Upside down

Does any one practice inversions (headstand, handstand, shoulder stand) as chi kung?

How do you practice the postures? What breathing are you taught with them? Where did the system originate? What benefits do you feel you gain?

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Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
High mountains are a feeling
I don't need to sell my soul, he's already in me

Huh, na never tried it.

What's the benefits?

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Oh THAT'S how that works!

True inversions suspend the body from above, not support from underneath upside down. While there are exercises and benefits that can be gained from support, the most important gains I get from suspended inversion is spinal decompression.

Peace-
Cam

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Rock On!
Cam
"Raise up your mind....."

“	True inversions suspend the body from above	”

Some. There are chi kung practices that qualify as true inversions which do not and the theory behind them does not require it.

__________________
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
High mountains are a feeling
I don't need to sell my soul, he's already in me

You won't get any decompression value out of those methods....

Peace-
Cam

__________________
Rock On!
Cam
"Raise up your mind....."

You'd be surprised.

__________________
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
High mountains are a feeling
I don't need to sell my soul, he's already in me

“	You'd be surprised.	”

So would the entire medical field, the world of physics and the world of biomechanics.

Peace-
Cam

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Rock On!
Cam
"Raise up your mind....."

And yet yogis get the benefit of decompression from inversions while remaining in contact with the ground. Impressive, huh?

I'm curious about inversions in chi kung though. Any experience of that, Cam?

__________________
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
High mountains are a feeling
I don't need to sell my soul, he's already in me

Yes, but John, you should know by now if it can't be PROVED SCIENTIFICALLY (whatever that means) it isn't true, regardless of people's experience.

It interests me that inversions are traditionally seen as mudra not asana. I didn't know that they did them as qigong.

T

Not physically possible. Actually, it's more detrimental as far as decompression is concerned because you are taking the heaviest part of the body and putting it on top of the spine so it compresses the spine moreso than standing or sitting upright.

“	Yes, but John, you should know by now if it can't be PROVED SCIENTIFICALLY (whatever that means) it isn't true,	”

Forget science, simple common sense tells you it will not decompress the spine.

Peace-
Cam

__________________
Rock On!
Cam
"Raise up your mind....."

Ever see footage of that Italian chick who lives her life upside down, walking on her hands because it relieves her sore back? She even eats upside down.
I'll see if I can find it in the archives.

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"I say, if you want to find out where the road goes, get in the fast lane and hit the gas." Calvin and Hobbes

Walking on your legs uses a large portion of the lower back (I had experiences with this all last week when I had a severely pulled muscle in my lower back. I had to literally bear crawl to get around the house for a few days). I can understand how walking on her hands would alleviate the use of certain muscle groups but it probably wreaks havok with her spinal alignment and is probably only enforcing the problems she has when trying to walk on her legs. Meaning the more she walks around on her hands the more she will exacerbate the pain and problems she has when trying to walk normally.

Peace-
Cam

__________________
Rock On!
Cam
"Raise up your mind....."

im with cam on this

although it would relieve pressure on the lumbar region

it would cause compression in the upper back

but saying that

some yogis have amazing musclo-skeletal control

so who knows what they are capable of doing ?

but on another point

the increase in pressure on your brain could be very dangerous !!!!

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a knife, a fork, a bottle and a cork, thats the way we spell new york

...and imagine trying too eat soup!

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"I say, if you want to find out where the road goes, get in the fast lane and hit the gas." Calvin and Hobbes

LOL but if you ever had to escape a group of attackers on skates and bmx bikes it would be perfect training... (just saw warrior king)

Pressure on the brain? Certainly risk of glaucoma etc. Lumbar pressure? Probably unless technique very good.

I'm still interested in any info on chi kung inversions

As for decompression - since the thread went in that direction I may as well play captain obvious - a few things in there not necessarily related.

Decompression - opening the joints (including spine) where pressed closer together than optimal. Usually done by traction - inversion not necessary - lie on your back and get some one who knows what they're doing to pull your head. Suspended inversion just a way to use the weight of the skull to provide traction. Can do just by standing and pulling the head down. Done right a massive stretch of the spinal cord. In yoga can just do standing forward bend with correct alignment of pelvis spine spills out of it and head provides traction - decompression in inversion with no props. In tai chi the five loosening exercises are sometimes expanded to include similar.

Do any of that wrong and suffer the (potentially very) unpleasant consequences. Best to get a teacher if you don't know what you're doing.

Opening the joints a more subtle variation on decompression. In tai chi standing align hips, head, pelvis, shoulders correctly, and spine begins to open (decompress) as curve in lower back flattens by gaps between vertebrae increasing. Breath into back and feel action of breathing expand gaps between vertebrae up the back.... can contract again on outbreath like whip movement or leave open... In yoga do this in all postures - as long as you are breathing the spine should be opening with the action of the breath... decompression sat in lotus - no inversion and no suspension. All possible joints should be held open in any posture by the action of the bandhas... The exception is some headstand practice where certain esoteric benefits can be gained from putting pressure on the spine...

Still looking for more info on chi kung inversions

__________________
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
High mountains are a feeling
I don't need to sell my soul, he's already in me