Handstands are elusive…at least to me, that is. The reason is simply because I’m afraid of them. I’m a yoga teacher who’s afraid of handstands. It might sound crazy, but of all the yoga asanas (aka. poses) out there, it’s the one that dredges up a deep-seated fear that might not make any sense since I used to do them all the time as a kid. And now as an adult, I’m afraid.
It’s not like I don’t know the mechanics of a handstand or can’t get into one with a wall nearby to save me from crashing backwards. I can even assist someone who needs help with their own handstand and intellectually understand all the different aspects of the pose that help make it possible. Yet, I’m still…grounded.
Life works in funny ways. It often reminds me of the various emails I get from people who know they need to be gluten-free, but just can’t see to get past some random fear that’s very real and immediate for them. Some fears are easily understandable (yes, you’ll have to give up some foods that you love) while others are simply a product of media hype and a failure to understand the nature of eating a whole food diet that happens to be gluten-free.
Gluten was my life for years…27 and change, to be exact. It was literally the comfort food that bound me to my Italian relatives and the recipes that they carried with them from their hometowns in Pescara and Sciacca, Italy. Saying good-bye to gluten has often felt like getting ‘the boot’ from THE Boot! Haha! But seriously- going gluten-free wasn’t a simple matter.
To get there, I had to practice being gluten-free every day. Through the mistakes, trials, annoyances and occasional successes, I finally figured out how I could live the best life possible while being gluten-free. Just as Rome was not built in a day, neither will your gluten-free diet happen with total perfection from the first moment you commit to doing it.
As a teacher and coach, I can tell you that the journey of committing to shift your diet, even with all the ups and downs you’ll go through, will bring you a better quality of life. That’s why clients come to me to help them be gluten-free – I’ve been there, in their shoes, struggling through every meal, snack and trip trying to figure it all out for myself.
You deserve a better gluten-free life and that’s why I’m working my tail off to bring you the best possible info through Gluten Free School. As I work to find the best teachers to share their wisdom with you and write articles that might aide you over the bumps, I hope that my efforts will help at least one other person find that ‘better’ life that we all seek out and long to return to.
My personal mission? Practice handstands every day. I’ve got my mat set up so that I can try at least once daily. Just as with my diet, handstands will come with time. Until then, all that matters is that I’m on the journey there. Going gluten-free and nailing handstands are one in the same- new, potentially scary adventures that can have stellar, life-changing results one try at a time.