To be a kid again

Hello everyone! It's been almost a month since my last post, I have just been so busy! I seems I have had tests upon tests with papers and presentations in spatterings throughout. Things won't let up for a few more weeks, but I think I can manage a little time to share a few thoughts...

I am still just as obsessed with yoga as I was last time you heard from me. Maybe even more so! I would like to talk a little bit about inversions with you today. Handstands, tripod headstands, shoulderstands that sort of thing. I read an article on MindBodyGreen today about just this topic. You can find the article here. The author was slightly critical of the way handstands have been made mainstream in yoga classes. Her argument is that you have to build from the ground up. Without proper alignment and breathing with two feet on the ground, you risk maintaing the proper form which is so crucial to an inversion that does your body good rather than harm it. You have to be grounded before you can fly. And she does add at the end that she loves the handstand, not saying that we shouldn't do it, but that you need to create a foundation first.

I agree with what this author is saying. However, this article really got me to thinking about why it is I love my yoga practice these days so much. And one of these things is inversions. They are one of the most exciting parts of my practice. And if you ask my family members, they will probably tell you that in the past few weeks I often spontaneously flip upside down. And while the author argues that you need to be grounded before you can fly, I think it is exactly the fact that I get to be ungrounded that is so appealing. I feel like such a kid again when I fling my legs into the air (and yes, I think sometimes in handstands it is definitely a fling rather than a graceful lift). I spend the greater part of my day being grounded. I am serious about my studies and spend a great deal of time preparing for my future. So when it comes to yoga, I spend time on poses such as chair and warrior, but if a class doesn't have some sort of inversion in it you will find me seriously disappointed (which is one of the reasons why I didn't like Bikram...no inversions!). Sometimes it feels good to not be so serious, and when you are falling on your face 50 times for one successful attempt its hard to not laugh!

So go and try out an inversion tonight. It will bring out your playful side and you will realize that your childhood dream of flying really can be had! (and its just as spectacular as you always imagined it would be)