The J-Spot

It wasn’t long ago that I began performing better handstands. I blogged about all the crazy things I told myself while trying to uncover the secret to perfect balance. Now, when I shift my weight from one shoulder to the other, it occurs to me… There are a lot of things we do without knowing how. I once read a post by my old friend, now a yoga teacher, Barbara Burgess , that said, walking was just controlled falling, and standing still was a downright miracle . Everything’s a miracle, really. Until it’s not. And then it is again, if you let it. Do you know, we’re just really throwing our weight around? And in so many ways, unknown. LOL. You don’t know how you learned to walk. You don’t know how you learned to talk. You have absolutely no idea how you’re pushing blood through your vessels or turning food into carbon dioxide and oxygen… Okay. If you do, I’m sorry. We’re not all as smart as you! The point is, learning is scary. Most of us don’t want to know how to B reathe . Who has ...

  Every time I have been out in nature and trying to spot a wild animal, bird, or spirit, I have eventually tired myself chasing the thing around. I lay there, looking up into the tree, trying to block the light of the sun so I can see where the Falcon is hiding… But he is smart. He knows just how the light will blind me, and how the leaves will block my view from below. I whistle. I do a little dance. Hoping maybe he will again take flight from his secret perch so I may glimpse him. But, to no avail. I circle the tree four times looking up, arms overhead to shield my eyes. Must look like a maiden dancing a fairy circle in the woods… There are actually mushrooms growing here, too. Curious. Then I stop. Like I do every time that I get exhausted and nearly count myself defeated. I glance back up at the light; too bright to do battle with. But I don’t block it out with my hands. It’s only as powerful as shadow, I tell myself. I don’t look too long. It still deserves respect. If the Su...

“Push with your shoulders! Keep your arms by your ears! Breathe! Just go over, you stupid bit*h!” Anyone who has mastered a seemingly impossible feat will know that only practice makes perfect. But, there is always that little voice inside that tells us that if we just understand some tiny trick or piece of knowledge that we will, then, magically be able to perform. Would there were some little blue pill that would just make us stand up straight and stiff! I used to ask my coach how he was able to hold his handstand for as long as he wanted, and he would always just smile, sometimes offering me a little advice, “ Keep your butt tight .” Often, I wondered if he was actually trying to help or just making a joke about sodomy. What’s with all of the sexual innuendos? Looking back, I can see that the best advice he could give me was no advice at all . The more you try and tell someone how it’s done, the more time they spend thinking and the less time they spend ...