Headstands

Young children aren't the only ones who stand on their heads.  Once a week, in my yoga class, so do I.  I always thought the headstand at the end of the hourlong yoga class was just another interesting pose to watch the experienced yogis do, and an exciting pose to master.  On the week I first was able to do it, I was in a good mood all day.  I thought my mood lift was because I was amazed at myself for being able to stand on my head, like a kid again.  But it turns out there is more to it.  My yoga instructor teaches yoga not just as an excercise but also as a philosophy.  She explained that headstands restore our positive energy that gets depleted throughout the day because of negative thoughts, unhealthy food, and even because of bad deeds.  So according to yoga theory, when there is negative energy flowing through our lives, we can flip ourselves upside down, stand on our heads, and restore the positive energy.

This idea is so simple that it's brilliant.  We find comfort in doing what we are used to doing.  Even when things aren't going well, we usually don't change our ways much at all but just wonder why things aren't working out and hope that it gets better.  But doing the opposite of what we're used to is sometimes exactly what we need.  Maybe that means eating breakfast for dinner, maybe it means taking a different route home from work, and maybe it means standing on your head.  By turning your routine or yourself upside down, you see the world from a different perspective.  And seeing a different perspective in addition to your own is what leads to a balanced life. 

There is so much we can learn from young children.  We are always teaching them the right way to do things, because after all isn't that our job.  But sometimes we can learn from them how to do things in a different way.  We balance our weight on our feet all day, why not balance our weight on our head for a bit?  You will be looking at the world from a different perspective (upside down, to be exact) and you just might feel renewed when you're back on your feet again.  Maybe you'll feel good because it's cool you stood on your head, or maybe it's the positive energy renewal.  Either way, it works.