This morning, after six months of trying to learn to do a Shirshasana, I managed to do it without the help of a wall for the first time.
Shirshasana is a yoga pose that involves standing head down with your weight on your forearms and head. Quite easy for some but not for me. I have been practising yoga for two years and learning this pose has been more to do with willpower and facing my fears than physical capability.
Had I known when I started to try that it would take me six months of nearly daily practice to learn, I may not have even attempted to do it. We are so impatient generally that if we are not able to achieve something quickly, many of us don’t even try.
My journey on this process has taught me something. The experience has been one of subtle and gentle satisfaction. When I started, I knew that this was not something that would come easily to me and therefore I have been pleased to watch every single tiny step of progress.
Day to day the smallest amount of improvement was good enough for me, so the process instead of being fraught with frustration has been full of delight. What a difference attitude makes! Instead of berating myself for being so slow, I congratulated myself for having the patience and willpower to keep going. The sense of profound pride and satisfaction I felt today could not be matched by any quick win.
I may never become fully accomplished at this pose, and it doesn’t matter. What I take away is that if we take the rush away from many of the things we try to accomplish we can, not only get there, but also enjoy the process savouring each step. Even if we don’t achieve our goals to perfection, there is plenty of satisfaction to be had if we are able to value and enjoy the improvements we make however small they may be.
What small improvements made can you appreciate?
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