I went to a workshop this afternoon to learn more about hand stand. It was about 2 years ago that I first tried to do a hand stand, and this coming January will mark 2 years since I flung myself upside down for the first time.
Since then, I have practiced hand stand almost every day, and seen the results that come from experimentation, diligent practice, and patience - increasing ease and fluidity, learning how to balance and gradually growing the needed strength and coordination to find more stability and confidence in the pose.
Like any skill that involves a lot of coordination of the muscles, senses and nervous system, the body has to learn how to do it, and the way it learns is by experiencing the pose and reacting and adjusting. That takes a lot of repetitions, and on a daily basis you may not be aware of much progress at all. That first breakthrough experience of kicking up and (usually) crashing against a wall - but then finding yourself upside down and thinking "I did it!" - is just the beginning.
Through hundreds, even thousands, of repetitions over time, you - your body and your mind together - learn how to be more efficient, how to sense what is happening in this upside down position - and how to begin to control your body in this new orientation to gravity.
Yoga isn't about instant gratification - at least not in attainment of the perfect position. If you could read a book or see a demonstration and then pop out a perfect pose, there would be little value in it. The value of yoga is in the journey, much more than the destination.
But, approached with an open mind and a desire to pursue the experience, there can be a great deal of instant gratification - in the mindful awareness of the moment as you do the practice - experimenting, sensing, thinking about what is happening, adjusting and refining, and knowing when to let it rest until tomorrow. By letting go of the need to perform a perfect hand stand to feel satisfied, you can appreciate and celebrate every small step on the journey.
I have learned how to swing myself up to hand stand, and my mind-body has experienced this enough and refined its actions to the degree that I often can float up to balance with a good deal of stability and control. Yet I know that there are months, or more likely years, of regular practice ahead of me. I know both that my hand stands will improve, and also that there will always be room for more progress. And I intend to enjoy the journey.
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