Overcoming fear on a beautiful autumn morning :-)
Veronika Polaskova
Had a beautiful practice this morning…felt strong, calm and open…at the end of my practice I usually play with a few more challenging postures, and today I chose a forearm stand (pincha mayurasana)… a thought arose in my mind to try the forearm stand in the middle of the room (without the security of the wall behind me, which is how I have been practicing forearm stand until now). It’s funny how all of the sudden my mind started chatter about how silly the idea was…and how it wanted to keep me in my comfort zone so that I didn’t accidentally “fall on my face, break my neck or shoulders if my centre of gravity moved too far back”…my mind was telling me “it was not worth it to potentially cripple myself”, plus “no one was at home apart from my furry boy Mauri who couldn’t drive me to emergency in case something really bad happened”. Yes, all of this went through my mind when I approached my mat and started to get ready for my first forearm stand in the middle of the room…
Well, I am still here and have both shoulders, face and neck :-) I was really surprised that it was easier than I had thought and when my centre of gravity got too far back (yes, that happened too!), I spiraled on one elbow to the side (like on a hand in a handstand) and landed on my feet…what a pleasant surprise!…another proof that thoughts can create a false reality and it’s best to listen to your heart, stay calm and trust yourself :-)…many times we can do much more than what we think (or shall I say what our minds think :-))…Happy Sunday and stay brave :-)
(Despite all I have said above, please don’t’ try a forearm stand at home unless you feel ready for it. A good guide is to be comfortable in a headstand before you proceed to more advanced postures, like a forearm stand :-))