Handstands and Beginner's Mind

Today's morning session included handstands, which is a great way to boost self-confidence and awaken the eagerness to expand and grow. We used the railings of our yoga platform to support ourselves in L-shaped handstands, and we assisted each other to get the body working in good alignment.

Here's my uncle Jonas doing an unsupported handstand by the pool.

 

Can I learn to do the same thing? Today, the prerequisites of learning was in focus, and one important concept is the beginner's mind. It's about being humble and curious, and admitting that there is always something to learn.

Thinking about it, I remember a few times when I had the attitude that I already knew what was being taught. For instance, I took a tango class where Gustavo Naveira was teaching musicality. He used a classical approach, where the four beats of a bar are represented with chairs, and different rhythms are shown visually by objects on the chairs. It's a nice way of illustrating the music, used by many tango teachers. I was bored, though, since over 20 years of trumpet playing of course has taught me lots of rhythms far more complicated than what is possible to show with those chairs. I hoped that he would be done with that part of the class and go on towards something else that was new to me (he didn't). I thought it was a shame that a lesson with one of the world's most appreciated teachers would be wasted on repeating too simple stuff.

Later, I realized that a different mindset would have made me learn much more at the lesson. Perhaps it is true that Gustavo does not have much to teach me about different rhythms, but closing in on that attitude made me probably learn less at a more subtle level. Why does Gustavo, who is a dancer rather than a musician, choose to demonstrate certain rhythmical patterns and not others? Why did I like some of his example steps and not others? I'm asking these questions now, and the answers will not be as clear as they would have if I were open to learn at the lesson. A beginner's mind is always best for learning.