FitSugar

You Asked: Issue With Inversions

FitSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:50:02 -0700

Hi Fit,
I have been practicing yoga on my own for years, and I love it all . . . sun salutations, backbends, forward bends, you name it . . . except for the inverted poses. Despite my best efforts, I have never been able to get into them! Can you recommend any exercises to strengthen my upper body so that I will be able to do them, or do you have any other tips to help me take my practice to the next level? Should I have someone help me? Any advice you can offer will be much appreciated!
Thanks,
secrethoughts

In my yoga classes, inversions are the poses most people have problems with, so you're not alone. They require balance, strength, and most of all the guts to be upside down. I believe it's possible for all healthy people to do them, so to hear my tips on how to get yourself there, read more.

Strengthening your upper body is a great way to feel stronger when inverted. I recommend regularly doing all variations of push-ups, the challenging Walking Elbow Plank exercise, and Dolphin Dive. I also recommend practicing Crow pose since it will also work your balance.

Flexible hamstrings are also helpful, since they allow you to walk into the inversion. This is much better than jumping into it, which makes you more likely to lose your balance and not be able to hold the pose. So also incorporate Tipover Tuck and Seated Straddle into your stretching routine.

When you're ready to go upside down, start off with the easiest inversion, Tripod Headstand. It's normal to feel nervous that you'll fall, so practice in front of a wall (with your head about eight inches from the wall). Place your head and hands on the mat, straighten your legs, and walk them in as close as you can toward your head. This is considered an inversion even though your feet aren't in the air. If you're feeling ready, rest your knees on your triceps, coming into Tripod Balance. From here, you can work on lifting one leg at a time into the air. If you're in front of a wall, you can easily place your feet on it for support. As you feel more brave you can lift your feet away from the wall and try balancing on your own.

My best advice is to keep practicing and don't give up. As you become stronger and more confident, Tripod Headstand will become easier for you. Once you master that variation, you can move on to other inversions including headstand variations, forearm stand, and handstand. And if you have access to a yoga studio, taking classes and getting one-on-one help from the instructor will help you master inversions even faster.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Inversions

FitSugar — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 03:30:00 -0700

Inversions, in yoga, are the poses where you put your feet above your head. Meant to give your mind a new perspective, they allow blood to flow to your head to improve circulation, which can cure headaches and help relieve depression. Going upside down also increases strength in your upper arms, back, and abdomen. These poses require skill and patience, so be sure to practice these regularly.

View Slideshow ›

Home Work: Wall Handstand

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:00:00 -0700

Inspired by the Two-Minute Headstand video, Sugar user ditorres was curious about doing a handstand. While standing on your hands in the middle of the room takes an incredible amount of balance, you shouldn't skip handstands altogether – using a wall can help. Handstands not only build upper-body strength, they work your core as well. After sitting at a desk all day, putting the world upside down can be rather uplifting.

Music: "Lahore Connection" by Prem Joshua

I know you're dying to try it so read more.

Stand in front of a wall. Place your hands on the ground, so your fingers are about six inches away, and come in Down Dog. Be sure that your fingers are spread wide, and that you're pressing into your fingertips to protect your wrists. Bring your feet together and take a step closer to your hands. Lift your right leg up coming into Three-Legged Dog.
Now bend your left knee slightly, and kick up by springing off the ball of your left foot, and place both feet on the wall.
This part is key - place the crown (top) of your head on the wall, so you're looking in between your hands. Now move one foot off the wall and then the other. Pressing your head into the wall will help you stay balanced, so that you can focus on drawing in your belly to keep your spine straight. Try to keep your feet off the wall and you'll really feel this in your upper back and arms.
Stay for as long as you can, but shoot for 30 seconds, and gradually build up to two minutes.
When your arms are tired, place your feet back on the wall and then lower your legs to the ground, coming into Down Dog. Now try it again, but this time do it with your left legs lifted.

Fit's Tip: If you can't kick up into handstand on your own, no problem. Just ask a friend to help you and try this.

Partner Yoga Pose: Handstand Help

FitSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:00:00 -0700

Doing a handstand against a wall is a great way to work on your upper body strength without having to concentrate on your balance. If you have a hard time kicking your feet up into it, though, grab a friend and give this a try.

Music: "Devabandha" by Bill Laswell

I know it seems like the person helping is just flinging her partner into a handstand, but there's more to it then that. Want to know the trick? Then read more

Partner #1 (red shirt) gets into Downward Facing Dog with her fingertips about six inches away from the wall. Then she lifts her left leg up and comes into Three-Legged Dog.
Then Partner #2 stands next to Partner #1's left leg and places her hands under Partner #1's left foot.
It's very important that Partner #2 keep her hands stable and exactly where they are, trying not to let them lower down towards the floor. Then Partner #1 puts all the weight of her left foot into Partner #2's hands, and this miraculously lets her lift her right leg up into the air.
Partner #1 puts her right foot on the wall and then her left. She can stay here for as long as she wants and then she can lower her feet down to the floor. Then Partner #2 can help her try it with the other leg.
After Partner #1 gets to try this handstand with both feet, then they switch roles and Partner #2 gives handstand a try.

Yoga Inversions and Your "Moon Time"

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 03:00:00 -0700

Not all women feel the same during menstruation. Some feel like sitting on the couch cuddled up with a heating pad and a pint of Ben & Jerry's, and others have tons of energy to go for a run. I'm a firm believer in listening to your body, but I also know that a little exercise can help alleviate cramps (and your rotten mood).

Doing yoga is great when you have your period because the movements are slow and gentle, and leave you feeling completely relaxed. The ongoing debate though is whether or not a menstruating woman should do inversions such as shoulderstand, headstand, forearm stand or handstand.

Some instructors think inversions disrupt the natural flow of your period, that it can cause retrograde menstruation, where blood flows in the opposite direction and can cause endometriosis. However, there is no scientific evidence that inversions can cause this.

Also, you're only upside down for a couple of minutes, so can that short amount of time really affect your flow that dramatically? Only you can answer that question. It all goes back to doing what is right for your body. If inversions give you energy and make your period symptoms more bearable, then I say go for it. On the other hand, if inversions put pressure on your uterus or make you feel dizzy or lightheaded, skip them. This applies whether you have your period or not. Yoga is all about feeling good, so do what feels right to you at that moment, and don't let anyone make those decisions for you.

Yoga Props Explained: Blocks

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 02:30:00 -0700

When I walked into my first few yoga classes, I was intrigued by all the blocks neatly stacked against the wall next to the perfectly rolled-up mats. I soon came to realize that those different sized blocks had many useful purposes.

Blocks are often used by beginners and those with injuries to help them modify certain postures, but they are also used by experienced and flexible yogis as tools to get deeper into poses. I'm a huge fan of blocks, and here's why:

Blocks can be used when doing standing poses to bring the ground closer to your hands if you can't quite reach yet.
Blocks can also be used in restorative poses to support your bones and the weight of your body. Iyengar and Kripalu classes often use blocks to deeply open certain parts of the body, or for relaxation poses.

Want to see how else you can use yoga blocks? Then read more

Blocks can also make poses more comfortable, especially in seated poses. Sitting on a block will bring your hips above your knees, reducing pain if there is too much pressure on a certain muscle or joint.
Placing a block beyond your reach can help you stretch your muscles even further, increasing flexibility.
You can also use blocks to makes poses more challenging. I like to work on more advanced poses such as inversions, and the blocks help to keep my hands (my base) steady.

Source, Source, and Source

Strike a Yoga Pose: Handstand Trick

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 07:30:00 -0700

Spring weather always reminds of how much I love doing handstands in the grass. You can really dig your fingertips into the earth to get some grip, and if you lose your balance - so what? You have a nice cushion of grass to fall on.

In the Yoga Stretch and Tell Group, one of our readers, snowdaytoday had a question about how to stay up and balanced in handstand.

Doing handstand in the middle of space, with no help can be really scary. I'm a firm believer in using the wall to lean on, but you want to do it in such a way that you can work on your balance at the same time. You don't want to rely on the wall completely for support because then you'll never achieve the strength and balance to stay up on your own.

Here's something you can practice against a wall. Want to see? Then read more

Stand facing a stable, bare wall (you don't want to kick up and knock over a painting or go through a door). Place your hands flat on the floor, with your fingertips about 5-7 inches away from the wall.

Spread your fingers wide and put pressure into your fingertips, as if you were gripping the floor (kind of like your toes do when you're walking). This will take pressure off your wrists and hopefully prevent pain, which many people complain about when first learning to do handstands.

Leave your hands planted and walk your legs forward into a short Downward Facing Dog, with both feet together and about a foot closer to your hands than they usually are.

Lift your left leg into the air. This is called 3-Legged Dog pose.

Bend your right knee and press off the ball of your foot in order to kick up and plant both heels on the wall.

Now place the crown (top) of your head against the wall so you are gazing between your palms.

You want your shoulders directly above your hands, so you might need to come down and adjust your hand position.

Now work on bringing one foot off the wall and then the other until you're balancing on your hands with the crown of your head still pressing against the wall (this will help you to stay balanced).

Fit's Tips: Practicing this position is an awesome prep to doing it on your own. Hang out in this pose for a minute or more and you'll build the muscles in your shoulders, forearms, upper arms, upper back, and core that are necessary for staying balanced.

Capoeira: It Will Kick Your Butt

FitSugar — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 03:00:17 -0800

Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that combines self-defense, dance, music, and acrobatics.

It's a movement game that is played by 2, surrounded by a group forming a circle, or roda (pronounced ho-da) around them, playing musical instruments and singing to keep the tempo of the game moving along. Many of the songs are sung in a call and response format like Kirtan.

Capoeira does not focus on injuring the opponent, but rather it emphasizes skill. Capoeira becomes an improvisational conversation in which the players maneuver one another into vulnerable positions. Capoeiristas often prefer to show the movement without completing it, enforcing their superiority, so there is often no contact at all.

Only the hands, head, and feet are allowed to touch the floor as the players perform cartwheels, handstands, spinning kicks and acrobatics. The free improvisation of capoeira balances fluid and graceful dance-like moves with speed and cunning.

A Capoeira class increases strength, flexibility, coordination and self-esteem. The classes often include basic skills drills followed by "sparing." When I took a class I couldn't walk normally for a few days - my legs were so worked!!!! You've got to see Capoeira to get a real sense of what it's all about, so check out this video.

Want to see another video of Capoeira? Then read more

Strike a Yoga Pose: Handstand Scorpion

FitSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:00:57 -0700

There are so many variations of scorpion pose like Locust Scorpion and Forearm Stand Scorpion, but Handstand Scorpion is my favorite. It's one of the most challenging poses you can try because it requires the three zingers - balance, strength, and flexibility.

Sanskrit Name: Vrschikasana B
English Translation: Scorpion B Pose
Also Called: Handstand Scorpion

To learn how to do this pose read more.

I know this pose is insanely difficult, so if handstand isn't happening for you quite yet, practice this pose in front of a wall.
Begin in Downward Facing Dog. If you're in front of a wall, place your fingertips 15 inches away from the wall.
Walk your feet as far as you can toward your hands. Lift your right leg in the air, coming into Three-Legged Dog.
Bend your left knee slightly and jump off the ball of your left foot, coming into handstand. Find your balance and slowly bend your knees, arching your back and lowering your toes toward the top of your head. If you're in front of a wall, lean the tops of your feet into the wall and inch them down toward your head.
Hold this pose for five breaths, then straighten your legs up to the ceiling and lower them back into Down Dog.

Should Yoga Be an Olympic Sport?

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:30:06 -0700

When I first started practicing yoga, my teachers made it clear that it wasn't a competition. So what if Peggy Pretzel over there could do Handstand Scorpion in her very first class? It's not your ability to do the poses that's important, but rather your intentions and emotions while on the mat. I can certainly om to that. But wait, what's this? Last weekend was the seventh Annual Asana Yoga Competition in New York City. Yoga competition? Sounds crazy, I know, but it's real. See for yourself in the video below.

Competitions like these are part of the movement pushing to have yoga included as an Olympic event by the year 2020. Yogis would be judged on their body proportions, grace, composure, and execution of postures. People will either see this as a brilliant idea to encourage men and women to get serious about their yoga practices, or as an oxymoron. So what's your opinion of competitive yoga and the notion of it becoming an Olympic event?