Tonight marked a turning point in my 1 year of doing yoga. Our yoga teacher, Pio Baquiran, challenged me to do my very first headstand!

 

The thought of going completely upside down is mentally daunting to many a yoga newbie (including me) and while I had gone through the many poses ranging from the basic to the intermediate ones, the thought of eventually trying out this one pose churned my stomach and made me feel like I did on my first rollercoaster ride — that point when the cars are inching their way up the steep climb with you knowing that at the tipping point, you are going to go for one hell of a ride.

A few yoginis had tried the headstand last week when I was not around so it was just guts (or sheer recklessness) that made me ask if we could do it tonight. Since there were just 3 of us in class, Pio obliged. This was the sequence we followed:

1. First, we placed our mats close to the walls. One side of the mat’s length was folded once or twice over as a cushion.

2. Pio then instructed us to place our forearms in a triangle on the floor, shoulder width apart, with our fingers laced together.

3. We were then made to cup the crown of our heads on the palms of our laced fingers.

4. Then, the knees had to be straightened behind us as we slowly walked our legs towards our elbows as close as possible. This was the preparatory pose to the lift.

5. Then, one leg was raised, followed by the other leg. The swinging of the 2nd leg should be strong enough so that it brings both legs up high and against the wall as balance.

We stayed in this position for a few seconds, savoring the moment and excitement of that first time. I had sort of dreaded this pose, but for some reason, I mustered enough confidence to brave the attempt and it turned out to be less difficult than I had imagined.

How was the experience? Exhilarating and exciting, for one. I was surprised that I managed to go up without someone having to lift my feet up against the wall. My only difficulty was coming out of the pose. Instead of gently lowering myself back on the floor, the gravitational pull just made both my legs land jerkily back on the mat.

Tonight, I went to the Yoga Journal website to look up the benefits of the headstand and there are many.

* It has a calming effect on the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression;

* strengthens the lungs;

* improves digestion;

* helps relieve menopausal symptoms;

* strengthens arms, legs and spine;

* stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands;

* tones the abdominal organs;

* is therapeutic for asthma, infertility, insomnia and sinusitis.

More experienced practitioners can go from 1-5 minutes in this pose, according to Pio.

As they say, there is always a first time and tonight I believe I made a mental crossing from “Can I Do It?” to “Can Do!”.

Hopefully, the subsequent occasions to try this pose out again will continue to boost all our confidence until Pio decides to up the bar again — to try this pose WITHOUT the wall!

(Photos courtesy of Yoga Joural – www.yogajournal.com)