Forearm stand was the pose I gave when we are asked to name one that we hope to achieve during
YTT.
I have been trying this inversion pose for the past one year but it has never been stable and I can’t
seem to start off the pose without the wall. I grew reliance on the wall such that my legs would look
for the wall first before kicking off to find balance in the pose. This is a bad habit of mine that also
extends to my handstand practice. I admit I have a stubborn personality which makes unlearning a
habit harder to achieve.
During the few weeks of intense practice on pincha mayurasana, the skin on my elbow ripped and
bled week after week. Plasters and bandages did not seem to help much with the healing as the
wound only gets aggravated with the constant practice. For someone like me who has previously
suffered from injuries, I am more cautious of keeping the practice safe. I also questioned if over-
practising might cause us fatigue physically and mentally. Yet, I do hope to improve on my asana and
maybe one day to enter into the pose without relying on the wall for safety.
Whenever I need a short pause from my practice, I would often look around in the room out of my
curiosity to observe the progress of my fellow batchmates. And I was truly happy for many of them
who made significant improvement in their inversion practice with their constant effort. I also feel
supported by and thankful to those who have showered with me their encouragement on my
practice.
Before embarking on the YTT course, I have been mostly alone in my journey of practicing yoga
these few years. I met a few acquaintances from some yoga classes but it has been difficult to
maintain our regular practice together due to our busy schedules. For the first time in my yoga
journey I felt supported by a yoga community and enjoyed progressing as a class. In the past, I used
to focus only on myself in the practice and was afraid to even offer my observations on someone
else’s practice. Through YTT, the encouragement I received from the community has shifted my
perspective. I start to be appreciative to listen to the advice I received especially on my blindspots
and to be curious to observe the progress of others while providing feedback necessarily so we
support in each other’s growth.
So whenever the physical fatigue overwhelms me, I am thankful for the supportive and encouraging
YTT team that inspired me and kept me going.
And yes, I managed to hold a 15 second pincha after kicking off from the wall during one of the
practice!
Will continue to measure my progress, but by how far away from the wall I can start with so I can
unlearn the bad habit of over-relying on the wall.
Evette
200 Hour YTT Feb-May’21
