Remember how David Letterman used to have a segment on his TV show called “Stupid Pet Tricks”? Well, I sometimes come up with things that could be categorized as “Stupid Yoga Tricks”!

Try this one for spicing things up and getting a bit of a Higher Practice.

Take your mat to the wall and come up into a nice, straight, strong handstand with your heels against the wall. Be sure to place your timepiece just below your head for easy time keep. Hold yourself up for 1-minute. Then, come down and rest, for 1-minute. Then come back up into your handstand against the wall for 1-minute.

Repeat. Then down, and rest again for 1-minute. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Repeat until your arms can’t take anymore.

Make a note of how many minutes you had been performing this handstand challenge. Compete against yourself to see if next week you can do it for a few minutes longer.

In Yoga, this is the form of competition that is acceptable. Competing with yourself. With The Self! Not only seeing how you may enhance your physical body, your balance or your energy. But also how you can slow down your mind. How you my overcome the minds desire to stop something or run away from something that it perceives as uncomfortable. So that one can learn to just stay present with situations… breath and transcend that discomfort.

Shanti Out,

To read Michael’s previous Higher Practices, click here