Day 14

In Yoga, the postures that scare me the most are inversions: handstand, headstand, shoulderstand. The ones that literally turn me on my head. I don’t particularly enjoy what feels like loss of control. What feels like vulnerability. And, to my credit, handstand is the only posture I’ve ever actually fallen out of and gotten injured in. So the fear, I think, is understandable. It can be a tricky thing, flipping your perspective. But I find that these poses are also the most rewarding. Not just for my physical practice, but in the way they inform my daily life. What can be gained from flipping my perspective?

My therapist says something similar, when she observes me getting stuck in a particular way of thinking. I can be rigid and stagnant and dogmatic. I have a hard time finding the gray area (again, thanks astrology). And when I get stuck in believing that a certain circumstance can only play out in one particular way, I know that I need to shift my perspective. That, if I can imagine even one other possibility, I will be in a better place. I will have a wider lens through which to observe the world. And probably be better off for it.

I think there is something to be said for shifting the way we are looking at the world. For doing something that scares us. For considering a different point of view. Even, if only for a moment.

A Practice for Today:

Think of someone that you care about deeply, who has different opinions than you about “all this race stuff.” The differences can be subtle or great. Let it be someone that you love, that you wish good things for, someone that you want in your life. Now, take their seat at the table, and write from it. 

Imagine you are this person, and write from their perspective about race. Write about how they came to their beliefs, who (or what) were their greatest teachers. Write about why they struggle to understand your perspective. Write about the questions they are still grappling with when it comes to race. Write about their deepest fears - what they are afraid will happen if they change their mind.

What insight do you gain from this change in perspective? What questions does it leave you with for the person you’re thinking about? Can you ask them?