“We are made to persist…that’s how we find out who we are”–Tobias Wolf
Today I kicked up at the wall at home and then again at the studio after I practiced yoga. Julie told me that her handstands are better after practicing because she’s warmed up; I, however, had shaky arms after practicing so I didn’t hold very long. This was after practicing the Barkan Level II sequence which has about 50 chaturangas in it so it’s no wonder that my arms were a little weak. But I still worked on the new tip I learned in the video — slowly lowering one leg and then raising it back up.
I do want to mention here that the “tips” they demonstrate in these videos is never as easy as they make it look. For one thing, the person demonstrating in the video has already mastered handstand so any tip they’re giving is easy peasy for them. I am not for a minute slighting them because I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to share a video with steps that might get me closer to nailing a handstand. I just want to make sure others are aware that what you see in the video is never as easy as the demonstrators make it look and it can almost be discouraging to attempt what they’re doing and find that you’re not even close. If I can’t do the steps leading up to handstand, how will I ever in this lifetime work up to handstand?
I have to keep telling myself that with practice and persistence, handstand is going to happen for me. In the middle of the room. Away from the wall. It still seems so elusive.
