I've been practicing Handstands as long as I can remember. Handstands have always fascinated me and people who could do them really well, fascinated me even more. It's simply magical.
I was a gymnast. It was in my nature to bend, flip, and balance. It was in the gym I learned, the handstand. Today, I'm not a gymnast anymore. I am a yogi. There is a difference.
As a gymnast I was taught to just do it. You didn't spend time thinking about the what ifs. You practiced and practiced and practiced. Handstands became a part of our gymnastics conditioning. Handstand pushups against the wall, weekend handstand contests against other gymnasts on the team. Handstand contests against oneself.
I spent many minutes hand-standing against the timer to see how long I could hold. I did this just about everyday. I would turn the timer on in the kitchen and bust out my handy. It became my addiction so to speak.
I cannot explain the feeling you get inside the moment it all clicks. The moment you realize you just held your handstand longer than 15, 35, 48 seconds without falling flat on your face or into a walkover. The moment you win your very first handstand contest against all the other Phenomenal gymnasts you practice with weekly. It may sound silly, and yes it kind of is. Truthfully I don't care how silly it sounds or the fact that I'm posting about handstands. The feeling is not silly, it's magical.
There is a difference between a Gymnast and a Yogi. As a yogi, I am more mindful and more balanced. Balanced does not necessarily mean upside down on my hands. Balanced in a way that mind, body, and breath journey together into practice. Mindful in such a way that if the body hurts you listen and respond with respect to oneself. It's no longer a competition.
The difference may I explain, may not pertain to you. As a yogi, it is about becoming grounded & centered. You take time learning the process into your handstands. The handstand practice I once knew, is not the same handstand practice I have today. It's about breathing into your bodies space with love and compassion, even in your handstand practice. It is about growth and being patient. It is about acceptance at any given moment and learning to understand everyday will be different. There are days I can hold a strong handstand, minimal wobbles, and then all of the sudden I turn into this complete mess the next. You absorb and take in every particle of the process. Every breath, each moment has meaning to the practice. There's a difference between a gymnasts spot and a yogis Drishti. Drishti, or focused gaze is a means for developing concentrated intention. INTENTION is the key word. As yogis, we move, live, practice with intention.
You DON"T have to be a gymnast to be able to Handstand... Did you hear me? YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A GYMNAST TO BE ABLE TO DO A HANDSTAND!!!!!!!
Okay now that I've told you this lets move on from the fact that maybe you weren't a gymnast and move into an understanding that just about anyone can handstand. Anyone who is willing to try, willing to let go of fear from falling on your head, and willing to be patient with the process/journey into a regular handstand practice CAN do a handstand.
I hear it all the time from people:
"I will never be able to do a handstand, my arms are not strong enough."
"I am too scared of falling and hurting myself."
"I have no desire to go upside down."
"Oh, handstands are not for me."
"I'm too heavy."
"I'm too weak."
"Handstands are for the circus."
"What's all this talk about handstands anyway?"
"Are handstands good for you?"
The list could go on and on.
With Intention, the decision to in cooperate a regular handstand practice grows. If that is not your intention, then you most likely are not hand-standing and that is okay because no one should be telling you that you have to handstand anyways. The thing that is so beautiful about yoga in general, is that you have choices. You are not forced into a practice that you are not comfortable with. But, if you are one of those individuals telling me that you cannot handstand because of the many "excuses" I hear, I will say to you "Yes you can, if you make the choice to learn, you can." If you decide that you want to learn to handstand, there is a way for you to begin. You need to be open to idea of balancing on your hands and accept there are many ways of learning. The How to Guide to handstand comes in many variations. Choose which makes you feel the most comfortable. Most of all be patient.
There are a few that it does "Happen over Night", but that is not usually the case. Handstands take time.
Just as you nourish your body, you need to nourish your handstand practice too. Nurture and Nourish your handstand practice with concentration, focus, and mindful awareness. Pay attention to present moment experiences with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to be with what is.
And one day you will be hand-standing too.
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