4 Yoga Poses To Help Overcome The Fear Of Inversions

When I was younger I used to love doing handstands and forward rolls all over the house but as I’ve grown older I feel I’ve lost a lot of that carefree attitude and now just the slightest thought of hurting my neck or shoulders makes me think twice before going into any inverted yoga postures.

Although inversions can be a little intimidating they are great for strengthening our arms, legs and core abdominal muscles and they also help improve circulation and stimulate our nervous system so it’s well worth trying to get past that fear factor.

Interestingly many of the poses we do in our everyday yoga classes are inversion postures so we’re doing a lot of them already without even knowing it.

How many of these do you recognize?

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)

• Starting on all fours with your knees hip distance apart and your hand shoulder width apart and fingers facing forward.
• Move your hands a little further forward, tuck your toes under, lift your hips to the ceiling and straighten your legs.

Press your fingers into the mat and drop your heels down towards the mat. Your heels don’t have to touch the floor just pulling down towards the floor will give you a good stretch.

Makarasana (Dolphin)

• Starting on all fours, place your forearms on the mat shoulder-width apart.
• Tuck your toes under and lift your hips up.
• Straighten your legs as you would if you were going into downward facing dog but keep your forearms pressed to the floor.
• If you feel that straightening your legs puts too much pressure on your back or spine keep your knees slightly bent.
• Keep your shoulders directly over your elbows and relax the base of your neck.

Viparita Karani (Legs Up The Wall)

• Sit upright against a wall with one hip touching the wall.
• Slowly roll down onto your back by pivoting your torso and lift your legs up against the wall.
• You may need to adjust your position slightly so you feel comfortable.
• Rest your arms out by your sides.
• You can place a folded blanket underneath your pelvis for additional support if you need to.
• When you’re comfortable close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to release any tension in your body.

If you feel good in this position and would like to stay here for a while you can also always a blanket under your head for a little more support.

Halasana (Plow)

• Lie on your back with your arms by your sides.
• Inhale and lift your legs to a 90-degree angle supporting your lower back with your hands as you lift.
• Keep lifting your legs and bring your hips over your shoulders until your toes touch the mat.
• Press your toes firmly into the mat whilst pulling your inner thighs towards your pelvis.
• There’s a tendency to push your chin into your chest at this stage so be aware of this and ensure you leave some space between your chin and your chest.

If you are worried about the impact of inversions on your neck and shoulders always ask your yoga teacher for adaptations. All our body’s are different and sometimes even the slightest change of position can really help us get more out of each posture and save us from injuring ourselves.

Do you have a favourite Inversion? If so, please drop us a line or send us a comment using the comment box below to tell us about it. As they say ‘it’s good to share’ and yoga stories are always worth sharing