This week at my private lesson with Jason, we focused on inversions—handstands, headstands, and forearm balance. In the group classes thus far, my handstands against the wall had come along relatively easily. But I knew there was much more to learn in order to balance without the wall. During this private lesson, Jason greatly improved my technique and alignment by helping me incorporate the sense of firmness and stability of standing in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) while upsidedown in Handstand. By incorporating these sensations, I found I had tiny fleeting moments of balance without the wall’s help.

In contrast, headstands and forearm balances were quite a bit of a struggle. Jason helped me to counter the tendency for my pose to collapse in these poses. We worked on shrugging the shoulders while standing and in forward bends. Then we experimented with expanding the palm and fingers. Immediately I noticed the sensations of strength and expansion in the hands directly affected the strength, broadness, and stability in the shoulders and neck. Jason gave me directions on a handful of micro-changes that made it feel more comfortable and stable. I must say that I still do not feel like I "get" these poses. But Jason’s steady and non-judgemental way of being has helped me not to get frustrated or be too hard on myself. So I’m staying patient and hope these inversions will gradually unravel their mysteries to me with consistent practice.

It was only two days after this lesson on inversions that I took my California Acupuncture Board examinations in a large cold cement hall at the Sacramento Convention Center. Although I had dressed in layers, I found myself getting quite cold, and the brain began to stagnate midway through the mind-bending 5-hour exam. Fortunately, my newly acquired handstand skills came to the rescue! I found a round of handstands in the back corner of the hall to be just the perfect remedy for warming the body and un-clogging the mind. And, as it turned out, I did very well on the exams. Not only did yoga keep me sane while studying for the boards, it came in handy during the test itself!