Do you remember learning to drive?

Or teaching your teenager?  For a new driver it can be a challenge to go through a stop sign.    So many things need to be coordinated.  First put your foot on the brake.  Come to a smooth stop.  Look both ways.  Twice.  Accelerate gently – no jerks!   So much to learn, and then, after a little practice, no problem for many years to come. 

When I learned that headstand (sirsasana) was an intermediate level pose, I decided to stay in beginning classes, and did so quite happily for several years.   Then one day my teacher, Priscilla Neel, took me aside and told me it was time to move up. 

I learned poses which developed strength in my arms and legs, and other poses which taught me how to look at the world upside down and be happy.  When I finally started to learn headstand, the wall was my friend.   It still is.   

But when it came to doing the pose in the middle of the room, a billboard sized STOP sign appeared before me.   I know STOP signs are not as big as billboards.  This one didn’t even exist, except in my mind.  And there it was:  fear! Years went by.   At least I had my good friend, the wall.   I sometimes mentioned to non-yoga friends that I was still challenged by headstand in the middle of the room.  They were boggled by the notion that I would keep trying.  Why bother? They said.   I knew there was a reason but I didn’t know what it was.

When I took classes at RIMYI in Pune they didn ‘t make an issue of independent headstand.  If you needed it, you got wall space somehow.  It was up to you.  Then one day I was observing a class while Geeta Iyengar was practicing head stand on the side  for a VERY LONG time.  She was not rigid.  She was breathing easily.  She didn’t sweat or struggle.    Then she came down, stood up and smiled.  She looked refreshed, as if she had had a nice nap – instead of a 30 minute headstand!  Wow!  I wanted that feeling. 

Later, back home, I practiced in the safety and privacy of my living room.  A stop sign doesn’t mean quit or go back.  It means come to a complete stop. Exhale and breath freely, and, when you are safe, go!  Smoothly, easily, no jerks.    When I practice it gets easier.  If I don’t, it doesn’t. 

The yoga practice of Tapas is usually translated as ‘zeal’  ‘fire’ or ‘austerity’ (not the snacks).  As an American those words don’t resonate with me.   I prefer ‘enthusiasm’.  Now that I do understand.   Yoga practice works best when done enthusiastically.    The billboard sized STOP sign still comes up.  But now I know that it means come to a complete stop for a moment only.  Be safe.  And then breath freely, go forward and have fun!

Sally Rutzky

Each week one of the teachers at the Yoga Space shares her thoughts and experiences in this blog. The Yoga Space is a studio just east of Dexter serving Saline, Chelsea, Manchester and Ann Arbor.  We have been helping people with their flexibility, strength, focus and stress management for over 14 years. Summer Classes begin July 1. We offer a free class the last Friday of each month from 6-7 pm. 180 Little Lake Dr #1 Ann Arbor, MI, 48103. www.yogaspaceannarbor.com 734-622-9600