This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)
I know I’ve written about the headstand a lot lately, but I promise you I’m not bragging about it. I’m proud of myself for finally being able to do it, but I really don’t want you to think I keep bringing it up because of that. It’s just that I have learned so many great life lessons from this practice that I want to share them all with you.
Today, I was finally able to do my headstand completely away from the wall, and it was an amazing feeling. It reminded me of the first time I rode a bike without the training wheels or the first time I drove a manual car without thinking about changing the gear. That feeling of accomplishment is always good for the soul, probably because it feels great to be able to do something after trying and failing multiple times. I don’t know how many times I fell during my attempts to get my feet up without any support and keep them there. I don’t know how many bruises I got from those attempts, either. But none of those setbacks made me think about quitting. Actually, the more I fell down, the more I kept trying.
I’m not trying to imply that I’m special because I kept trying. I’m just as human as you are. If you think about it, we all learned to walk by falling down. We all kept trying until we got it. When we’re little, we don’t have that sense of fear. Our brains are amazingly designed to be fearless at birth. However, somehow along the way we add restrictions to that condition. In my opinion, we let fear get in our way more often than not as we grow up, which stops us from trying so many things. I used to let fear completely freeze me, but I have learned to use fear as fuel. As one of my friends told me, “You need to learn to ignore the fear of falling down.” I’ve accomplished so many things since I took hisadvice and made that shift. That was one lesson I learned from my headstand practice.
When I was finally able to keep my feet up without any support, I was so excited that I wanted to make a video to show my progress. I started searching on my phone for all the videos I’d taken since I started the practice. As I watched them, I noticed that I didn’t start the practice using the same technique that I now use; in fact, I changed my approach multiple times. Whenever I felt that the technique I was using wasn’t taking me anywhere, I started looking for different ones. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that the secret to finally accomplishing this pose is to remove mental heaviness. I don’t believe any approach would have worked until I let my mind become lighter. Once I understood that, then I was able to see what physical approach would serve me best. We’re all different, so for some people taking the feet up is easier by steps, and for others (like me) it’s easier to use momentum and bring the feet up in one motion.
You can apply this attitude to everything in life. Many different paths can get us where we want to be, so if one approach is making you feel stuck, open your mind and look for a different one until you get the result you want. Pay attention to what serves you best; are you a step-by-step person, or do you just need an impulse that will help you get a result? The important thing here is to know yourself enough to recognize when you find the approach that works best for you.
I need to apply the strategy of finding different approaches more often. Maybe it’s an aspect of my controlling personality, but I know I used to get stuck in one way of doing things. Or maybe it was fear of the unknown. What I know now is that overcoming the fear that so often traps us is a beautiful way of bringing fulfillment into our lives; at least it has been for me. For instance, I was terrified the first time we hired someone at our company. However, I knew we couldn’t keep doing everything ourselves if we wanted to grow. So, we had to find a different approach in order to expand. Discovering how it feels to be able to provide opportunities and help others through hiring them has made me aware that the fear I felt was a result of me not trusting my journey. Now, I get excited every time I have to add someone to my team because instead of feeling afraid, I feel helpful.
How did a yoga pose become a way for me to learn all these lessons? Well, I’m not quite sure. I guess that when we pay close attention to life, everything becomes an opportunity to learn and grow. What I would love you to take from this post is that life offers multiple approaches to reach every goal. If something isn’t helping you move forward (or get up, if you’re attempting the headstand), then keep looking for different routes. Where there is a will, there is a way. Go back to your earlier years, when you were small but fearless. Last but not least, at the risk of sounding cheesy, if you fall 100 times, keep trying! You’ll get it!
Love,
Irene
