Breakdown to breakthrough

Last week I taught a class where I incorporated handstands for the first time. Handstands can be scary stuff so we go through it step by step, and the point is to find your edge and ask yourself if you can move forward from there. Sometimes it's a yes - sometimes it's a no. That's why our theme, which was working through fear, demands complete honesty and working up to your goal slowly and with focus.

One of the girls was on her way up to handstand with me assisting, when she all of sudden let go and fell to the floor. It happens. I have fallen on my face more times than I would care to count. This particular yogi's first reaction was that her shoulders were too weak. I think that was something her fear told her, but this is her journey.

I had another class directly after, so I didn't have a chance to talk to her afterwards. She came to my class yesterday. We talked a little about her shoulders, and I told her that we weren't going to be doing any arm balances this time, instead we would focus on backbends. Watching her during the class, it was like she was a different person. Throughout all the poses she made so many fantastic, small adjustments based on my instructions which was completely new.

Afterwards I had to tell her what a great job she did. She smiled, and said that she told herself that today she would really listen.

I could not ask for a greater lesson to be learned, and once again it inspires me to sharpen my hearing as well. No handstand in the world beats that.