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Monday, September 7, 2015

#Microblog Monday: A Change of Perspective, and the Handstand

Last summer, because the timing of the class was convenient for my schedule, I went to a yoga studio where everyone, it seemed, was able to do handstands.

It frustrated the hell out of me.

I've been practicing yoga for about ten years, on and off.  But let's face it: I'm not exactly the most diligent student.  I practice best in a community, and when I don't go to class regularly, I don't practice at home.  I am what I might call a yoga slacker.

I know that handstands aren't integral to a yoga practice.  Which made it easy for me to make lots of excuses.  "This isn't yoga."  " They're just showing off."  "They have lots of time to practice because they're stay at home moms who have nothing else to do" (this last comment based on conversations I used to overhear at the studio).

None of this changed the fact that when I went home, I felt bad about myself for not being able to do what clearly came so easily to everyone else.

It took me a year of off-and-on practice, from forearm stand to here, but with better attention to the role that my core plays in the pose, and how my feet lift just as the crown of my head lifts in tadasana, and with less fear of falling, I can now do this:


It's worth noting that I still need support to get up there (i.e., it's helpful to have a wall, just in case).  I can't stay this way for very long.  But it's been nice to discover that I'm capable of doing it after all.  It just took a little readjustment of perspective.

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Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

6 comments:

  1. Wow! I am *thisclose* to being inspired enough to try (after giving up).

    I like the way you describe the lift. Hmmmm....maybe there's hope for me.

    So happy for you!

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  2. I too am a yoga slacker.

    I haven't even tried a handstand. You look awesome!

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  3. Wow!That backdrop looks pretty fantastic too.

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  4. I am very impressed. I am a daily yoga practitioner, and I do not do inversions. Pretty much at all. I both want to learn, and I'm simultaneously at peace not knowing. But I think it looks so cool when I see people doing it. Like you above.

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  5. Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment : )

    First...that is an amazingly beautiful picture...the way the shade is all around but you are in. The sunlight, the contrast of the barn behind you, your shadow, and that gorgeous position you are in!
    Be proud of yourself, because that pose is not easy!...you aren't even against the wall!! I could never do them without the wall, and I haven't even tried to do that much in years.

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  6. I'm a yoga wanna-be. I've been doing it at home (thanks to Mel and the Yoga Studio app) for a year, and I've just finished a 30 Day challenge. But I'm still very much a beginner, and can only dream of doing a handstand! Well done!

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