Inversions like Sirsanana (Headstand) and Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) are also sometimes referred to as the king and queen of asana. They balance the entire nervous system and are considered to be among the most important poses for our daily yoga practice because of their profound effects on physical and emotional health. Benefits of inversions include greater mental clarity, reduced stress, better sleep, and improved digestion. By stimulating blood flow and circulation to the brain, inversions also are thought to benefit healthy brain aging.

Many students come to yoga without the requisite strength and flexibility to do inversions, and it takes skillful practice to develop the proper foundation for these postures. In this course, Judith Hanson Lasater shows how to help students develop a strong foundation of core, arm, and shoulder strength to enable them to practice these poses safely and with greater skill.

Many yoga practitioners avoid inversions due to fear of injury. However, some variation of inversions is accessible to everyone, and with steady practice, even more challenging inversions can be comfortably mastered by most students. Learning to do inversions well requires patience and an intelligent and systematic progression of asana. With a growing understanding of inversions, students can develop the requisite strength and body awareness to perform inversions with confidence.

Learn how to create a progression of accessible inversion postures, and variations of Headstand and Shoulderstand adapted for common limitations. Judith will also explore the use of props in common inversions, how to enter and exit safely, and the benefits and contraindications of inversions.

What You Will Learn

• Physiological and mental-emotional benefits of inversions
• How to create a progression of inversion postures, including variations of Sarvangasana and Sirsasana that are safe for even beginning students to practice;
• Ways for students to build arm and shoulder strength without creating repetitive strain issues;
• Safe restorative inversions suitable for an older demographic
• Best yoga props to use for inversions and when;
• The ideal length of time to hold inversions and frequency of practice;
• How to help students overcome the fear of being upside down and how to prepare them for more challenging inversions, such as handstand;
• Contraindications for inversions for different age groups