Sirsasana also called headstand can be one of the scariest yoga poses. Some people can learn it with ease and for others it is about concurring a fear. For me it was the latter.
Just recently I over came needing the wall behind me for support in sirsasana. For the longest time I just needed the wall so that I could feel safe. I would tap the wall with my foot as I rose up just to remind myself it was there. I was able to do the headstand with out touching it. The was was just there as a gentle reminder of support. Well, about a week ago in class I was able to get up with out the reassuring foot tap on the wall. I realized then that I was ready to venture out to the middle of the room with my headstand. About two days later I was presented with the opportunity to do sirsasana in the middle of the room and I took it. When my legs lifted and I was standing strong it was like I was doing sirsasana for the first time all over again. It was pretty exciting. I felt ten feet tall when I left that class. I ventured out on my own and I lived to tell about it.
The day after my sirsasana accomplishment I was got to thinking of the day my son learned to ride his bike without training wheels . For about a week my husband was slowing raising up the training wheels so that they were not in the way of my son balancing on the bike. One day I saw my son rolling out of the drive way and take off down the the street. The training wheels had not touched the ground one time! I was amazed. I called my son back to me and told him that we should just take the training wheels off his bike. He was not happy. “But I need them.” he said. I explained to him what I had saw but it was no use. Emotionally he was just not ready.
Over dinner that night I finally convinced him that we should take the training wheels off and if he fell we would put them right back on. The next morning ,after we removed the training wheels, my son rolled out of the drive way and onto the street and never fell once.
In the Yoga Sutras there is a verse that explains what yoga is.
Yoga is steadiness and ease (2:46).
It doesn't matter if you are on the mat or off. I learned a deeper understanding of yoga with sirsasana and my son learned that through riding his bike. We can use yoga poses as a tool to teach us and help you bring steadiness and ease into your everyday life.
