Sports & Fitness

Go upside down and you’ll live the right side up!

The benefits of a headstand can be derived from other easy poses like forward-folds, downward-facing dog, or even a child's pose

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 18 Nov 2020 11:00AM

Go upside down and you’ll live the right side up!
An Indian man executes a headstand or shirshasana yoga in Lodhi Gardens in New Delhi. - AFP pic, November 18, 2020

by Atilia Haron

You must be joking! That's what I said to my yoga instructor many years ago when she asked me to try a headstand. I'd break my neck!!!! But I wanted to be the cool cat in the class, I said ok I'll do it against the wall. From then on, I never left Paul the wall. Paul and I had attachment issues. I felt unsafe getting away from Paul. We were together for 5 years. I had trust issues with myself and I would just pretend I have a tummy ache when it came to doing a headstand. I discovered that the benefits of a headstand (an inversion) can be derived from other easy poses like forward-folds, downward-facing dog, or even a child's pose. It's not as fancy but it works the same.

The benefits are, you improve circulation in the body as blood will flow down and I consider this my botox procedure. I believe going into inversions will help you stay younger. It also cures my headaches and sometimes heartaches (hehe) too. It will also increase immunity and prevent illness: The lymphatic system is a key player in keeping the body healthy. Also, going into inversions for a few mins every day will energize you. Feeling like you have yawned more than 10 times in a row at 3 pm? Get upside down! You will probably get some weird stares but, try it. It's fun. At the same time, this relaxes you too. Yeah...energized but relaxed. Ya you know what I mean. Your balance will improve too. On and off the mat. I also noticed that my core became stronger when I did my inversions and when that happened, my confidence magically grew but the humility is still intact.

This week, we will try a few different kinds of inversions, so pick one that suits you. Let's do this! Use a wall if u have to and stay safe. If you have never tried a sirsasana or a headstand, you can always try the other poses. Come see me and we will rock one out of you.

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