Upsy daisy

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be ‘stuck’ in any capacity in your life. About how much of that feeling is genuinely circumstance versus attitude and perception.

Inversions scare the hell out of me. There, I said it. They require putting a whole lot of trust in both your body and mind simultaneously. You need the physical strength to actively resist gravity, yes, but that’s only part of the challenge. You also need the mental fortitude to deal with processing a completely inverted viewpoint WHILE supporting your body weight and defying gravity. When I start to hoist myself up I can feel the resistance and fear immediately- my feet want to be back on the ground, safely, where they belong. My eyes want to go back to seeing a world where the ceiling and the floor are in their proper places. My brain is screaming about falling and injuries. It’s interesting how much can well up within you from a brief altitude change.

Today I had a light bulb moment. Inversions scare the hell out of me. They’re the part of my practice I’m the most uncomfortable with. So I’m doing them every damn day.

I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t at least partially because I want to be a badass yogi that can pull off headstands and handstands galore some day. But what got me thinking about my neglected inversion practice was an article that recommended popping into shoulder stand when you feel stuck, indecisive or restless to (literally) get the blood flowing again. Change your perspective, change your attitude. I like that.

Inversions still scare the hell out of me. But it’s important to keep going to the edge of your various fears and challenge them eye-to-eye, again and again. It’s healthy to change your perception, especially when it’s challenging and uncomfortable. So I’ll be spending a lot more quality time upside down, getting unstuck and being just a little afraid. Until I’m not.