Love ‘em or scared shitless, balancing on your hands is somewhat of a right of passage.
For those of you who have been to my classes you’ll know I often say that yoga is not about ‘perfecting’ poses or showing off your latest Instagram-worthy handstand (although, if you’re proud of your practice take that picture and post it like a Boss! I certainly do).
Let me be clear … the pictures I post on Instagram are not my ‘yoga’, they are my way of celebrating the way I feel about myself these days … pretty awesome! They show the gratitude for this path, the pride in my determination, my awe at the incredible things my body can do. And then I go back to my mat and I learn to be curious, to explore, to try, to fail, to get frustrated, to cry, to laugh, to fall over (most days) and to get back up again.
Yoga is about being open and curious about the body and mind, releasing your true potential and honouring the things that make you, well …YOU! This includes seeing the opportunity for growth in the things you can’t (yet) do. Why do you think you can’t magically float into Headstand? Because if you were born with that ability there would be no learning and therefore nothing to gain, that’s why!
There is such a gift in not being able to do something and yoga certainly knows how to give you that! Even as an experienced practitioner, my practice kicks my ass every day. Even when we’ve found our way in a pose, there’s always another variation of it that tests us physically, mentally, emotionally. There is never any end, and that’s the beauty … that moment when you realise the ‘yoga’ is in the practice, not the end result.
Attempting to balance on our hands requires guts, and determination, a willingness to ‘give it a go’ when the result is that you might fall down or your arms might not hold you up. It is the willingness to put yourself in a vulnerable situation where there is a possibility of ‘failure’. Of not ‘getting it right’ … welcome to the human race … welcome to LIFE! Ultimately, the doing of ‘yoga’ is not practicing the poses but what you learn that translates into the world off the mat.
What if we could learn that it’s ok to fall and not get it right first time. What if we could believe that perseverance and ‘balls’ pay off. Learn that its OK to be scared but to bloody well do it anyway and cultivate that unshakeable faith that we WILL get there! … even if we never do … which is part of this beautiful life too.
As yogini Judith Lasater once said “it’s not about touching your toes, it’s what you learn on the way down”.
So why not give it a go? You’ll learn a hell of a lot about yourself … and you might even get an awesome Instagram picture at the same time ;)
Join our October 'Root to Rise' workshops to learn everything you need to know -http://www.thetravellingyogi.com/uk-workshops-1