One of the most common misunderstandings in the yoga community is that ‘Inversions increase blood flow to the brain’.
If positioning the head below the heart for an extended period of time increased extra blood flowed to the brain, this would be very dangerous. It would put many of us at risk for a stroke due to an incredible amount of unnecessary blood flow to the brain.
In a healthy person, the brain gets all the blood and oxygen needed through amazing, yet everyday mechanisms.
One of the most notable mechanisms is the baroreflex, which picks up moment by moment changes in blood pressure in relationship to the needs of the body. The baroreflex alters levels of blood pressure to prevent too much or too little. The ability to regulate blood pressure based on need is known as hemodynamic assimilation.
Those with reduced baroreflex sensitivity may not be able to modulate blood pressure. These people present with hypertension, and are advised not to engage in inversions, as this may lead to a cardiac event such as a stroke.
Check out The Minded Institute Youtube to learn about this and other mechanisms.
If you’re a yoga teacher explaining the benefits of inversions to your students, focus on other benefits, such as:
- improved venous return from the feet to the heart.
- support in lymphatic drainage.
Learn with The Minded Institute if you are interested in understanding other physiological mechanisms impacted by yoga.
