Love and other catastrophes...turning life on its head

Note to self...do not do two intense yoga classes on just a banana and a Spanish latte from Urth cafe. Post class I literally inhaled a piece of chocolate cake from said cafe before lunch. Lol...I think the good I did with double yoga was possibly undone by this act. But what I did feel was challenged. Not by the chocolate cake but by the classes. As the sweat dripped onto my mat, all sense of self pride went out the window somewhat.  In the first class, which was literally packed to the rafters; the sense of self confidence overtook any preoccupation with appearance.
Handstand is a pose that has scared the beejesus out of me for as long as I can remember. I think it comes from the fear of falling thing. And today..I did five..in a row, on my own! Excuse the brag moment here, but I definitely gave myself an internal high five. I overcame a fear. And the how..not thinking about it too much, setting a strong foundation and smiling. The gift that yoga is to me lies in the options it creates in overcoming obstacles. And as a teacher, sometimes I can get a bit stuck in terms of my own practice. So my little competitive streak kicks in somewhat when I am sorrounded by fellow yogis. And there is something about doing your yoga thing in a class setting. As a teacher in New York put it to me, you are sharing a moment of intimacy with complete strangers. Which really is liberating if you think about it. You are an unknown and as such, can create yourself anew. So for me that meant taking on a stronger practice, creating a new edge for myself so to speak.
There is a famous saying along the lines of doing something every day that scares you. And when you do, stuff happens. You discover parts of yourself you didn't know you had. And it gives you a new lease on life in terms of perserverance. Jump over one hurdle and then comes another. Hopefuly with some chocolate cake in between.
It is said that love is the flipside of fear. To live from the heart means to feel. And I guess falling is part and parcel of that.
So as I continue to soak up all that this great city of Santa Monica, my hope is that as a global community we can all turn our world upside down once in a while.