There’s a million destinations and this is one

This video was blogged about by a fellow yogi-blogger whom I had been following recently. And I have to say, watching it was not only a joy but it became a true highlight of my very long, and very challenging Monday. This was such a breath of fresh air at the end of a long 14 hour day at work. And what a relief it is too.

Tell me that you did not tear up as you watch the transformation in this man, and his sheer determination to walk and run again, all through yoga. I would have to say though, there were parts which I wasn’t sure I would be capable of doing myself had I been in his shoes – those headstands that ended up crashing into the cupboards behind him didn’t look too fun, neither did it looked anything too safe. But he defied all that and found himself capable of walking unassisted and running at the end of 10 months.

What an inspiration this guy must have been to so many others, but to me this video spoke volumes on a number of things the obvious one being the many benefits that one can experience from consistent practice of yoga. Then there is persistence, and absolute faith in yourself that no amount of toppling over from an inverted triangle, crashing over backwards from a supported headstand gone wrong, or even losing balance from the various warrior positions could deter you from trying again, and getting better with it over time.

The message here is crystal clear,  when you believe in yourself, magic happens. It happens not because of some cosmic blessing, but simply because there is complete and absolute belief that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. There are a million destinations you can arrive at in life. And a million more made possible if only we see past our own doubts and fears. A quote by Ambrose Redmoon that was repeatedly used throughout Srinivasan Pillay in his book on fear and its function in molding the human brain quickly became one of my favorites too – “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear”

I have been practicing yoga irregularly for the last 5 years or so, of which time I have never gone past the fear of breaking my neck (then again who does?). Which really means any poses that require me to be in an inverted position is something that I have been able to avoid with much success. I know this won’t be possible when I begin my teacher’s training course in September. I know most definitely lots of handstands and headstands and ploughs will be in the horizon. Watching this guy crash over backwards while he is upside down taught me that..heck, if he can eventually manage an unsupported headstand, who is to say that I can’t too?

There’s a million constellations and this is one
There’s a million destinations and this is one
There’s a million ways to show your hand
There’s a million ways to prove yourself –
Kaiser Chiefs (Listen to Your Head)