'Inversions'
by Kate (Lalita) Rabinowitz
As a child, I wanted to live on the ceiling. I would lie on the floor and look above, longing for the space, the simplicity. Up there was no furniture to walk around, no obstruction to movement. I loved how the windows went all the way to the floor (ceiling) and there was only a lone light in the middle of the room.
With friends, we would look upside down at each others’ faces, laughing, seeing the absence of mouth in the center of the forehead, and the strangeness of a mouth upside down.
I had to find a way up there, to that ceiling, the sky, the laughter. It began with inversions in yoga practice. There was something about seeing things from a different perspective and always feeling refreshed with a new positive energy. Inversions were not always easy; sometimes I fell or became disoriented, but soon upside down became a part of daily life. Over many years, studies of yoga have confirmed the physiological, psychological and even spiritual aspects of this practice.
My teacher Karen used to say “time your headstand with your rice”. In her kitchen, near the studio, the macrobiotic pressure-cooked rice took exactly 20 minutes, and 10 minutes to stand. After I could sustain a long headstand on my own, we would practice looking at each other for as long as possible…a powerful one pointed exercise. I would also use inversions as a tool to relieve stress or emotional imbalances. Somehow it always worked.
At the Iyengar Institute in Pune, India, there is practice time every afternoon at 3:00pm. Other students and I would be deepening forward bends, backbends, ambitious asana or restorative pranayama practice, but always, there was Prashant, (Iyengar’s son) in supported sarvangasana (shoulderstand), at the ropes, his eyes wrapped with an ace bandage and listening to the Bhagavad Gita chanted on a cassette tape machine. It was such a peaceful surrender, a quiet sacred space that no one could disturb....
When practicing with Dona Holleman (one of my primary teachers) in Italy for weeks at a time, we would take headstand and shoulderstand for 10 min and then 20 minutes variation every day at 4:00pm. Some days, we would watch Douglas Fairbanks movies, in awe of these Hollywood pioneers who were performing their own stunts.
There are infinite ways to modify inversions, but it is the regular practice that brings results!!
Much research has been done on the benefits of inversions. BKS Iyengar speaks of the inversions as bringing fresh blood to the brain cells. They enhance clarity of thought, increase concentration span, and sharpen memory. He speaks of shoulderstand as “integrating body and soul...brain bright and calm, body light, and infused with radiance.” It relieves bronchial disorders, congestion, and stimulates the thyroid and parathyroid glands. There are some contraindications, such as glaucoma, high blood pressure, and not recommended during menstruation .
For a beginner, or a restorative practice, there are many variations of the head and shoulder stand. Supported “setubandasana” (bridge pose) is a lift of the pelvis higher than the heart. This can be a calming, inward practice. Using props of blankets, blocks and bolsters can benefit us when we are exhausted and need support, or they can challenge us when we want to go deeper. At a very beginning level, a simple uttanasana (standing forward bend) is a powerful inversion. Downward dog is an inversion, anything with the head lower than the heart. Gone is the voice that says “I can’t practice inversions because I have an injured neck”. There is always the Prana, upward moving force, balanced with Apana, downward moving force. It is a dance with the body between these two polarities, like the inhale and exhale.
On the other hand, this voice of caution is a great teacher, protecting us and keeping the body safe. We must be astute and precise when going upside down. There may be fear, we may fall, we may be injured. All of these reflexes bring us in the moment and carry us into another dimension which becomes familiar, and ultimately safe. In headstand, ”salamba sirsasana” the alignment of the crown of the head to the floor, the hands lightly clasped, ulnar wrist bone pressing down, the widening of the shoulders, the lift of the shoulder blades up the back, the power of the core of the body, strength in the back, tadasana in the legs, ALL are essential building blocks of the posture. Literally, a building. Start from the foundation, see that it is stable, prepare and open and lift and connect. Elongate the spine upward into the gravitational force.
In handstand, elbow balance, the same principles apply. All the other aspects of asana practice come into play, and we must still the mind, reverse relationship to gravity, and move with determination and balance into the posture. These inversions are powerful “yang” movements, using the back body and all its intelligence.
For shoulder balance, ”salamba sarvangasana” there is a more calming “yin” aspect. The front body is softer, more inward. The upper body must be very open, the shoulders also wide. When using blankets, there is a lift to the top of the shoulders which gives a great space for the neck. It also allows the thoracic spine to open more, and the upper arm bones to rotate outwardly and support the pose completely. In stillness, in finding where the outer pose, the length of the legs could be standing on the floor as much as reaching towards the ceiling, there is a great play on dimensions. The chin is towards the chest in Jalandhara bandha, so a pranayama practice is enhanced by this opening in the breath.
What if every day, for ten minutes, at the same time, we were all upside down? The whole world, taking a moment to look at things from another vantage point, allowing the body and mind to slow down, be regenerated, all the cells renewed. What if everyone could stop what they were doing, and be simple, clear, surrendered, even for a moment.
I must begin with myself, every day, time upside down. Every day, my students also taking some time upside down. Day after day, year after year, we become better, more clear, happy, healthy, curious, joyful. The more we give to ourselves, the more we can give to others.
What more chance for peace would there be?
Please note that lalita (kate) teaches on the schedule Monday at 8:15am, and Thursday at 9:30am!!
Click here to view our Winter 2011 schedule online | Click here to download a PDF
Special Offers at KamaDeva Yoga...
Upcoming Events...
Final Note...
For our regulars, our un-matched monthy auto-pay deal for UNLIMITED yoga classes is only $108 per month with a minimum committment of 4 months!
For those of you NEW to YOGA, Jessica will be offering a special beginners' yoga workshop series, limited to 8 students. This is a special opportunity to be introduced to the practice of Yoga in a semi-private setting, focused and individualized for the group. 
