Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Girl From Ipanema

In my current yoga practice I am working on my headstand. The headstand requires strength, balance, patience, and focus. Hence, why I've waited a year to overcome this pose, I lack all of those.

Today, I made an interesting correlation with my headstand practice and my life. When I am preparing to stand on my head, I situate my hands in the right position to create a cradle, and a secondary source of balance. I choose to focus on only the things that are happening in my immediate presence. My hands are flat and stable..... My head is on the ground.... My eyes are focused on one immobile object.... My stomach is firm and secure.... Every muscle is engaged.... I steadily lift my legs from the ground. The focus goes back onto my body. I stare at one point. I reengage my muscles. As my legs rise I refocus, retighten. I hold my gaze and point my toes. I am in utter bliss. I am in control. For those moments, there is nothing that I can imagine taking this moment from me.

And then something breaks in. A thought, an insecurity, or a fear. And just as suddenly my balance flees along with my control and I am on the floor. It happens too fast to even remember what broke my concentration but it doesn't matter. All I know is I fell and I need to get back up.

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