Going Upside Down, what are the real benefits…

Yoga is not about the peak pose; it’s a journey of self discovery. Going upside down in Handstand, Headstand, and Forearm stands, really tests our physical and emotional strength. But are there actual benefits to them beyond that of strength building? If you were to look-up these posture’s benefits, you would see claims that they can lower blood pressure, help Lymphatic drainage, have cardiovascular health benefits, and a calming effect to the nervous system. The truth is, sadly, there isn’t enough published evidence out there for this to be conclusive…yet. However in class we always conclude that they have a fun, feel-good factor, which perhaps this is why we see so many children doing handstands and cartwheels. We also all conclude, in some way, they test us all emotionally. Whether that is because we find it scary and it is taking us to the edge of our comfort zone, or whether we are dealing with all the emotional things that are thrown up when we are challenged, ‘why can they do it better than me’, ‘I’m not good enough’, frustration, doubt, analysing. Needless to say, it would be very unusual to pop up into a handstand in class without any emotional response in the body. But mostly, yes, we all conclude that the are fantastic at building our upper body strength and balance. Whatever resonates with you more really feel the positives of the challenge. When we are taken to the edge of our emotional or physical comfort zone, there is a lot of learning to be done there, and often a little bit of magic.