shoulders and neck, stretching your whole body in a straight line. As you understand, this stance can also be ironically described as an “inverted asana for those over 50,” but the truth is that yoga does not know the ages, and if you want, you can perform such a stance at any age. You will need only basic training and a lot of desire. You will also need a good video tutorial called Yoga for Beginners at Home, or something like that, so that you can visually monitor how and what you need to do.
Ekapadashirsha sarvangasana
Yoga for beginners at home is available to absolutely everyone. But if you decide to rise to a higher level, then you better practice under the guidance of an experienced master who will open for you new asanas that are inaccessible to beginners. For example, this position is a modification of the standard sarvangasana. When you become in the right stance, you need to not only extend the whole body in one line - you are also required to bend the leg at the knee and lower it as low as possible, without breaking the even line of the rest of the body. This task is already much more complicated, but you can cope with it if you work hard. Study the inverted asanas for beginners first, and then move on to more complex stances.
Padma Sarvangasana
As many may have noticed, sarvangasana is an inverted asana that is quite familiar to most people. "Birch" is an exercise that is taught at school in physical education classes from elementary grades, and it is it that is an adaptation of classical sarvangasana. However, you were not guaranteed to be taught at school to do padma-sarvangasana, which is many times more difficult than a regular stand. In this case, when you become in the final stance, you will need to fold your legs in the lotus position, while remaining in an inverted position. In order to do this, you will need lengthy workouts, but the effect of this asana is simply unbelievable, and this is exactly what yoga is for. Inverted asana is your quick way to improve health, find peace of mind and mental enlightenment.
Halasana
This is a very interesting position, as its name translates as "plow". And in fact, the person performing this asana gives his body outlines very similar to a standard plow. How to do this? You will need to start raising your legs from the already familiar position in the supine position. But at the same time you should not support your back with your hands and do not need to stop at all - continue moving until your socks touch the floor. This way you will throw your legs behind your head. Hold this asana for at least thirty seconds, and then return to the starting position.
Depada Pidam
Another common and extremely effective asana is a kind of half-bridge. For its execution, you need to lie flat on the floor, and then begin to lift the pelvis, moving your weight to the heels and arms, and then to the shoulders when you reach the highest point. In this position, you need to linger about as much as in other exercises. There are also variations in which a person can swing in a given position, thereby increasing the beneficial effect, but also complicating the asana.
Pincha Mayurasana
This asana looks more like a bridge, but its version is rather extreme. Here you need to enter the position of the bridge, and then reduce the distance between your palms and heels to a minimum. This is Mayurasana, but that’s not all you have to do. To get the Mayurasan pinch pose, you will need to transfer the weight to your elbows with your palms, thereby straining your body even more. This asana is called the peacock feather pose, and this can well be justified. Honestly, it is one of the most difficult, but not by the technique of execution, but by retention. In most cases, untrained people cannot perform such an asana, and those who practiced yoga at a basic level cannot stand the necessary thirty seconds in this position.
Now you can imagine how important the inverted asanas are, the benefits of which are invaluable.