Sunday, November 20, 2016

The headstand, King of Yoga, and I

The headstand (shirshasana) is often referred to as the king of all yoga poses. Being in the process of finally getting my yoga teaching certification I was curious to find out more about that. What was so great about standing on ones head whilst most of us are still frantically trying to find our feet in this reality?

Here is just some of the official information that you will find written in yoga literature:

• Headstands increase nutrients and oxygen flow to the head which can help you concentrate better and improve your memory.
• The pituitary and hypothalamus glands, vital for our overall wellbeing and happiness, are stimulated through the refreshed blood flow when standing on your head.
• Your circulation can improve and you are strengthening the core abdominals.

Now, this lead me down the path of wondering what else the ‘King’ has to offer that we haven’t considered yet?

Are you ready to turn your world upside down?

Funnily enough for most of us, who spend so much time being in our heads, the idea of standing on it often seems rather daunting. First time I tried, I remember feeling a sense of exposure, a distinct lack of control and support and yet I perceived excitement what the mastery of that posture would entail.

In all those years of doing yoga on and off, the headstand was the posture I kept persevering at. The lightness of being that is created through looking at this world from a different angle seems exhilarating, calming and comforting at the same time. I would almost describe it as resembling a pillar of inner strength in the face of adversity.

Incidentally it is one of the easiest postures to go into once you let go of all your points of view of what can go wrong and just focus on what, I call the ‘stability triangle’, the distance between the head and both arms.

As you are upside down it is almost like you are emptying out all your thoughts through the crown of your head. In fact, if you allow your mind to engage in the usual chatter, you are more likely to lose balance. Sounds a lot like life on our two feet, doesn’t it?

The condition created through practicing the headstand is similar to our natural state, a state of balance and lightness. A place where there is no judgment but infinite connection and oneness.

I am often wondering, when in the headstand, we are reminded of that innate stillness, that space where everything is possible and no problems exist? Is that what makes this pose so attractive, powerful and royal?

When we stop searching and let go of our worries we open up to receiving inspired ideas, possibilities that we often had not considered before.

What if creation has nothing to do with being grounded, normal, upright and attracting things towards us from the outside?

What if all we ever desire is just a reflection of what is already contained within every single one of us, merely asking to be recognised to be brought into existence?

Well, if that means that instead of being in our heads, banging our heads, breaking our heads, or running around like headless chickens we just need to stand on our heads a bit more often – why not do it

What could that create in our lives and in the world?

Magic & Gratitude MG