A recent period of spending extra time on my feet resulted in some very uncomfortable swelling in my lower extremities. For the first few days I experimented with different shoes, putting my feet up, and foot massages from my husband. Pleasant, but of limited benefit. Then it dawned on me that what I really needed to do was legs up the wall.
Legs up the wall is a classic yoga pose categorized as an inversion. An inversion is any pose that positions your feet higher than your heart, and/or your heart higher than your head. Inversions are said to have many benefits, including increasing physical energy and mental focus.
Inversions such as headstand, handstand, and forearm balance are advanced inversions that do both – position your feet above your heart and your heart above your head. But gentler and easier inversions, such as legs up the wall or downward facing dog, are also extremely beneficial. Legs up the wall is also classified as a restorative pose as it relaxes your nervous system and calms the mind. I find it extremely beneficial for relaxation. And I suspected it would ease my swelling as well.
I was right. Fifteen minutes of legs up the wall reduced my swelling considerably. I did it several days in a row and was back to normal.
Inversion Therapy
Inversions can have a deeper effect as well, and can symbolize the act of turning other things upside down. At times we all feel as if we are stuck in a rut, can’t figure out a certain conundrum, or have that nagging feeling that a certain process isn’t really working. In these cases, turn it upside down. Do the unexpected. Look at it backwards or inside out. Answers are often hidden in plain sight, but we don’t see them because we are looking at them the same old mundane or prescriptive way.
Inversions signify the act of radically changing your perspective, turning yourself upside down and looking at the world from a completely different view point. A life-long contrarian, I have often used this approach, even before I practiced yoga. There’s even an old Seinfeld episode where George vows to do “the opposite,” everything from ordering a different lunch from his usual to telling people what he really thinks. It results in being offered his dream job.
If you’re stuck in a rut, try inverting, literally and figuratively. Legs up the wall is a great place to start. Get the blood flowing to your brain, do the opposite from what you have always done. Change course, turn around and go back, turn left instead of right. And see where that new perspective takes you.
