Good day, Steemians!

It always seems impossible until it's done. -- Nelson Mandela

One of my favorite things about yoga is that with steady practice, I have achieved countless goals that I once thought were impossible. For example, in the beginning, I couldn't meditate for more than 5 minutes at a time because my monkey mind jumped all over the place and yelled at my body to get up and do something "more important" right now! Now I can go hours and even days in deeper and deeper meditation. And at this point, I recognize that unless zombies are breaking down the door right now, there is almost nothing that is more important than 5 minutes of meditation! And chronic hip pain--I never thought I'd live without it, yet here I am just thriving away!!!

Crazy physical poses are super fun to nail too, especially for the first time! But sometimes, oh man...sometimes there is an incredible inner journey to take before you get there.

Resistance, fear, doubt, and difficulty are common reactions to trying new things--especially new things like moving the body in foreign and unfamiliar ways. It's unnatural (children don't have all this baggage), but common wiring of the human system that results from stressful upbringing & modern society (heartbreakingly, many if not most children are threatened, manipulated, coerced, abused, neglected, and otherwise traumatized every single day of their lives, and as a result the nervous system hardwires itself with fear, resistance, and other defense mechanisms, which plays out subconsciously in dysfunctional adults and the cycle perpetuates and perpetuates and perpetuates...I could go on an on, but I won't do that here and now). The great news is that yoga encourages you to become aware of and question whether resistance, fear, doubt, guilt, blame, shame, difficulty, judgment, limitations, etc. actually serve you or not.

Are you going to reach your goals if you immediately react with "I can't do that!" thinking?
Do you even realize if you're automatically operating from "I can't"?
Do you stop yourself there?

If you are human, then you can do anything and everything that is humanly possible!!

Yoga is a safe space for observing, addressing, and reprogramming the subconscious ideas and beliefs that rule every aspect of our lives.

Yes, it's super cool to twist into an impressive position, but it is waaaay more fun to open up entire realms of yourself to possibility and potential, and for me that's where the real value of yoga lies. That said, here's a really fun pose and you can do it, you can do it, you can do it too:

This is Crane Pose

AKA Crow Pose

AKA Bakasana in Sanskrit (baka = crane, asana = pose/posture)

This is an inversion, where the head drops below the heart.
It's pretty common for fear & resistance to come up in inversions, so it's a primo time to address it!
It's also excellent for circulation, improving blood flow to the brain, calming the mind, promoting brain function, and strengthening the nervous system.
Flexible hips and a bit of core strength are key.

Crane is also a playful balance challenge that will help you feel youthful, inspired, and energized.

How to Crane Pose:

Open the hips in a deep squat, such as garland pose.
Place palms on the ground.
Draw the knees onto the upper arms.
Bring your weight forward into the hands, lowering the head towards the ground.
You can hold here until you feel comfortable.
Play with lifting one foot, then the other.
Engage the abs, and extend through the crown of the head for more strength.
Remember to breathe!!!
When you have the hang of it, you can straighten your arms further or keep them bent.
You can bring your head all the way to the floor to practice, or you can use a block under the forehead. You can also use a block under the feet.
If you fall, just get back up. It's not very far down!

Enjoy the process!!!

💛 Sara!