For as long as I can remember, I have turned myself upside down. The playground was my arena with swings, monkey bars and climbing apparatus. I had callouses on the backs of my knees from doing full circles on the metal bars holding on just with my knees…round and round I’d go watching the world go by in a blur. And to this day, I love to invert (the yoga word for putting our heads below our hearts). Following my shoulder surgery over three years ago, I thought if I had to choose between playing tennis again or doing a handstand…I’d pick the handstand. It’s in my system as there is something inherently natural and fantastic about seeing the world from an upside position.
But what got me thinking about the sensation was a recent article on how beneficial yoga has been for injured veterans (click here for full article). Many returning vets suffering from lost limbs and/or post traumatic stress disorder have found that turning to yoga has offered them tremendous relief. One double amputee refused to come down after doing his first headstand. He said it was the first time since his injury that he had no pain in his legs.
Just imagine the sensation of finding a way to relieve chronic pain without medication.
When we put our head below our hearts, many things happen. We feel a shift in pressure throughout the body, often feeling stronger in the head and sinuses and a different sensation in the abdominal cavity. Our legs can feel weightless and if they go above our heart, we enhance the movement of the lymphatic system. Lymph houses our immune system and has no pump as does the circulatory system (the heart) and relies upon muscular contraction or a shift in posture to move. As we invert, our immune system gets a boost and fluid is able to move from the lower extremities back towards the core.
One of the best poses following travel, particularly air travel, is doing legs up the wall (Viparta Karani). I once had a photo of me lying on my back with my feet on a chair in the Melbourne International baggage claim following a long haul flight. My back and body were saying a huge thank you for the shift in position. This same position is often recommended as part of an evening practice to prepare for an enhanced night’s sleep.
Many variations of inversions exist including: standing forward folds (legs close or wide), downward facing dog, legs up the wall (or on a bench/ottoman) and onto the more advanced yogic inversions of headstand, shoulder stand, handstand, forearm balance, full wheel and their many variations.
The saying of “lie down and put your feet up” takes on a whole new meaning when we think of the many benefits. It’s not seen as a way of slacking off, but rather as a way of truly looking after one’s health. And besides, how often do you truly SEE the world from a different perspective…not from an intellectual one, but from an actual physical vantage point?
Go on…ask the inner child to go out and play on the monkey bars. You might just see things from a new perspective.
