Happy Dance

So, a little bragging. I've been going to the gym to lose weight for over a year now. I've lost 30 pounds, and in so much better shape now. One area that I experience the most break through moments is yoga class. Mainly because I go from not being able to do something, to discovering that I can!

I remember the first time I successfully did the "crane" pose - you crouch down on the floor, with your knees spread wide and your hands between your feet. I rest my knees on the back of my arm, on my triceps, and then you lean forward to find the balance, and lift your feet off of the ground, balancing just on your hands. You start of with just hopping your toes off the floor, until you discover the point of balance that leads you to be able to keep your feet up off of the floor. I spent a week glowing because I could do it!

In another class, the teacher had us do headstands. I didn't think I could do it, so I just went to the first level of the exercise - head down on the mat, hands in front of face making a triangle with the head, and knees resting on the triceps. I was pretty stable there, so I thought, what if? And, I did a head stand! Wow, I tell you, it has been at least 20 years since my last head stand!

Well, Allen, my male yoga teacher, who has amazing upper body strength, can move from the crane pose to a head stand and back to crane. I've watched him do this multiple times, and been amazed - and convinced that there was NO WAY I could do that. On Saturday, Lisa, my other teacher, was getting us ready to do just that move. I was unconvinced, but decided to try. The first thing I did was tuck my shirt in :), then moved to crane... then moved my head down, and did a head stand... then brought my legs back down and moved back into crane!

WOW. I wanted to stand up and cheer and yell and do a happy happy dance right there in the middle of class! Instead, I did it two more times, as instructed by my teacher. I so love being able to surprise myself!