I was never an athletic person. As a child I spent most of my summers watching TV at home alone and just hanging around with friends. My parents never really instilled healthy habits in me because they themselves didn’t have any. Obesity runs in my family and I was chubby for a long time as a kid as well. 

So, at 31 years old after watching Jonathan Van Ness doing gymnastics as a first timer in his 30s too, I decided to go on a serious fitness journey determined to improve my health and heal my relationship to food. Alongside my fitness journey, I also decided to challenge myself to learn how to do a headstand. I got this inspiration after taking an acroyoga class in Playa del Carmen. The instructor so nonchalantly told everyone to get into one and I was among the couple that couldn’t do it. I was also so scared… that fear pushed me even more to want to work at it. I was beyond determined. 

My First Try

I went to an acroyoga weekend hang out in Bacalar, Mexico in February, 2022. I was so inspired by the classes and how everyone there was able to do really cool things with their bodies. I wanted to be like them!

When everyone was hanging out in another room, I went to the main room for the retreat center alone to try my very first headstand up against a wall. I remember being so so so scared! But also, so excited when I was able to hold it for a couple of seconds! I couldn’t believe it!

Practice Practice Practice

I made it a goal to practice my headstands after every gym session. I was hitting the gym about 4-6 times a week so this gave me plenty of opportunities! I took 10-20 minutes putting myself in a headstand using the wall at first. Every single time, it was scary as fuck. I always had my heart racing, palms sweaty, and felt like I was going to throw up. I would twirl around in the gym, pacing back and forth for what felt like an hour before I would get the courage to go upside down. Doing it in public was not easy either. I was worried people would look at me and judge me. The more I did this, though, the less and less I felt this way. Practice definitely helps with being more comfortable with things!

From February to April, 2022, I had made quite a bit of progress. I stopped using the mirror and could finally do a headstand on a soft surface. This video was taken by my fitness instructor when I went to visit her in Miami! 

Through 2022, 2023, and now in 2024, I have practiced my headstands almost everyday and now can do them with lots of ease on almost any surface. I don’t have the fear anymore, I can do them anywhere, and I can keep one for about just over 3 minutes now. Peep this one that I did just a few months ago in March 2024! 

Lessons I learned throughout the journey

This is the first time I have committed to accomplishing something that would yield results that were very obvious to see. It has been so exciting to see my progress throughout this experience and I am now looking forward to perfecting my handstands! 

Here are a few things I learned along the way… 

• Practicing something for 10 minutes a day a few times a week gives you far better results than you’d think! I was quite impressed with my ability to learn this new skill in such a short amount of time. 
• Habit pairing is a great practice for consistency. If you already have a routine of sorts and you’d like to implement a new one, do them at the same time. Me going to the gym and then practicing afterwards, gave me the opportunity to stay accountable. Hitting the gym was something I was already doing, so adding on the headstands was a super easy addition!
• The more you repeat something uncomfortable, the more comfortable it becomes. This is how confidence is built. When I started, I was so nervous about people seeing me, but as I got more comfortable with doing it, I honestly didn’t even care anymore. Some people even started to give me pointers! And as I improved, the pointers turned into props and praises. What a beautiful blessing!
• You will never accomplish something unless you believe in yourself. At the beginning, I was skeptical. I remember one time in particular, I was practicing at the gym and a woman approached me and asked, “What are you thinking about when you’re upside down?” I said, “I hope I don’t break my neck.” She laughed and said, “No! Don’t say that! Tell yourself that you can do it! Envision yourself doing it perfectly and safely with ease. So, I did and the difference was enormous! I went from hesitant to confident in literally 2 minutes. Thank you kind stranger!
• Lastly, the worst thing you can ever do to yourself is NOTHING. Believe in yourself enough to do the hard things. Know it will be uncomfortable at first, then push yourself and do your best. You got this!