Head Rush

Doc. B. has had a "headstand practice" (salamba sirsasana) for several months now. That’s what they call it in yoga when you add a headstand to the repertoire of postures/poses that you learn how to do and then do it regularly. I’m still having a difficult time mastering my "savasana practice" (that’s what you do at the end of a yoga class – it’s sometimes referred to as "corpse" pose or "final relaxation" because you just lay there on your back in a resting state). When Doc. B. was learning how to do a headstand, she would practice it at home almost daily. It wasn’t uncommon for me to hear a thunderous THUD followed by a chandelier-shaking vibration as she tipped over, over and over again. It scared me when I heard it for the first time, and it seemed to shake up the cats too. But we’re all used to it now and I find it rather amusing on the rare occasion that it happens now - since Doc. B. doesn't fall over as much anymore.

Until this week, I would get all annoyed when the yoga instructor would make us at least try to do a headstand, even if we didn't know how to do one. It’s not like there is any reason for me to be able to do one. After all, I’ve not practiced doing a headstand AT ALL since I was ten years old. That’s when I took a series of gymnastics classes before promptly deciding basketball was the sport for me. The truth is that I just plain hate it when I can’t do something, no matter what it is.

For example, I hate it that I can’t fix the computer, which is what I was trying to do when I made my first successful attempt at a headstand. What a rush it was! What a head rush it was in this case! I was trying to get on the internet downstairs but once again, there were problems. So I went upstairs to the other computer to check the wireless router and the modem and to basically pretend that I knew what I was doing. As I was waiting the requisite five minutes for the various computer parts to reset themselves, I suddenly had the urge to try to do a headstand. I didn’t do it the way they teach it in class (the cartoon picture above), but rather I did it in a tri-pod stance (the other picture). I was so excited when my torso (read "fat butt"), legs and feet went right up into the air! I tried it again the next morning just to make sure it wasn’t a dream and yup, I was able to do it again. And then at yoga class the following night, I was actually excited when one of the students asked if we could practice inversions (upside down postures). We first tried to do handstands. While I couldn’t do one, I had much more confidence in trying. And then we did headstands. I actually did it like the cartoon picture; I received a little help from the yoga room walls and the instructor, but I did it! And I’ve been patting myself on the head and rubbing my belly at the same time ever since – since I’m just certain I can pretty much do anything now.

And speaking of head rush, what the heck was going on in Rush’s head when he bashed Michael J. Fox. I better not get started on that topic