Inversion Aversion? Tips for Building an Inversion Practice
Does just the idea of inverting send a rippling wave of panic over your body? Do poses like headstand, forearmstand, and handstand leave you baffled and frustrated? You’re in the right place! As a self-proclaimed “Recovering Inversion Diverter” I can wholeheartedly relate to your trials. Below I’ve shared some tips to crack the code of turning upside down.
1. First things first: build strength!
Inversions require a tremendous amount of strength in the arms, shoulder girdle, back, and core. Work on inversion-prep poses like dolphin, plank, chaturanga dandasana, and down dog while safely on solid ground.
2. Embrace your fear.
Accept that inverting is a scary experience for you. Trust that it is ok to be afraid. It’s known that our growth happens just outside our comfort zone. Rest easy with this knowledge.
3. Revisit your personal yoga journal.
Take a moment to reflect on past hurdles in your practice to recognize how far you’ve already come! You’ve got this and with practice, all is coming. Don’t have a journal? Click here to read my other post about starting a yoga journal.
4. Rip off the bandaid.
Tackle your fear by signing up for an inversion workshop with a trusted teacher. In many yoga classes there simply is not enough time to work through complex inversions. Dedicating a couple hours to learning the physics and philosophies behind specific inversions can give you more time to understand mechanics.
5. Practice falling.
Whether it’s standing on two feet our on our heads, the truth is sometimes we stumble and fall. With a trusted teacher, practice how to safely fall out of an inversion, protecting your neck.
6. Try aerial yoga.
Aerial yoga uses silk-like hammocks that can help introduce you to the feeling of our head under our hips and feet, making it a more familiar territory when you practice traditional inversions.
7. The wall is your friend.
When starting out there is no shame in using a wall to begin to understand where your body is in space on the flipside.
Does just the idea of inverting send a rippling wave of panic over your body? Do poses like headstand, forearmstand, and handstand leave you baffled and frustrated? You’re in the right place! As a self-proclaimed “Recovering Inversion Diverter” I can wholeheartedly relate to your trials. Below I’ve shared some tips to crack the code of turning upside down.
1. First things first: build strength!
Inversions require a tremendous amount of strength in the arms, shoulder girdle, back, and core. Work on inversion-prep poses like dolphin, plank, chaturanga dandasana, and down dog while safely on solid ground.
2. Embrace your fear.
Accept that inverting is a scary experience for you. Trust that it is ok to be afraid. It’s known that our growth happens just outside our comfort zone. Rest easy with this knowledge.
3. Revisit your personal yoga journal.
Take a moment to reflect on past hurdles in your practice to recognize how far you’ve already come! You’ve got this and with practice, all is coming. Don’t have a journal? Click here to read my other post about starting a yoga journal.
4. Rip off the bandaid.
Tackle your fear by signing up for an inversion workshop with a trusted teacher. In many yoga classes there simply is not enough time to work through complex inversions. Dedicating a couple hours to learning the physics and philosophies behind specific inversions can give you more time to understand mechanics.
5. Practice falling.
Whether it’s standing on two feet our on our heads, the truth is sometimes we stumble and fall. With a trusted teacher, practice how to safely fall out of an inversion, protecting your neck.
6. Try aerial yoga.
Aerial yoga uses silk-like hammocks that can help introduce you to the feeling of our head under our hips and feet, making it a more familiar territory when you practice traditional inversions.
7. The wall is your friend.
When starting out there is no shame in using a wall to begin to understand where your body is in space on the flipside.
Does just the idea of inverting send a rippling wave of panic over your body? Do poses like headstand, forearmstand, and handstand leave you baffled and frustrated? You’re in the right place! As a self-proclaimed “Recovering Inversion Diverter” I can wholeheartedly relate to your trials. Below I’ve shared some tips to crack the code of turning upside down.
1. First things first: build strength!
Inversions require a tremendous amount of strength in the arms, shoulder girdle, back, and core. Work on inversion-prep poses like dolphin, plank, chaturanga dandasana, and down dog while safely on solid ground.
2. Embrace your fear.
Accept that inverting is a scary experience for you. Trust that it is ok to be afraid. It’s known that our growth happens just outside our comfort zone. Rest easy with this knowledge.
3. Revisit your personal yoga journal.
Take a moment to reflect on past hurdles in your practice to recognize how far you’ve already come! You’ve got this and with practice, all is coming. Don’t have a journal? Click here to read my other post about starting a yoga journal.
4. Rip off the bandaid.
Tackle your fear by signing up for an inversion workshop with a trusted teacher. In many yoga classes there simply is not enough time to work through complex inversions. Dedicating a couple hours to learning the physics and philosophies behind specific inversions can give you more time to understand mechanics.
5. Practice falling.
Whether it’s standing on two feet our on our heads, the truth is sometimes we stumble and fall. With a trusted teacher, practice how to safely fall out of an inversion, protecting your neck.
6. Try aerial yoga.
Aerial yoga uses silk-like hammocks that can help introduce you to the feeling of our head under our hips and feet, making it a more familiar territory when you practice traditional inversions.
7. The wall is your friend.
When starting out there is no shame in using a wall to begin to understand where your body is in space on the flipside.