What’s holding you back from turning upsidedown? Haydn’s blog post below explores fear of failure rather than fear of handstand.
As kids we just love being upside down, on the monkey bars, swinging from trees, cartwheels, handstands, you name it. So why is it that some of us are just so terrified to go into handstand as an adult? As kids we haven’t yet had the life experience to tell us not to do something that could lead to getting hurt, or perhaps we just don’t even consider the consequence of injuring ourselves.
As an adult we have life experience’s that tell us to be careful, and consider the consequences. Well, just imagine if you learnt how to build enough strength so the next time your yoga instructor casually mentions a pop to handstand from crow, instead of snickering to yourself, you just go there.
As a kid if we try a handstand and fail, it is certainly not going to end there, so why is it that as adults we choose to believe the story that we are not built to be upside-down, or we don’t have the balance to hold a handstand? There may be many reasons, but one I would encourage you to consider is the fear of failure.
The practice of yoga has many benefits both spiritually and emotionally but also physically. So whether or not handstand is on your radar, I would encourage you to consider where in your practice do you hold back because of the fear of failure, and just as importantly where do you push yourself further than you probably should because you are being driven by your ego.
Inversions options in class should cover a range of different progressions and exercises to help you build the strength and control required to hold a handstand.
Your teacher should look at different mobility exercises to give you the tools to be able to rest and recover so you can get back to being upside down again.
The aim is to give you the tool kit, it is then up to you how you choose to apply it to your practice. Maybe it’s to one day pop into handstand from crow or perhaps it’s just to conquer a fear of failure, either way, it will give you the gift of choice.
Namaste.
Haydn Shadforth
PRO TIP - INVERSION TRAINER
Still scared to go upsidedown? Here’s your secret weapon ~ Inversion Bench. This gives you support as you explore inversions and helps you to get past your fears. We recommend checking them out, enjoy!
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About the instructor/author: Haydn has always had extremely active lifestyle. He comes from a background in gymnastics and spent 10 years as a professional dancer and acrobat touring all over the world. Haydn has always practiced yoga as a way to keep his body in tip top shape and injury free. Haydn completed his 200 hour Power Yoga Teacher training and is extremely honoured to be part of the team at Kula.
