I am often asked what my favorite yoga pose is. The truth is that I love ‘em all (mostly!). Yet there is a special place in my heart for Headstand. That’s because Headstand holds so much symbolic meaning for me. I love being upside down, as it represents seeing life from a totally different perspective. And I love how the pose is dependent upon a stacking of the body — the body must be aligned in order to remain balanced in Headstand. It reminds me of how important being in alignment is in life, not just in body during asana.

I recently had an experience that shined a very bright light into an issue in my life in which I am not in right alignment. It reminds me of my first tentative attempts at Headstand against a wall — I’d move in an out of alignment using the wall as support when I needed it. Rather than be in right alignment for me, I’ve been letting someone (who I respect greatly) be right about an issue. I’ve agreed to blindly go along with this person even though certain things haven’t always felt right to me. Despite feeling out of balance, I’ve valiantly acted as the bigger person and pushed aside my own feelings. I convinced myself that I was making a healthy compromise and that I was showing love to another person when what I’ve really been doing is putting this person’s beliefs and wants before mine to the degree that I’ve negated mine altogether. The truth is that I completely disagree with this person. I disagree with the way this person handles this particular issue and I’ve allowed myself to be manipulated into pretending to be in agreement with him.

As would happen in Headstand if the same were true, I took a bad spill. While extremely unpleasant and utterly shocking, the event was the wake-up call I needed. In my attempt to compromise, I made this issue into right and wrong. I believed that this person was right and I was wrong to feel the way I have about it. The truth is it’s not about being right — it’s about being in right alignment myself. (Yes, it is possible to have love for someone and keep their best interests in mind while remaining in right alignment yourself.) Unfortunately, I had to have a very unpleasant experience to learn this. Now I’m dealing with the fall-out of this — my anger at this other person (I’ve been manipulated) and my anger at myself (for allowing myself to be manipulated). Like many beautiful lessons it’s painful but it’s necessary.

Today I easily vaulted my body into Headstand. I felt so strong, so balanced, so…right. It felt good. It felt amazing. I know what right alignment feels like in my body. Now it’s time to go out and be in right alignment in this particular area of my life. I have a feeling that doing so is going to elicit the very same feelings of strength, stability, and truth. Again, my yoga practice reminds me of the parallels between my life off the mat and my time on it.

Namaste!