Hang Ups for a Healthier Brain

Having the brain at the very top of our bodies means that blood flow must constantly fight gravity to nourish our brain and feed it the oxygenated blood that replenish our cells. I stumbled upon the practice of inversion while experimenting with various method to reduce or eliminate my lower back pain which has recently become more chronic than acute. The effects of inversion not only relieved me of my lower back pain, these sessions of inversion or traction revealed other benefits that came as a pleasant surprise.

A few nights back, I had a few drinks and the next morning, the hangover ensued. In my attempt at a healthier lifestyle, I have reserved the consumption of alcohol for social settings and given the recreational drinking a proper burial. This has led to a dramatic decrease in alcohol tolerance thus, more prone to the dreaded hangover. Despite the deep throbbing pain in my head, I pushed myself out of bed using the very techniques that I outlined in “5 Tips to Getting Out of Bed” I had been performing traction every morning for the past week and I wasn’t about to let this hangover derail me from positive actions toward a pain free lower back.  By the way, I have what is called a Teeter Hang Ups inversion table.

So, I gather the will power to strap my ankles in and go for a ride on my Teeter Hang Ups.  Personally, I thought having gravity pump more blood to my brain sounded like it might be more painful than soothing for this hangover that made me to grit my teeth on occasion.  Within seconds of hanging upside down, the throbbing subsided and the pain from the headache was steadily dissipating with each passing second.  I couldn’t believe what I was experiencing.  Not only did my head feel much better, my sinuses cleared and breathing became effortless.  The increased airflow now allowed through my nostrils invigorated me.  I could literally feel the effects of the more oxygenated blood into my system.  I could imagine my brain enjoying its bath in richly oxygenated blood to aid in the repair of damaged cells.  Everything that transpires in your body when upside down gives your body the opportunity to replenish your brain with richly oxygenated blood while bathing it in nutrient rich blood.  During inversion, the spine is allowed to decompress thus, giving your spinal fluid an opportunity to travel to those places usually inaccessible due to gravitational compression of the spine.  A healthy spinal nervous system contributes to a healthy and highly functioning brain.

Many of you may not have an inversion table readily available to you.  In this case, inversion can be performed through various yoga poses - shoulder stands, head stands, hand stands (please refer to a specialist or at the very least, be careful if you are attempting these poses for the first time).  For me, I feel that the Teeter Hang Ups table is the most convenient and relaxing  way to achieve the upside down pose.  So, give your brain a treat and bath her in your very own elixir of oxygen and nutrient rich blood.  Whichever way you end up upside down, hang loose and be well!

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