Yoga Inversions: Benefits, Beginner Poses And Who Should Take Care

Short answer: an inversion in yoga is any pose where your head is lower than your heart, from a simple standing forward bend or downward facing dog to headstand and shoulderstand. In the yoga tradition, inversions are practised to calm the mind, lift the mood and refresh the body, and many students feel alert and steady afterwards. Research on specific health effects is limited: a 2019 study found headstand does not increase blood flow to the brain. Start with easy preparatory poses, learn full inversions with a teacher, and take advice first if you have high blood pressure, eye, neck or shoulder problems.

• What counts as an inversion: head below the heart.
• Beginner inversions: forward bends with the head supported, downward dog, legs up the wall, supported bridge.
• Full inversions: shoulderstand (“queen” of the poses) and headstand (“king”), for later.
• Take care: high blood pressure, glaucoma, neck or shoulder injury, migraine, pregnancy, and during a period.

30 years of turning upside down

By Chris Lalor, senior Iyengar yoga teacher, Flametree Yoga Studio.

I have been turning myself upside down now for over 30 years. I practise headstand and shoulderstand every day. There is nothing quite like the feeling that comes from inverting.

Below, you will learn what an inversion in yoga is, what the yoga tradition and the research say about the benefits, and the easy preparatory poses I teach so that you can build up to full inversions safely.

What is an inversion in yoga?

An inversion in yoga is any pose where your head is lower than your heart. Inversions include standing forward bends, downward dog and bridge pose, and then headstand, shoulderstand and plough pose. When done with props, or in preparatory ways, they are still inversions.

Any version of these poses gives you a taste of being upside down. So it is fine to use props to learn to do them, and do them well. You are better off doing a basic version correctly, with the right props, than a harder version badly. Don’t let your vanity get in the way of taking time to get the basics right.

Learn inversions step by step, online or in Darwin. Beginners: 10 classes at HALF price plus 2 FREE, $59.50. LEARN MORE.

The benefits of inversions in yoga

There are physical, mental and emotional reasons people practise inversions. For me, the main reason is that my mind stops churning.

When I practise headstand (Salamba Sirsasana), my mind becomes very quiet. I am left feeling alert, focused, mentally refreshed and emotionally steady. When I practise shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana), my mind becomes quiet in a different way, and I am left feeling calm and more introspective.

In the yoga tradition, BKS Iyengar wrote of shoulderstand:

“It is no overstatement to say that if a person regularly practises Sarvangasana, they will feel new vigour and strength, and will be happy and confident. New life will flow to them, the mind will be at peace, and she or he will feel the joy of life.” (BKS Iyengar, Light on Yoga, p197)

In the Iyengar tradition, inversions are practised to:

1. Calm and refresh the mind, and steady the emotions.
2. Help the body rest, by settling the nervous system (in modern terms, the “rest and digest” side rather than “fight or flight”). Many students say they sleep better.
3. Ease tired, swollen legs and feet, as gravity helps fluid drain back towards the heart.
4. Build strength in the arms, shoulders, back and abdomen, as you learn to hold yourself upside down.
5. Help posture, by opening the chest and shoulders.

The tradition also teaches that inversions help the glands and the immune system. These are beliefs from long practice, not tested medical effects.

What the research says about inversions

There is little research on inversions themselves, and some popular claims do not hold up:

• Blood to the brain: a 2019 ultrasound study of 20 people found headstand slightly reduced blood flow to the brain through the main neck arteries, which then returned to normal. The brain regulates its own blood supply (Minvaleev and colleagues, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2019, doi 10.1089/acm.2019.0060).
• Eye pressure: a 2015 study found eye pressure rose in head-down poses, including downward dog and plough, and returned to normal within 2 minutes (Jasien and colleagues, PLOS ONE, 2015, doi 10.1371/journal.pone.0144505). That is why people with glaucoma should take advice first.
• The neck in headstand: a 2015 study of 45 practitioners found the head carried 40 to 48% of body weight at peak, and that coming up with straight legs together loaded the neck less (Hector and Jensen, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 2015, doi 10.1016/j.jbmt.2014.10.002). This is why Iyengar teachers build shoulder and arm strength first, and teach headstand carefully.

So the benefits of inversions are mainly known from practice. Yoga supports, but does not replace, care from your doctor. For the wider evidence on yoga, see the benefits of yoga.

Already practising yoga? Non-beginners: HALF price 10 pass plus 2 FREE, $104.50. LEARN MORE.

Go slowly. Establish the foundation.

It takes time to build the strength to stand on your head or shoulders. It also takes time to overcome fear. You need to trust that you will be fine doing something you don’t normally do in everyday life.

There are many simple inverted poses that prepare you for the more advanced inversions. Many students find these poses soothe the nerves and calm the mind in their own right.

1. Mountain pose and the arm variations

Mountain pose and its arm variations are the basis that lead you towards inversions. We tend to forget how important it is to stand upright with good posture: an extended chest, relaxed shoulders and a soft throat.

Practise the arm movements you learn in Flametree’s beginner classes. They keep your chest open, shoulders flexible, neck relaxed, and upper back healthy. Standing poses are also a key place to build towards inversions.

2. Downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Don’t underestimate downward dog! It:

1. Strengthens your arms and the muscles along your spine.
2. Opens the armpits and chest.
3. Builds the abdominal strength needed for the more advanced inversions.
4. Lengthens the hamstrings, and shows you how to use the legs to lengthen the spine.
5. Teaches you to lengthen your neck and relax your face, so you can stay longer.

At first it seems impossible to hold this pose and stay calm, and the arms feel too weak. But stick with it, and you will progress to downward dog with your head supported on a block. That helps open the chest further, and shows you how quiet the mind can become.

3. Standing forward bend (Uttanasana)

A standing forward bend prepares you for inversions because you experience lowering your head below your heart. Practise with your head supported on blocks or a chair. These versions are calming and restful, and you can stay longer in the pose.

Come out of the pose slowly, and notice how you feel as you come up. (See the picture of this pose above.)

4. Wide leg forward bend (Prasarita Padottanasana)

The wide leg forward bend is another inverted pose. Many students find it quietens the mind and is refreshing, both physically and mentally.

Practise it first with your hands on blocks, to make a concave (slightly arched) spine. Lengthen the inner arms to bring space around the neck and shoulders. Then rest your head on blocks, a chair or the floor, so you can stay longer and feel how inversions take the mind inward.

5. Legs up the wall (Viparita Karani), my favourite

Legs up the wall is a wonderfully relaxing inverted pose that you can practise regularly, and for longer. Any wall becomes a yoga prop!

Rest your hips on a bolster, or on 2 or 3 blankets folded into a thin strip, about a brick’s distance from the wall, so your lower back spreads across the support. Aim to stay 8 to 10 minutes.

In the yoga tradition, the gentle chin position in this pose is said to refresh the throat area and quieten the whole nervous system. Many students find it helps them unwind and sleep better.

6. Bridge pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana), with props

Bridge pose is a semi-inverted pose that prepares you for shoulderstand. It can also be practised if neck or shoulder issues stop you doing a full shoulderstand.

Done actively, it is excellent shoulderstand preparation: you spread your weight between your feet and shoulders, and feel how it is on your neck. If that feels too much, do bridge pose supported over a bolster, which protects the neck.

You can also lift your back with the help of a chair, in chair arch. It gives you the feeling of being upside down, and shows you how to open your armpits and lift the back of the body.

Supported bridge pose, lying over two bolsters as below, gives the shoulders a larger drop. It allows long holds, and in the Iyengar tradition it is often practised instead of full inversions during a period, or when the neck or shoulders need care.

7. Half shoulderstand, and plough pose

In a half shoulderstand, your feet can rest on a wall. Your shoulders are tucked a little under you, on folded blankets high enough that your neck feels fine. You learn to lift your pelvis off the floor, and support your back with your hands. Then stay there, and try taking one foot off the wall and balancing.

If your shoulders are stiff, add more height: another 1 or 2 blankets. Go slowly. Don’t stay too long at first, and see how you feel when you come down. We are all different, and some of us take more time to feel confident enough to take both feet off the wall.

Then try plough pose (Halasana). First take your feet to a wall or chair; later, when your hamstrings, back and neck allow, take your feet to the floor. See more in shoulder stand benefits.

Who should take care with inversions

1. High blood pressure, glaucoma or other eye problems: take advice from your doctor and teacher before head-down poses.
2. Neck or shoulder problems: avoid headstand and shoulderstand, and ask your teacher for alternatives, such as supported bridge or legs up the wall.
3. Headache or migraine: avoid strong inversions while it lasts.
4. During a period: in the Iyengar tradition, strong inversions such as headstand and shoulderstand are not practised; supported, restful poses are used instead. See pregnancy and period yoga.
5. Pregnancy: talk to your teacher, especially if you are new to inversions.

Learn yoga inversions online, from Brisbane to Perth

If you live outside Darwin, you can learn inversions step by step in Flametree’s live online classes, from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne or anywhere else in Australia. See the beginner and non-beginner timetables, with times in your own time zone under the Darwin times.

For online classes, a few yoga props help: a mat, blankets, a belt and a chair are enough to start.

In Darwin, Flametree teaches inversions and their preparations at Woolner and Coolalinga.

Start learning inversions with Flametree

• New to Flametree? Your first class is free. In Darwin, just come along to the studio. Online, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join (get your link to join here). See the beginner timetable.
• Keep going at half price. The beginner deal is 10 classes at half price plus 2 more free, $59.50 in total, in the studio, online or both. No discount code, and a 14-day money-back guarantee. For newcomers and anyone away three months or more.
• Already practising yoga? The non-beginner half price 10 pass with 2 free is $104.50, no code needed. See the non-beginner timetable.

Yoga inversions: common questions

What is an inversion in yoga?

Any pose where your head is lower than your heart. That includes simple poses like standing forward bends, downward facing dog and bridge pose, as well as headstand, shoulderstand and plough pose.

What are the benefits of inversions in yoga?

In the yoga tradition, inversions are practised to calm the mind, lift the mood and refresh the body. Many students say they feel alert and steady after headstand, and calm after shoulderstand. Research on specific health effects is limited, so these are mainly benefits known from practice.

Does headstand increase blood flow to the brain?

No, according to a 2019 study. Ultrasound in 20 people doing headstand found blood flow to the brain through the main neck arteries went down slightly, then returned to normal, because the brain regulates its own blood supply. The feeling of a fresh, clear head after inversions is real for many people, but it is not from extra blood flow.

What are the best yoga inversions for beginners?

Start with standing forward bend with your head on a block or chair, downward facing dog, wide leg forward bend, legs up the wall and supported bridge pose. They teach you to be upside down safely, and build the strength and confidence for headstand and shoulderstand later.

Who should not do yoga inversions?

Take advice before doing inversions if you have high blood pressure, glaucoma or other eye problems, a neck or shoulder injury, a headache or migraine, or are pregnant. In the Iyengar tradition, strong inversions are not practised during a period. Tell your teacher, who can suggest alternatives.

Is legs up the wall pose an inversion?

Yes. In legs up the wall (Viparita Karani), your hips are raised on a bolster and your legs rest up the wall, so your head is below your heart. It is one of the gentlest inversions, and many people find it relaxing before sleep.

How long does it take to learn headstand?

It varies. Most people need months of regular practice of the preparatory poses before trying headstand, and it should be learned with a teacher. In Iyengar yoga, headstand is usually taught to non-beginners, often at a wall, after the shoulders and arms are strong enough.

Where can I learn yoga inversions safely in Darwin or online?

Flametree’s senior Iyengar teacher Chris Lalor teaches inversions step by step, at Woolner and Coolalinga in Darwin, and live online. If you are new, your first class is free. See the beginner timetable.