My friend, the headstand

Posted August 03, 2009 21:14:00

Alya Honasan

Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines – There are two questions most frequently thrown my way when people learn I practice and teach yoga. “So, can you levitate?” is one, which I’ve learned to answer only with a smile or, if I’m in the mood, a “Maybe” or a “No, I’m still working on the walking-on-nails part.”

The second is: “So, can you stand on your head?”

It’s a legitimate question I used to answer with a firm, almost arrogant “Yes.”

That’s because for the style of yoga I practice, Iyengar yoga, the headstand, Salamba Sirsasana, the King of Asanas (poses), is supremely important. It’s pretty much the apex of your practice, requiring a great deal of strength and control to execute—and the right state of mind. “Its mastery gives one balance and poise, physically and mentally,” writes our beloved Guruji (“my teacher”), BKS Iyengar, in his book “Light on Yoga.”

It took me about a year of practice to learn to stand on my head, and then only after a year of regular classes. I started with my back against the wall, my muscles burning from the effort of balancing on my forearms and head like a tripod.

The first few times, the weight seemed impossibly heavy; when you’re my size (5’6”, 170 pounds), carrying your entire body weight on the top of your head is a daunting prospect. I suffered neck pain and stiff shoulders, and my ears and face would immediately turn tomato red from the effort. It took some time before I got used to having the blood rush to my head.

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