It's all about Mr Cho-Leh !

We all know that exercise improves cholesterol but did you know this? The duration, not intensity, of the exercise is what counts. According to the Archives of Internal Medicine study, researchers found that working out extra hard had no effect, but exercising for at least forty minutes several times a week raised HDL ( the good cholesterol). So, lead researcher Satoru Kodama M.D and Hirohito Sone M.D at Ochanomizu Univeristy in Japan says if your HDL is below 40 milligrams per deciliter, do 45 minutes of exercise at least 3 times a week.

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poll by twiigs.com

Sleeping Jac

I have never been a good sleeper ever since my mum "threw me out of the cot". When I was nine, I would find myself under the bed early morning when I wake up. Since then, I never tried double bunk beds. I know I talk and laugh in my sleep. It scared the crap out of my sister when she first heard it. She thought I was possessed. Nope, not possessed, just 'actively' sleeping. 

I think my worst sleep was when I pushed Pete out of bed one night, he fell out of bed and landed with such a loud 'thud' to the floor, it woke me up. I didn't remember what I did and when I woke up, I asked him why he was on the floor.  He got up,"Don't talk to me. I'm sleeping in the guest room tonight." He took his pillow and before he walked out the door," I still love you but it's a sleep war next to you in bed."

There after, I was much better for awhile after that incident, until last night.  It started again.  Yesterday, I taught 4 classes. I went home, felt exhausted and went to bed at 11pm.  The next thing I knew, I was woken up by my own sleep talk again. 

It was 3am, the lamp was switched on and Pete was at the study desk tapping away at his computer.  "What are you doing sweetie?" I asked.  " Don't talk to me.  I'm sending you off to a sleep therapist if there is such a thing."Huh? I thought.  I went back to sleep, too tired to understand what he meant by that remark.

Next day, he came over to the studio, we had lunch.  "Jac, we need to put a fat extra pillow between us when we sleep." I looked at him puzzled.  "Last night, you were teaching yoga in your sleep and the worst thing was you swung your arm over to do Warrior 2 and you slapped me right across the face."

I laughed at first, but when I looked over at Pete, he was not impressed.

"Alright! We put one pillow between us at night.  Aiyah! No need to be so 'like that'" 

"Jac, I think we should send you to NASA to find out what's going on in that head of yours when you sleep."

"OH, ho ho you funny white man! You say that to me one more time.....See where you will sleep tonight eh? !! "

Well, watch this space for Jac's improvement of sleep!

The Charm of Crystal Balls and Bracelets

A reminder to all about the Crystal Workshop tomorrow. It's held here in Seraphina Studio at 2pm. Let me know if you are interested in joining. See ya!

The Blue

I was cleaning up the studio this morning, the sun was shining in through the windows and it felt nice. Rozi's paintings looked amazing, especially The Blue. The sparkles in it caught the sunlight and I just stood there awhile, looking at the intricate work Rozi has put into it.

Rozi has brilliant art work and if you like to see more of it, you can visit her art work at http://www.roziyunos.blogspot.com

This week's Om

I receive daily doses of Om articles in my hotmail account and tend to pick just one for the week to concentrate on. I chooses the title that catches my attention and it happens to be this title 'Staying open and fluid'. It was perfect for my weekly Om.

Staying open and fluid talks about being able to form opinions and inner guidance without confusing them with judgement. A lot of the times when we judge, we end up with negative experience. Judgement finalizes the thoughts to a final decree whereas inner guidance and having an opinion helps us navigate a situation. "Listening to our intuition and forming opinions are both positive outcomes of our ability to interpret the information that comes our way. "

Be weary that being judgmental close us down instead of opening us up; opinions have a lighter quality and are amenable to change. Once a judgment has been made, there is no more conversation or consideration, whereas opinions invite further debate.

This year has been a real challenge. For me, it's the change of career from a nurse to a yoga teacher. I had people judging me for my decision. And I still do. My friends thought I was wasting my nursing skills and when I started teaching yoga, I had people who slagged me off for not being good enough.

Did it put me down? Yup. But I realize judgement comes from insecurity. Perhaps, the change in my career has worried my friends and if I choose to see it that way, I won't have felt so bogged down by their opinions. And for those who thought me differently as a yoga teacher, well, sorry, my say to that is 'you just can't please everyone'.

I am judgmental at times, especially when I'm feeling insecure. I become all defensive and sarcastic. I have come to realise that words hurt if you relay that information directly or indirectly. So, yes, the best thing to do is to bring awareness into the things you say out loud to somebody. Instead, use that opinion to relect it on yourself.

The Palm

It's always nice to have breakfast prepared for you. Somehow, making your own toast doesn't feel the same as having it prepared for you. Maybe, it's the thought of being pampered. Well, made a little trip to the Palm Restaurant in Kiulap early morning with my cuz Elaine. It was my first time there and Elaine knew the chef Theresa. The ambience was cosy and Theresa was there. I ordered srambled eggs and multigrain bread. The bread was handmade by Theresa and it was so yummy. I am quite choosey when it comes to bread. Don't really like it much when it taste too dry or if it taste too sweet. The bread at Palm was moist and tasted scrumptious with butter and jam. I love my bread and butter. I slabbed a good cover of the butter on my breakfast, nice enough to take a slow enjoyable bite into it.


The menu has a list of good choices, from steaks, pastas, vegetarian menus, etc. Good value for money too.

If you are wondering where the Palm is, head towards Kiulap Mall and it's just on the Ground Floor, same building as Fitness Zone.

I think I'll get Pete to take us out there tonight. He likes his steak. Need to try something different from Charcoal.

Yoga at the beach

More about Surya Yoga at the beach. Surya means ‘Sun’ in Sanskrit. I thought of naming it just that since we’ll be doing at sunrise at 6.30am on the 21st September 2008. Practicing yoga out in the open, inhaling fresh air is much different from doing it indoors. So, if you do get the chance, try it out. We are raising money for the blind charity. Small to big changes are appreciated.

We’ll hopefully be having the event at the berakas beach (Reserve Forest. Along Jerudong Highway). Please wear white or black attire to blend in the photos. :0) Also, if each of us could bring a dish for the picnic after the yoga session.


Things you’ll need to bring for the day:

Yoga mat
Big beach towel
Water to drink for yourself
Extra clothes to change in (after yoga session)
Sun Block Lotion

Please note I have placed an earlier post on it in August. Look up on the left side of your screen under category Yoga in Brunei with subject, Yoga at the Sea.
See you there!

Did You Know This?

Reading through Women's Health Magazine, did you know that women who accept their bodies generally eat more healthfully than women who don't? In a study of 597 women (A research presented at a meeting of the American Psychological Association), those who agreed with statements like " Despite its flaws, I accept my body for what it is" were 42.5 percent more likely to follow intuitive eating principles (eating when hungry, stopping when full) and had lower BMI's than women who were dissatisfied with their bodies. Making peace with your belly may take time, but you can learn to eat intuitively now. To start, eat only when you're moderately hungry, not ravenous.

And, and, and, and, and........here are more facts and figures for some professionals on the number of steps they take in a day at work (a study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise). They are...mail carriers 18,904....(not sure if that applies to Bruneian's postmen. I'm sure I saw our postman riding on his bike just the other day), Restaurant Servers with 10,087 steps ( erm, okay, I am also not sure if this applies to Brunei's restaurants. Maybe CheezBox.)
Nurses with 8,648 (well, I could agree on that figure if I was back in the UK in crazy St Mary's Hospital in London. However, in Brunei, I think maybe not unless you work in Emergency or really fast paced Intensive Cardiac Unit.) Lawyers with 5062 steps (Ummmmh, why did I even start with this write up in the first place? We all have pretty good cars to take us everywhere. Most times, we are always in the office right?) and teachers with 4726 steps. Okay, maybe that one I can agreee with. Just about.

HICK ! HICK!!

I had an early yoga session today and for some odd reason, I started having hiccups at the end bit of the session. It just won't stop. It was even harder to give out the instructions without adding the hiccups to it. Lucky me, it was time to relax in Shavasana. I laid down with the students and I took slow deep breaths, trying to keep calm at the same time. To my utmost surprise, it worked!!! The deep breaths were so relaxing as well, I felt so light and good.

Well, I went thru' Wiki How on hiccups. And some of the suggestions they had in it was absurd. Here are the 'How to stop hiccups?' in Wiki How.

1)Stand on Your Head Method

Gargle warm salt water for 30 seconds
Perform a handstand next to a wall (to prevent falling over)
Recite the alphabet backwards, while retaining a small amount of gargle-water in your mouth.
Enjoy hiccup-free condition.

2)Peanut Butter Method

Get a tablespoon of peanut butter.
Swallow the whole spoonful immediately, don't chew it or get it all slobbery. Please make sure you are not allergic to peanuts before attempting this, and be careful not to choke while using this method

3)Pencil Method

Fill a glass up with room temperature water.
Hold a pencil horizontally with your lips, keeping your mouth slightly open.
Drink the water with the pencil in your mouth. The air will flow differently into your mouth, causing the hiccups to stop.



4)Ear Method

Drink a normal-sized gulp of water, but don't swallow! Leave the water in your mouth. Pull down both your earlobes.
Tilt your head back.
Swallow.



5)Look Up Method

Pour a glass of any beverage and place it in front of you.
Wait for a hiccup to come.
Once you hiccup, drink the beverage while looking up. Don't look down until you've emptied the glass.

Okay, this one I learned from an ol' friend at work. She asked one of the girls who just couldn't stop hiccuping for nearly half an hour or so. She tore a small bit of toilet tissue paper and asked our friend to damp it with her own saliva. Then she got the poor girl to stick the tissued saliva between the eyebrows. Did it work? Yes, surprisingly, it did. I don't know whether it's just the psychological part playing the remedy or it was somehow connected to the saliva in the tissue. Go figure!