Day 50 of 100: Halfway Through & My New Favorite Pose

"Headstand Family" from sagerountree.com

Today marks my 50th headstand in 50 days. I did one right when I woke up today, just so that I could celebrate being at 50 and write this blog post without being a liar :) So yes, 50 out of my 100 days of headstand are complete. How does it feel? Great! Not because I'm "halfway done with this stupid self-imposed challenge" (I've never had that thought, I swear!), but because I'm LOVING it. My feelings for headstand have totally changed, my need to come into it every day, or more than once per day, has become a real, strong need, and I now feel that a practice is not complete without it.

Sure, there have been some rough times during the first half of this challenge--the time that  banged my head on a dumpster and couldn't do headstand for a few days because of the lump, the various days on vacation/out of my normal routine where I realized as I crawled into bed, exhausted, that I never did my daily headstand, thus having to crawl back out to meet my daily "requirement" before falling asleep--but mostly, it's been wonderful. I was thinking just yesterday how much I truly LOVE headstand now, how I feel so comfortable in the pose, and have even started taking different leg variations (splits, eagle legs, pike, etc.), and the thought crossed my mind that maybe this shouldn't be a one-time thing. Maybe I should continue, right after I complete these 100 days, with a new pose (handstand? forearm stand? yikes!!!) in order to continue to grow and push myself past my edge. Hmmm....

Either way, I do strongly suggest to any of my yogi friends out there who are struggling with the mental barriers surrounding a particular pose, that you try something similar. It doesn't have to be 100 days, but at least 50, where you do that pose very day, no matter what. And really give it a try--in all different kinds of locations, settings, mindsets, and energy levels--in order to become more familiar with it, not scared of it, and able to play with it. I have already learned so much already, and I still have 50 days to go :) Maybe I'll be doing this (my favorite headstand picture of all time) by the end of my 100 days:

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Dharma Mittra, known as the elder statesman of yoga in America, on Hudson Street in New York City for June’s Yoga Portfolio in Vanity Fair. Photograph by Michael O’Neill. Photo credit: www.jobriga.com.

So think about it...how can you challenge yourself in your practice starting today? What pose can you throw into the mix in order to push past your edge and work past mental or emotional barriers? I challenge you to go there, and wish you excitement, butterflies, and a newfound favorite pose along the way :)

Namaste,
Mary Catherine