86 steps give or take a few.
I've *always* been able to walk on my hands. By always, I mean I don't remember the day I "mastered" the skill. It's just something I've *always* been able to do & for that reason, I take the skill for granted.
I assume adults watch my handstands w/a certain level of awe & envy. I understand b/c I learned this skill as a child, a small human who did not fully understand the concept of death, who did not fully understand what it meant to be vulnerable.
A handstand is an inversion. In an earlier post, I defined inversion as meaning a reversal of position, form, order, or relationship. So as it relates to handstands, we become inverted b/c we stand on our hands, not our feet. We've reversed our natural position.
In yoga, an inversion is any pose where your heart is above your head e.g. handstand, headstand, shoulder stand, & even downward facing dog. These poses are varying levels of difficult for a number of reasons including the fact that humans feel vulnerable when our heart is above our head which is "bad" when you're trying to master an inversion.
Why is this "bad"?
B/c we have been conditioned to believe that vulnerability is dangerous.
Vulnerability can be taken advantage of.
So what does that mean for me? Do I carry out my life w/reckless abandon b/c I view vulnerability as merely a different way of carrying myself the same way a handstand walk is merely a different way of moving my body across a room?
With regards to certain aspects of my life, I'm beginning to think the answer to that question is yes.
