Headstand

I was lured out of my Fortress of Solitude last night
to attend the birthday party of good friend Deb L.
During the socializing, it was mentioned by Sean
to his new girlfriend Reydeen,
that I was a yogi of some skill,
capable of doing a headstand,
which I suppose he feels is remarkable
because of my advanced age.

Reydeen was quite impressed,
incredulous, even,
and probed further into this claim,
asking if I could in fact do a headstand,
a freestanding one,
without assistance, without a wall, etc.

"Of course", says I,
remembering my hundreds of headstands,
as if they were yesterday,
but suddenly realizing that I could not remember
when I did the last headstand,
it was so long ago, possibly a year or more.

This shook my confidence a bit.
Could I really do one at will, right now, she asked?
"Of course" I claim, offhandedly bluffing,
knowing that the setting was inappropriate,
that it was Deb's party, not mine,
and wondering if the several margaritas I'd consumed
would have an effect on my balance.

My bluff was not called last night, thankfully.
But this morning I woke with Doubt, but also Determination.
I wondered how it could be that so much time has passed
without me doing my beloved headstands,
how such a cherished habit could be lost without knowing.
I remember a time when a day would not be complete,
without the joy of inversion.

So this morning, I went to the mat,
stretched for some time, breathing with focus,
and visualized my headstand,
Doubts flashed through my mind,
and were banished just as quickly:
Would I get up? Of course, with ease.
Would I fall? Of course not, I am invincible.

Soon enough, the moment of truth arrives...
I roll over into Child's Pose,
transition to Dolphin,
ascend into Headstand with ease,
stretch fully vertical,
and hold for some time,
smiling.

I am surprised at how effortless it was,
in spite of the time since my last headstand.
Muscle memory, visualization, affirmation, determination,
all came together to create a magical moment.

It is said that Headstand pose ("Sirshasana")
creates droplets of immortality,
and is called the King of Asanas
Learn more about the Headstand, click here.

When I first started learning yoga,
I chose the headstand as my chief goal,
and sweated bullets for months,
under the compassionate supervision of yogini Lisette,
conditioning my body and mind to achieve it.
Once I had achieved it,
it was like passing through a veil of knowing,
and it became effortless.

It was less like Achieving,
and more like Discovering.

We are all capable of so much more...
Henry Ford said it so perfectly:
"If we think we can, or if we think we can't, we're right."

Namaste'

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