All About Supported Inversions

by Nina

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of supported inverted yoga poses. I starting raving about them in the early days of Yoga for Healthy Aging in my post Just In Time for the Holidays: Inverted Poses, going on and on about how these poses are so beneficial for stress management (and also for circulation). Later on, I wrote in detail about why—from a scientific perspective—these posts are so effective at reducing stress in my post Why You Should Love Your Baroreceptors.

But if you’re newer to yoga or can’t do the classic inverted poses, Headstand and Shoulderstand (or just can’t get comfortable in them), you might be wondering: how does all this apply to you? Well, I’m here today to assure you that with certain exceptions due to medical conditions (see Cautions for Inversions), everyone can do at least some of the supported inverted yoga poses. That’s because in yoga an inverted pose is any pose where your heart is higher than your head. So in addition to “full” inversions such as Headstand and Shoulderstand, there are several “partial” inversions that are very accessible. And partial inversions are as effective at stress reduction as full inversions (maybe even more so, as some are comfortable enough to stay in for long periods of time). I find the relaxation achieved with these poses more refreshing than that from restorative poses (though obviously some people prefer those).

Today I thought I’d give an overview of the complete set of inverted poses, with their pros and cons, so you could see which ones look most promising to you. I’ve gone ahead and divided them into three categories (can you tell I used to be a technical writer?): Half Inversions, Full Inversions, and Gentle Inversions.

Half Inversions. In a half inversion, your heart and pelvis are above your head, but your feet are below your heart. This category includes: Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana), Widespread Standing Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana), Downward-Facing Dog, all with head support.These three poses are very accessible ones because you can use props of any height you need. But because they are standing poses, it is not possible to hold these poses for extended periods of time. Although soothing on their own (especially the Supported Standing Forward Bend), if you just have a couple of minutes they are good warm-ups for full inversions or gentle inversions because they stretch the backs of your legs and open your shoulders and hips.

Downward-Facing Dog is a surprisingly soothing pose when you use support for your head. But you must use a prop that is high enough (try a bolster) and be careful to place the prop in the right position (below where your head naturally falls in the pose, and not so you need to move forward—or bend your arms—to rest your forehead on the prop). If your shoulders and/or hamstrings are very tight, this pose can be physically demanding and not quieting. However, it’s still a great warm up pose for other inversions, as it opens your hips, legs, and shoulders while getting you used to being partly upside down.

Standing Forward Bend is surprisingly quieting if you find a prop that is high enough so you can do the pose without feeling an uncomfortable stretch in your hamstrings. Be honest with yourself and use a chair if necessary (or even if it's not). However, if you are very tight and can’t bend your body to 90 degrees in a seated forward bend, you may not be able to get comfortable in this pose.

Widespread Standing Forward Bend feels more grounding than quieting to me because it’s so demanding on the hips and legs. But for people whose hips are more open than their hamstrings, this may be more accessible than Standing Forward Bend. Be honest with yourself and use a chair if necessary (or even if it's not).

Full Inversions. In a full inversion your heart is higher than your head, and your pelvis, legs and feet are higher that your heart. The full inversions include: Headstand, Shoulderstand and Plow pose, with supported versions of all three. (Technically I suppose you could call most of the arm balances, such as Handstand and Peacock Tail Feather pose, inversions but because they are so strenuous, they don’t really qualify as quieting poses.)

Because these poses are fully inverted, they are rapidly effective. For this reason, I feel it is worth taking the time to learn them (with guidance from an experienced teacher). But these are also the most physically demanding of the inverted poses, so if you’re not comfortable while doing them them, the stress factor in doing them counteracts any calming effects they might have. It’s good to warm up for these poses, either by doing leg stretches and hip and shoulder openers and/or by doing the partial inversions described above.

Headstand is a very grounding pose as the combination of the inversion with the focus it takes to balance helps move you into the present moment. However, Headstand puts a lot of pressure on your neck so if your neck is a problem area for you, it’s best to avoid it. I love Headstand but it is clearly not for everyone.

Shoulderstand is special because you are both supported and fully inverted, so the relaxation response will take effect quite quickly. Your neck is also flexed in the pose, which enhance the relaxation (see More Love for Baroreceptors). And you can use the supported version of Shoulderstand in place of full Shoulderstand in any sequence (or class) that includes full Shoulderstand. However, the pose is tricky to get into and can make beginners feel insecure. And it’s not comfortable for everyone. See Chair Shoulderstand for instructions.

Plow pose is a very quieting pose, but only if you can get comfortable in it. It can be quite physically challenging for stiff people. And if your neck is stiff and can’t bend deeply, this pose might not be for you. Also people with round bodies sometimes find this a difficult—if not impossible—pose to get into. See Supported Plow Pose for instructions.

Gentle Inversions. Gentle inversions are more gradual poses than the straight up and down inversions of heart directly over the head in partial and full inversions. In these poses, although your heart is higher than your head, it is only slightly higher (though even this small differential is enough to trigger the relaxation response). But because these poses are more gradual inversions, they are accessible to almost everyone. In fact, I can almost guarantee you will fall in the love with at least one of them. These poses include: Easy Inverted Pose, Straight Leg Bridge pose (Setubandasana), and Legs Up the Wall pose (Viparita Karani), all with support.

You don’t need to warm up for these poses, but for some people, they may be more comfortable if you do. They can come at the end of any practice, either a restorative or inversion practice, or any active practice as well. Or they could be a practice in and of themselves.

The advantage of these poses is that they are very comfortable for most people and you can stay in them for quite a while. I find that after seven or eight minutes, I can actually feel the relaxation response kick in, as a kind of “quiet switch.” Then I stay for a while longer to reap some of the benefits of full conscious relaxation (see Conscious Relaxation vs. Sleep).

Straight Leg Bridge pose is special because (if this pose is comfortable for you) you can stay in this pose for a very long period of time. I once heard Roger Cole, senior teacher and sleep researcher, say that Straight Leg Bridge pose was his go-to relaxation pose and that he’d stay in it up to 45 minutes! People with lower back problems sometimes have a hard time getting comfortable in Straight Leg Bridge pose, but lowering the propping (by using two folded blankets instead of a bolster under the back) can help. And if I just can’t find a way to help the student be comfortable in this pose, I encourage them to set up in Easy Inverted pose instead. Instructions for Straight Leg Bridge pose are coming soon!

Legs Up the Wall pose has a very dramatic quieting effect because your legs are inverted in this pose. I notice the relaxation response kicking in after about seven or eight minutes. However, I’ve observed that people with very tight hamstrings have trouble getting comfortable in Legs Up the Wall pose. It is possible to do the pose slightly further from the wall, with a bolster in a vertical position supporting your legs. But if I just can’t find a way to help the student be comfortable, I encourage them to set up in Easy Inverted pose instead. Most people can stay in this pose for twenty minutes, but after that many people find their legs fall asleep. See Legs Up the Wall Pose for instructions.

Easy Inverted pose is is an amazing pose! Because your legs are inverted as well as your heart, the pose is very quieting. And I’ve never been unable to help a student be comfortable in this pose! If two folded blankets is irritating to your lower back, try just one and make sure your tailbone and buttocks are fully supported by the blanket (and are not tilting into a backbend). Having the support under your pelvis is what makes your heart slightly higher than your head, so see if you can find a way to make it work. See Easy Inverted Pose for information.

Friday Q&A: Cautions for Inversions

Q: I’ve heard that some people should not do inversions, but you didn’t mention this in your post on Wednesday about inverted poses. Could address this?

A: Oops! My bad, as Buffy would say. It’s true that for certain medical conditions, inverted poses are, as they say, contraindicated. So I’m sorry I did not mention this earlier in my post "Just in Time for the Holidays: Inverted Poses".

First off, the poses you may need to be concerned about only include the full inversions and some of the partial inversions that are held for long periods of time.

If you have high blood pressure that is uncontrolled with medication, you should not do inverted poses, because, as I explained in my post (see here) they temporarily raise your blood pressure. And even if your high blood pressure is controlled with medication, talking with your doctor before doing full inverted poses is probably a good idea. People with heart problems should also consult their doctors.

If you are having eye problems, such as glaucoma or detached retina, inversions should also be avoided. Likewise, if you've recently had oral surgery. And those with neck problems should avoid the inversions that put pressure on their necks.

People with back problems will probably find that at least some of these poses may cause back pain, in which case, you should please come out of the pose and find an alternative (I’ve noticed Supported Bridge pose and Legs up the Wall pose can cause difficulties for people with lower back problems).

There are many yoga teachers who do not recommend inverted poses for women who are menstruating. However, as far as I know, there are no scientific studies to back up their concerns. What I recommend is that each of you do your own research on the subject, talking to your teachers, your gynecologist (I did that), and other female practitioners, and make up your own mind based on their advice.

Finally, if you are pregnant and not already experienced doing inverted poses, this is probably not the best time for you to start.

—Nina

Just in Time for the Holidays: Inverted Poses

by Nina

In my original post about the relaxation response and yoga (see here), I mentioned that inverted yoga poses are one of the many ways you can trigger the relaxation response. Inverted poses are my personal go-to stress busters of choice, and if I could get my hands on Paul Weston (see here), I’d certainly teach him one or more of these amazing poses. So today I’m going to explain what I mean by “inverted poses,” and I’ll also provide some scientific background on them because understanding why these poses work can help you get the most out of them. Okay, here goes:

Any yoga pose where your heart is above your head is considered to be an inversion. Inverted yoga poses include full inversions, such as Headstand and Shoulderstand, where your heart is directly over your head and the rest of your body is also fully inverted. Also included as inverted poses are partial inversions, such as Downward-Facing Dog pose and Standing Forward Bend, where your heart is less directly over your head and your legs are either not fully and not at all inverted.

Standing Forward Bend from Yoga: The Poetry of the Body

The reason these poses trigger the relaxation response turns to be related to the mechanisms that control your heart rate and blood pressure. The nerves that control your heart rate and blood pressure are regulated through pressure sensors called baroreceptors. Your baroreceptors are located in the wall of each internal carotid artery at your carotid sinus (the arteries on each side of your neck that carry blood from your heart to your brain) and in the wall of your aortic arch (just above your heart). These baroreceptors detect any changes in your blood pressure, stretching when blood pressure is high and shrinking when blood pressure is low.

If your baroreceptors detect a fall in your blood pressure, they send signals via your nerves to increase your heart rate, constrict your blood vessels to raise your blood pressure, and switch your nervous system to fight or flight mode. Likewise, if your baroreceptors detect abnormally elevated blood pressure, they send signals to slow your heart rate, relax your blood vessels to lower your blood pressure, and switch your nervous system to relaxation mode.

In an inverted pose, your heart is higher than your head, the opposite of its position when you are upright. With your heart higher than your head, gravity causes more blood to flow in the direction of your head, creating more pressure than usual on your carotid sinus and aortic arch. As the arterial pressure is increased, your baroreceptors are stretched and signals are transmitted to your central nervous system as if your blood pressure was high throughout your body. Feedback signals are then sent back to your body to reduce the arterial pressure, slowing your heart rate, relaxing your blood vessels, and releasing hormones that decrease adrenaline production. This automatically switches your body to relaxation mode.

In addition, inverted or partially inverted poses where your neck is flexed (that is, your chin is pointing toward your chest), as in Shoulderstand, Plow pose, or Bridge pose, puts additional pressure on your carotid sinus (the arteries on each side of your neck that carry blood from your heart to your brain). This added stimulation of your baroreceptors may enhance the calming effects of the inversion.

How simple is that? As long as you are warm, quiet, and comfortable in the inverted pose, all you have to do is let pose work its magic! Naturally, supported versions of the poses (such as Shoulderstand with a chair or Bridge pose on blankets) are more relaxing than straight versions of poses in which you must support yourself, so if you’re practicing inversions for stress reduction, choose the supported versions.

In the coming weeks, I’ll provide details about the various inverted poses, but until then, the following is classic sequence of calming inversions. You can do any or all of these poses, but if you do more than one, I recommend doing them in the order shown below.

1.    Downward-Facing Dog pose, with your head resting on a block or folded blankets (1 to 3 minutes)
2.    Standing Forward Bend, with your head resting on a block or with folded arms and head resting on a chair seat (1 to 3 minutes)
3.    Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottansansa), with your head resting on the ground, a block, or the seat of a chair (1 to 3 minutes)
4.    Headstand (3 to 10 minutes)
5.    Shoulderstand, with a chair (3 to 10 minutes)
6.    Half Plow pose, with your legs supported by a chair seat (1 to 3 minutes)
7.    Supported Bridge pose, with your shoulders and head resting on the floor, your torso and legs supported by blankets or bolsters (5 to 15 minutes or longer)
8.    Legs up the Wall pose (Viparita Karani) with your pelvis supported with a bolster or blankets (5 to 15 minutes)

I’ve taught this sequence many times, and there are always people in each class who have difficulty with one or more of these poses. So I always teach a non-classic pose as well, Easy Inverted Pose (see here), because this is one pose almost everyone can do. Use this as a substitute for Shoulderstand, Plow pose, Bridge pose, or Legs Up the Wall pose, or just use it on its own.

Caution: Inverted poses may be unsafe for those with certain medical conditions (see here).