Ha – ok… No whiskey, but plenty of sunshine 😉 plus it is a great summer song ….
Ohhhh Yeah! Today it is 60 degrees here in the NE area – seriously spring has sprung! So, what’s up with me… Well – I’m not tired anymore. I cannot believe a few minor changes in my day to day lifted the fog.
Like I mentioned last time – I started taking vitamins again. I’ve removed some junk from my diet – what I like to call energy zappers, I started to move – this week is day 3 of getting my butt out of bed and on the treadmill. Granted – it’s a 20 min mile, but I’m moving again! The snow is starting to melt! I will be outside doing my 3-4 mile loop with the doggies again before I know it. Because I’m moving more my water intake has increased. I started eating greek yogurt for a morning snack – with blueberries. Remember the food that stimulate the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. I’ve also been upside down almost every morning – huh? My head inverted – downward facing dog, hanging forward fold better known as rag doll – here are some cool benefits of Inversion Poses.
Inversions reverse the blood flow in the body and improve circulation: Work smarter, not harder! Use gravity to provide the brain with more oxygen and blood thus increasing mental functioning, and improving concentration, memory, and processing abilities.
Increase immunity and prevent illness: The lymphatic system is a key player in keeping the body healthy. As lymph moves through the body it picks up toxins and bacteria to be eliminated by the lymph nodes. Because lymph moves as a result of muscle contractions and gravity, getting upside down allows lymph to more easily travel into the respiratory system where much of the toxins enter the body.
Energize: Feeling that 3pm slump coming on? Get upside down! Heating inversions such as handstand, headstand, and forearm balance get more blood moving to the brain, which results not only in physical invigoration but mental revitalization as well.
Relax: While the heating inversions (handstand & headstand) energize, inversions of the cooling type (shoulder stand & legs up the wall) work to calm the nervous system, thereby activating the parasympathetic nervous system and producing feelings of balance and calm.
Improve balance: Up the ante! Once balancing on one or two legs has been mastered, the obvious next step is finding equanimity on hands and head.
Increase core strength: Shoulders and arms—especially for women who tend to be stronger in the lower body, inversions create body balance by developing upper body strength. Build confidence: While that first kick up into handstand might induce varying levels of trepidation, once we “get it”, that upcoming job interview suddenly doesn’t seem so daunting.
Stay humble: And before we “get it”, those many attempts remind us of how much more we have to learn, and how truly it is about the said “journey”, not simply the destination. Literally give us a new perspective on life: As we become accustomed to reacting to our world in a predictable way, inversions teach us through metaphor that there is always another way to approach the situation/person/problem.
Inversions are fun: Inversions reintroduce us to our inner child and remind us that while yoga is a contemplative endeavor in many ways, the asana practice is also a time to be playful and light hearted! Inversions are fantastic all year long, but in the winter months they may be especially beneficial. For many of us winter comes with it chilly days and more time spent indoors. There is a natural biological tendency to draw inwards, conserve energy, and move more slowly. So while there is certainly validity to the idea of paying attention to one’s internal seasonal moods and following suite, for many, the world around them does not abide by the same clock. And so while it may be more of a challenge to incorporate inversions into one’s practice during the quiet months, doing so may serve as a natural-caffeine-free way to bust out of the wintertime doldrums and access hibernating stores of internal energy. Now to balance out the cerebral work of reading this article, you may move to your mat and or a wall and get upside down! – See more at: http://yoganonymous.com/10-benefits-of-yoga-inversions/#sthash.s97CSCK3.dpuf
Fun stuff right? So with summer just around the corner – it’s time to start thinking about moving – but without energy it’s not going to happen. So – take your vitamins, eat healthy and get upside down!
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