A little over 2 years ago I flung myself upside down, using a foot against the wall to balance for a few seconds before my muscles grew too fatigued to support my weight. Since then I have practiced handstands nearly every day. A little bit at a time, my body has adapted, gaining strength and coordination.
What was once impossible for me is now easy. As I improve, the challenges change - kicking up and balancing without help from a friendly wall, balancing the handstand for 10, then 20, then 30 seconds, slowly lowering the legs out of the handstand with balance and control.
My body has to learn every new thing by trying to do it, failing in some way, and adapting. My mind has to be focused, but not thinking. My sense of where my body is, where the parts are in space - proprioception - has to learn how things work when up is down, and down is up.
It's a slow process, and I can look back over the past two years as a lesson in the value of regular and persistent practice, and the cumulative impact of incremental gains.
Next up - handstand pushups!
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