Why Should I Learn How to Stand on My Hands?

If you’ve ever been interested in or intrigued by yoga inversions, but haven't dived into them yet, I'm here to tip the scales for you.

Since we spend most of our lives right-side-up, standing with our feet planted firmly on the ground, it's only natural that you may have some concerns about flipping your perspective "on its head" so to speak. 

However, there are a ton of health and wellness benefits to incorporating an inversions practice into your fitness routine. 

Here are 5 reasons that you should learn yoga inversions:

1. Self-confidence
   Many people who are just beginning their journey to learning how to stand on their hands are not at all confident in their practice. This is normal, and expected. The beauty of it is, though, that because this practice requires patience and repetition of the poses, once a pose is achieved, it’s common to feel that you can take on anything that life throws at you!

   
   
2. Increased Strength
   If you’ve been hanging out with Yogi Flight School for a little while, you probably know that we are vocal about the fact that one does not need any extreme strength to get into these poses. In fact, arm balances and inversions are much more dependent upon proper structure and alignment than strength. However, engagement of the muscles does play a key part in the ability to perform the poses. While working towards nailing your latest goal pose, your overall body strength, coordination and flexibility naturally increases. 

   
   
3. Increased Energy Levels and Focus
   There is evidence that being upside down has the potential to increase energy levels and reduce fatigue by sending more oxygenated blood to the brain. Additionally, since holding an inversion requires concentration, it’s suggested that inversion practice also improves focus over time.

   
   
4. Building Resilience
   Even with the most detailed and precise instruction, nailing inversion poses takes time and requires you to reacquaint yourself with your body - upside down. And because we each have varying body shapes and history of injury, this practice is extremely individualized. There is no “one thing” that works for everyone. This means that while we are figuring out what works best for us, we are in a cycle of “try and try again” until just the right combination of strategies clicks and suddenly we are flying. 

   
   
5. It’s FUN!
   Many times, learning arm balances and inversions requires you to soften. You have to become detached from the outcome and instead, enjoy the process and approach it like a child at play. Who doesn’t wish that they could play like a child again? You can!


All of this (and more!) is waiting for you inside of Yogi Flight School. Send us a message at [email protected] with any questions.