Freefalling (My First Tandem Skydive!)

Yogis... I still can't believe it: over the weekend I jumped out of a plane!

Skydiving was such an insane and amazing experience. Leading up to the day of our jump, I wavered between feeling excited and nervous, but once I was strapped into that harness, I felt stoked.

It totally helped that my instructor at Skydive Sacramento, Justin, was hilarious. He made me feel comfortable by explaining the whole process, talking through what I should do right before we left the plane (crouch down like in chair pose and lean my head back) and during the fall (arch like a "happy banana" aka boat pose and breathe through my nose). 

And on the way up, he faked me out like he was about to push me out of the plane. I definitely started cracking up and the photographer was able to catch it :)

When we reached 13,000 feet, we didn't hesitate to scoot over to the door and prepare to make the jump. I lined up my toes on the edge of the plane, leaned my head back, and let go.

That's the beauty of doing your first tandem jump: the instructor is in total control, and you're just along for the ride!

We tumbled through the air...

And I loved every second of the exhilarating, wild ride of the freefall. 60 seconds of being purely present to the moment!

Then, once the parachute was open, it was so peaceful and serene, like the whole world had slowed down. I felt like I was floating, connected to the earth below, suspended in a quiet purity.

I could do this every day, I thought. And I told my instructor, "Now I see why you do this!" It felt like such a unique, almost sacred, experience. 

There is nothing quite like the feeling of swaying and swooping back and forth, the calm of the air and sun on the body, the beauty of the sky, the gentle sound of the wind catching in the chute. 

Our landing was smooth and easy, just me holding my legs up and sliding to the ground. I landed feeling more alive and more fearless than I have in a long time. I felt a new appreciation for the ground beneath my feet, for my body, and for trying something new.

There is power and beauty in feeling fearless while you're trying something new.

Almost immediately, I realized... I can't wait to go again!

Thanks to the team at Skydive Sacramento for making my first skydiving experience a fantastic one, and cheers to more jumps very soon!

PS I hope to do a post soon on yoga for skydivers (it's all about boat pose and pranayama breathing!) as well as a series on fearlessness. Stay tuned!