Inversion therapy is a, relatively, young term that is used to represent a much older concept. Inversion exercises such as the headstand, and the inversion concept itself, have always been an integral part of the system of yoga; a system that is quite ancient. As a matter of fact, Alexander the Great reached India in the 4th century BCE. One of his companion was Onesicritus who claimed that the Indian yogins practiced aloofness and “different postures - standing or sitting or lying naked and motionless”. (Extracted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
The spread of yoga from India to America began as far back as 1893 and continues even today. During that period of time, systems of yoga and a vast number of yoga schools and training centers have been established. A practice that existed for years (especially during the 1940s to 1960), but was not very public or widespread, was the use of yogis (those famous and not so famous ones) to provide private yoga counseling and training to the rich and famous. Many famous actors, actresses and others depended on these teachers to help them manage their daily stress and to stay healthy and young looking.
In addition to the meditation, proper breathing and healthy eating were important components of the training offered to these celebrities. They also received training in the use of the asanas (postures or positions) basic to the system of yoga. A posture that was always emphasized during these types of training is the headstand (Sirshasana). It was commonly believed (back then) that the headstand possessed the ability to enhance ones beauty and to keep one looking much younger than his/her real age.
Today, we know these assumptions to be true. The headstand and its many variations (including the vast number of inversion machines available to the public) offer quite a number of benefits. A rational for many of these benefits is simply this: blood flow to the uppermost region of the body is hampered by gravity and also by ones level of activity. If you stand motionless for a few hours, the possibility exist that you will faint. This will, most likely, be caused by a decrease in the amount of blood reaching your brain. For those familiar with basic first aid, a procedure used to revive a person who has fainted is to simply raise his/ her legs. The assumption here is that such an action will help to revive the individual by increase blood flow to the brain.
The goal of inversion training is to secure therapeutic benefits through the use of machines and physical positions that causes the body to be in an inverted or semi-inverted position. When the body is placed in such a position, the flow of blood to its uppermost region is made easier. Blood that is oxygen and nutrient rich will now reach the brain, eyes, hair and other parts more easily. It is no coincidence that the most obvious signs of aging are displayed above the shoulders: greying hair, teeth loss, poor vision, hearing problems, etc. These are areas that are subjected to decreased blood flow due to the descending pull of gravity and low levels of physical activity.
The point here is simply this, inversion training is a proven way to help ensure good health and avoid pre-mature aging. It also offers additional benefits. Listed below are some of them:
• It relieves stress
• It helps with depression
• It stimulates healthy hair
• It helps to strengthen the upper body
• It strengthens the core muscles
• It removes toxins from the body by stimulating the lymphatic system
• It improves digestion
• It helps improve breathing
Although inversion training uses a number of “natural” body positions, a number of machines are also made use of. These machines will help to increase blood flow to those neglected areas mentioned above.
Securing the benefits of inversion training is no easy matter. The natural positions and machines that are used, can be quite difficult (even dangerous). In addition, not everyone can make use of this type of training. A person suffering from a weak or injured neck, people with high blood pressure, those with certain eye diseases, and people with heart disease or who are pregnant should get permission from their doctor before attempting inversion training.
For more information on Inversion Training or to make use of our Inversion Program, give us a call... 941-421-8784.
