The King of Poses

My friend Lindsey and I were walking through the campus of University of Chicago, and stopped by this beautiful willow tree to practice the King of Poses: Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand). We're always finding cool spots to show off our yoga moves. :)

Believe it or not, this picture was taken just one week after Lindsey did her FIRST headstand! Even though she had been practicing yoga for more than a year (and could rock much tougher poses like Crow, Handstand, and Wheel), she had been petrified to try the pose. The thought of putting all her weight on her head and neck, and balancing there without falling over, was just too scary. I kept telling her that Headstand is much easier than it looks, as long as you have core strength and balance (which I knew she did).

So finally one day before a yoga class in the park, I demonstrated how to do Tripod, moving into Headstand. All she needed was the education of how to get into the pose safely, and me standing there as a "wall" behind her. She went up on her first try, without me even supporting her! She couldn't believe how easy it was. Now she's obsessed with the pose, and can do several different variations and transitions.

Fear can hold us back from experiencing some of yoga's greatest poses. 

Here are a few benefits of Headstand that fear could hold you back from experiencing:

HEADSTAND:

• Supplies blood flow to the brain, increasing mental alertness and clarity.
• Calms and soothes, reducing anxiety.
• Improves sleep and memory.
• Strengthens spine, neck, shoulders, arms, legs, and abs.
• Reverses pull of gravity on the organs, cleansing the intestines, and gives the heart a rest.
• Aligns the spine, improving posture, and relieves back pain due to spinal compression.
• Encourages deep diaphragmatic breathing and reduces muscular stress.
• It's FUN, and looks really cool, and gives you confidence! :)

If you're afraid of an inversion because you're afraid of falling, you may be missing out on a lot! Honestly, I still occasionally fall out of a balance like Headstand, but I'm not afraid to fall, because I've experienced it many times (even on hard floors!) and have never been hurt. Falling is just part of the learning process.

Don't get me wrong - a healthy amount of fear keeps us alive - that's what it's for! But when you are afraid of a yoga pose, ask yourself, "What's the worst that can happen?" If the worst thing is falling, you really don't have much to fear. Try poses against the wall (I'm still practicing Handstand and Forearm Balance against the wall), with a spotter, or on soft surfaces like grass or even your bed. :)

Don't let fear overcome your yoga practice. There are too many fun and rewarding poses to try. Don't take yourself so seriously. Be bold, try new things, and you'll be so glad you did!

Just One of Those Days...

Last Sunday I went to my weekly yoga class at Tula Yoga, with my favorite teacher, David. David is the best instructor I've ever had, and I learn something new every class... Except for last week.

I went into class feeling tired, with a full stomach and zero energy. After falling limp in my first attempted chaturanga, I knew I was in trouble. My arms felt weak. My hamstring muscles were tight. My nose was runny. My stomach was uncomfortable. My head started hurting. The sweat dripping off the end of my nose was distracting. The yogis around me were all rocking it. My mind was going a thousand different directions, concentrating on anything other than my practice. When I tried difficult poses, my body did not cooperate whatsoever. I felt inadequate, insecure, and self-conscious.

With each pose, I got angrier at myself. Why can't I do this? All I wanted to do was rest in child's pose, but I refused to let myself. I was afraid other people would think I was weak and "bad" at yoga if I took breaks.

After class, I left feeling angry, exhausted and extremely bitchy. I had never had a worse class. I knew it had nothing to do with David's teaching. The problem was within me. I brought my baggage into class with me, allowing my negativity to breed when something didn't go right. By the end, I was a giant ball of negativity and frustration.

I'm not writing this blog to linger on anything negative.... I'm writing it to let you know that even yoga instructors - even people who have been practicing for a long time - have their days when yoga is miserable. Sometimes I'm able to use my yoga practice to get out of a bad mood, sometimes I can't. Last week I certainly didn't manage it. But I did come away from that practice with the intention to not take myself so seriously. I vowed that the next time I feel that low in energy, I would allow myself to rest in child's pose as much as I need to, not worrying about what anyone else thinks. It's what I teach my students all the time! It's all about self-acceptance, no matter where you are or how you feel.

So the next time you have a bad experience with yoga (it WILL happen inevitably), take away a new intention for the next time. Evaluate what was happening in your mind to make you feel negative, and vow to change it in your next class. There's bound to be a difference.

So I guess maybe I did learn something new after all...

Hardtail Campaign Wanna-Be

Kathryn, Jenna, & Lindsey

Hardtail Forever Campaign Ad

Well, we tried.
       Even though we're lacking the gorgeous (expensive) matching clothes, the advanced level yoga poses, and the apparent effortlessness with which the poses are executed, I'm proud of our picture.
       Lindsey, Jenna and I tried dozens of combinations before we finally landed on this one... a beautiful harmony of backbends. In yoga, backbends are known for their energizing quality, and with the added sunshine, the three of us girls were brimming with energy! Backbends are also often said to produce an emotional release, due to the opening sensation in the chest cavity (poetically near the heart, where we contain our feelings).
In fact, I've heard several interesting stories of yogis who have gone into Ustrasana (Camel pose), and suddenly found themselves sobbing uncontrollably. (Apparently, in our case, Jenna had the opposite reaction... she couldn't stop laughing... although that may have been due to the fact that my rear end was dangerously close to her face....)
        Our picture shows real girls having fun, being creative, and collaborating to produce something beautiful. I hope this inspires some of you to go out on a sunny day with a friend and try something crazy. Experiment with your coolest yoga poses. We had a blast doing it. We laughed at ourselves dozens of times for falling out of poses, bad ideas, and failed combinations.
        So maybe we don't look like the Hardtail campaign, but yoga's not a competition anyway, right?