When I started practicing yoga years and years ago, I was most intimidated by inversions. They felt awkward to practice and I didn’t quite feel like I knew what the heck I was doing. Thankfully, throughout my yoga journey, I have had some great mentors to learn from who have taught me the benefits of inversions and how they can supplement my daily life.
When I first started learning about inversions, I automatically thought that they just were asanas where you hang upside down, i.e. handstands or headstands. I soon learned that inversions encompass so many more asanas than just those poses. Some of these asanas include Downward Facing Dog, Legs Up the Wall Pose, Child’s Pose, and Forward Fold.
Essentially, an inversion is an asana where your head is below your heart and your hips. In Ayurveda, it’s believed that the impurities in our body are held in our lower abdominal area and by inverting the body these impurities are released from that area, thus, allowing for better breathing and a more balanced body. More generally, inversions are thought to help improve circulation throughout the body, strengthen and tone the muscles and to increase energy levels. From an emotional perspective, inversions are believed to calm the body and mind, to open the chakras and to bring a sense of grounding to the body and mind. After spending years of practicing inversions, I can testify to these benefits as I have experienced each one in my life.
The benefit from inversions though that I notice gets least discussed is how they can improve your complexion. At least, I have noticed benefits to my skin since practicing inversions daily. When you are in an inverted position, fresh oxygenated blood can flow to your head, which can boost circulation in your face, resulting in a healthy and glowing complexion.
The most important thing with inversions is to do them safely and to recognize your limits. There are some great online resources out there regarding inversions. Here is an article that I enjoyed reading.
Yoga By Artemesia 