Turn Your World Upside Down

Adho Mukha Svasana Downward Facing Dog

Balasana Child's Pose

When I first started yoga the idea of holding a handstand was completely daunting and something only the real "yogis" did. However, since dedicating myself to a more vigourous practice as well as learning the therapeutic benefits of inversions, this pose is one I aim for daily.

Benefits include:
- Calming the mind to help with depression

- Stimulation of the pituitary gland- ie the control center in our brain that releases hormones which help us function properly

- Stimulation of the Pineal gland which is located at out third eye (in between the two eyebrows). Related to the 6th chakra the third eye promotes imagination, psychic ability and dreaming.

- Strengthens lungs

- Tones abdominal organs

- Improves digestion

- Helps relieve symptoms of menopause

- Therapetuic for insomnia and asthma.

Amazing that just flipping your body upside down can have such a positive affect on your health. The real beauty of inversions is that you don't have to balance in handstand to reap the rewards... Other variations of the same action include Child's Pose and Downward Facing Dog.... Add one or both to your stretching regimen and see what happens.