Crow Pose Victory?

I went to Laughing Lotus Yoga with Maria this past Saturday, and I am so glad that I did. I've been doing yoga for a little over two years, but haven't really been serious about my practice. Since one of my new year's resolutions was to get my body more physically fit and decrease negativity in my life, it seems like deepening my practice is a good way to implement this.

Laughing Lotus was great--I really enjoyed the vibe from the studio and the people who work there. The Saturday class was a good amount of vigor, chanting, and focus, and I was really happy that I went (thanks again Maria!). The teacher, Tovah, was insturmental to me finally being able to do crow pose. It's a difficult pose that I've been trying to both overcome my fear of and master--with little luck on either front. Tovah's approach was fantastic! Much in the way that you can use the wall to guide you into a headstand, she advised us to get our feet and butts against the wall before attempting to put our legs on our arms--it would add to our feeling of security (since we'd be able to shift our weight backwards and lean against the wall if we felt like we'd topple over). She was totally right! I attempted the pose very slowly, but managed to balance on my arms for over 10 seconds the first time up! It was like someone flicked a lightswitch! I was so excited and happy about it, I immediately attempted it again as soon as I came down out of the pose and, in hindsight, I realize that I rushed into it...since I wound up slamming, chin-first, into my mat. Talk about a clue to make you slow down! Luckily I'm able to laugh at myself when I make an idiot of myself, so I left class with a feeling of accomplishment (since I managed to successfully do the pose two more times after the chin-slamming incident) instead of being down on myself for looking like an ass. I was able to learn both how to successfully get into the pose, and also to realize that I must take my damned time because, if I don't, I'll wind up with another bruised chin.