Toward the end of my yoga session today, the teacher, with whom I followed the instructions through a video recording on TV, asked her students to do a headstand with her. While I started practicing yoga in the summer of 2020 and a few weeks later I was able to do headstands with the help of a wall, I haven’t done any headstands since. But I was not hesitant today. I didn’t want to risk injury so I dragged my mat to a wall. Within three tries, I brought up both of my legs upside-down, right one first, left one followed. Not bad at all, I thought, for someone who hasn’t tried this yoga position for four years. With my head still on the ground, I could feel my torso, especially my core, embracing most of the downward pressure coming from my legs. It seemed like my shoulders were feeling less strenuous than I remembered from the last time. Not a surprise at all. Close to six months of rock climbing has helped with my shoulder stability and core strength.

After completing the session, I thought, maybe next time I should try doing a headstand without a wall. Or maybe I should even try a handstand, something I’ve never tried in my four years of yoga practice, not even once. If a handstand is on my to-experiment list, I’d definitely need the support of a wall and perhaps another human being.