A Poem for Headstand Pose

"It is said it takes one woman to change /the course of history..." from Headstand, by Corie Feiner

Me practicing Headstand a few years back while traveling in Vermont.

Do something that seems impossible every day. Even if it seems impossible. That’s the point.

Figure out how to break it down, take small steps, be willing to make mistakes, work with the humbling and sometimes painful feelings that come with perceived “failure” and begin again. Yes, commit to growth.

I set out to teach myself how to do a headstand in 2020. It seemed so insurmountable that I gave myself a year to do it and would work on it for only 1-3 minutes every day. This took care of the inner resistance and argument that “I had no time.”

But more than the fear of holding my body upside down was the fear born of the story that I am from a long line of obese and brainy women who have back problems and “can’t do this sort of thing.” As much as I honor the strength of the women before me, it was time to let go of the imprint of this story and to “turn my world upside down.”

Me practicing my variation of a headstand while at an old train station in Woodbury, Vermont. Notice that I am close to a wall to help give me confidence.

It took me three months to finally begin to hold myself with both feet in the air. It took my children holding my legs steady to help train my body, it took pillows and pads and falling three times to finally trust myself enough to find ease in this pose. And I still practice it every day. Why?

Because I want to tell myself that I can do what seems impossible. And just so you know, I am now working on Forearms Stand. Why? Because this one seems more impossible.

And in these times I believe we must keep taking the steps to heal ourselves, commit to the power of authentic beauty and love, and be soldiers of the heart.

And so, I humbly share with you my poem and ask you today —

What impossible thing can you commit to doing and take the steps towards making it happen?

Me practicing a headstand in Miami Beach at sunset.

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Headstand

By Corie Feiner


It is said that the redwood trees 
walk at night, softly, their roots
stepping gently on the fertile soil 
we thought kept them in place. 
 
It is said the headstand can turn
your world upside down, your feet
you once thought could only 
walk on asphalt, concrete, and dirt, 
could reach towards heaven
and tip toe through the air. 
 
It is said it takes one woman to change 
the course of history and although 
I spent most of my life believing 
that I was bottom heavy like my mothers 
before me, I decided I had to turn the world 
upside down, daily reciting, If I can do a headstand, 
I can do anything. 
 
And I remember the day I first held 
my legs above my heart and planted my feet
in the sky, my thoughts poured from my head 
like rainwater drop by drop collecting 
in the leaf mold gutter of my mind
 
and when they burst through and 
cascaded away from me, I became  
nothing and no one flowing 
with the newborn words, 
So you can do anything, huh? 
What’s next?
 
 
 

Sanskrit Name: Salamba Sirsasana

Today I would like to offer you something new. A video I made of still shots overlaid with me reading my poem “Headstand.”

What do you think? How did you feel watching this?

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Headstand is from my yoga poem series, A Poem for Every Pose.

Every poem from this unpublished collection can be integrated into yoga practices and shared with anyone who practices yoga, loves yoga, or just wants to feel inspired. Yoga teachers who read these poems in their classes and on retreats often share them before, during, or after classes to create the feeling of embodied “poetry in motion” and to enhance the experience of the poses.

I encourage you to read through my other poems to see which ones call you. If you are a yoga teacher and want a free pdf of this poem, please DM me with your email address. I will be offering this free of charge until the completion and publication of what will be an artistic reference-style yoga poetry book of all 108 poems.

(I am now on poem 95 and will keep you posted!)

Corie Feiner’s poetry performance at the Bucks County Yoga Fest was a beautiful, profound way to close out our Festival. Experiencing our yoga practice through the unique combination of language and asana, was both intimate and immersive. Corie’s ability to capture the world of each asana in such lively imagery, brought forth a new dimension to what we call our Practice.

— Trina Shumsonk, Founder, Bucks County Yoga Festival

Thank you, as always, for your time and presence. Please leave a comment as one of the most wonderful things about this platform is how we connect and have conscious conversations with each other. I always respond.

With gratitude,

Corie