Dreams do come true

I created a collage of pictures two years ago to remind me what I aim to do in life and to dream what I hope to have. So far, those 'dreams' have come true and I think visualization played an important part in reaching my goal. Have a try, all you need is an old album (you're not using) some old magazines, scissors and glue. Dreams are made for everyone to live.

Surya Namaskar with Me and my Mat

Woke up at 8.30a.m and decided to roll out of bed to do some sun greeting. Took my little cd player and favourite yoga mat, rolled it out, facing into garden. Meditated for awhile, contemplating my thoughts for the week, trying to bring myself back into my breaths and then started off with simple stretches. I did plenty of sun salute (since the sun does a lot for us & the world...never seem to ask anything in return) and added in virabhadrasana one's. It was peaceful, relaxing and transforming. I didn't have any perception of how my poses should strictly be, but went with the flow that came into my head. The soft music and the birds chirping away was just wondrous enough to slip into deep meditation with each and every pose done. I then finished it off with koundiyasana, tithibasana, pincha mayurasana and last but not least, shavasana. It was very quiet inside my head but a feeling of santosha was there too.

Took some time to meditate again after...but my tummy started growling. I didn't realise I had been out on the mat for 2 hours. Rolled the mat up and decided to have some jam and toasts with a hot cup of milo. Yummmm...............Went on the net for a while and suddenly ideas just kept springing into my head. It must be the all the head rush in adho muka svanasana and the 'ho hums' during meditation.

Called up Heidi from Baby Cakes Brunei, Rozi the artist, Reedz from Anak Brunei, Elaine, the crystal therapist and Candy's lovely cupcakes ...requested their awesome presence to join us on the 9th August at the Yoga Arts Event. They were thrilled to be invited and will bring with them their gorgeous creations to our very own mini yoga bazaar. So, don't forget to bring your purses on the day itself.

P.S I love this bendy straw!!

Happiness comes in Simplicity

School Bus In Japan

School Bus in Pakistan

Grandma In Half Standing Spilt at Bus Stand

Elephant In Bakasana

As a teacher, I try to remember the first time when I got myself into certain challenging poses like crane, firefly, scorpion or headstand. A lot of the times, when attempting arm balancing for the first time, it can be really intimidating and scary. I use to have this fear of 'flying'. Flying in aeroplanes scares the crap out of me and the thought of standing on 'looking glass floors' in tall buildings would just make my legs turn into jello. I admit I still don't like cable cars but somehow I am much better at 'take offs' in planes than before.

The first time I did crane pose, I felt 'heavy' and thought my butt was far too big for a 'take off'. I've got the smallest wrist ever, and that didn't help in my practice with arm balances... used to think I was going to break my wrists at some point.

I began sticking pictures of models doing crane on the balcony walls. I also stuck a picture of the elephant in the picture you see above too!! ( No idea if it was a real picture but I was determined). They were going to be my motivation to achieve crane.

It was a total of 50 falls ( 20 close calls on face and 10 landings on my bottom) before I took off. Even then my feet reached only 2 inches away from the floor but it was a feeling of achievement and overcoming the fear of falling when I finally got into the pose. I could have save myself 5 falls short if I shifted my weight forward a little more and lifted my head a tiny bit. But I was petrified of lifting my weight off the floor into my hands. After all, it has only been my feet carrying my weight the whole life time.

But I soon realised that my poses became lighter the more I 'breathed', engaged uddiyana bandha (abdominal lock) and released my fear of falling. I reminded myself each time 'falling' is just part of everything else I do in this lifetime. Of course, I piled some cushions around my mat just to build my confidence a wee bit. Cushions are like friends, they're soft inside, there to support and catch you when you fall....



(So p.s if you do intend to practice at home, get some nice cushy pillows around you)



(Unless you want to end up with a few front teeth missing.....)

It's been progression rather than instant miracles that helped me into the arm balancing poses. There wasn't a quick remedy or recipe to crane or firefly, just willpower and mindful practice.

Some poses do require a little more flexibility around the chest and shoulders, perhaps more arm strength too. In scorpion pose, it takes a while to feel comfortable enough to lift at the face to look in between the forearms. Being aware of your breaths is also a key point to remember in this challenging pose. I remember holding my breath when staying in scorpion pose only realising later my retention of breaths sent me straight back down to mother earth. So, remember guys, as always, bring awareness into the breaths again and find ease rather than bringing tension into the pose even when you're practising arm balancing. It doesn't take a genius to tell you that if your mind is elsewhere and you're doing pincha mayurasana, you're just gonna 'timber' yourself down to the floor.



Be in that moment, find where your 'center of gravity' is when you've your legs up in the air, let go of fear and most importantly, keep up with your practice....visualise yourself in the full pose and you will get there.

Yoga Horror

As you can see from the picture, it's a korean horror movie about a group of ladies joining a mysterious yoga school that promises everlasting beauty.....well, we can all guess with korean movies ...they never end up alive (their yoga teacher must have really tortured them....)..The title,"Yoga School" is directed by Yun Jae-Yeon and it'll be released in Korea on the 20th August. Hmmm, it makes you wonder yoga's popularity....I haven't come across a horror movie about jogging, cycling, or tai chi....ing???

Personally, I don't like horror movies. The fact that it's a'korean make'is even worse cause their movies scares the poo-poo out of me.

So, I might give it a miss........

A Surprise B'day

Brilliant Yoga Animation!!

My Daily Om ...

Kinda' like a 'Weekly Om' in my case....stumbled on the "Learn and Let Flow" on Daily Om. It teaches us to find our spiritual awakening in the midst and times when we run short of emotional and material resources. Obviously, old school will teach us you can reach spirituality when you're poor but hopefully, nothing is in permanence unless you really feel you have to hold yourself from financial and emotional well being in less guilt for the suffering of others.

I can relate to this more so than before. If I had read this earlier in my life, I would have disregard it as a useless piece of write up....even if it had been from the Daily Om.

I think Pete is my living testimonial to what I'm going to say....but I used to be such a BIG spender....BIG BIG BIG.....Even if I was on London's nursing salary, I was always on retail therapy....Just on one afternoon alone, these would have been my usual shopping menu.......I would buy Marks & Spencer organics for din din, purchase Lush for bubble baths (daily like), La Senza's lingerie on a weekly basis, House Of Fraser's newest party frock(even if I wasn't heading off to a dress up on the weekend), Muji latest stationary gadget, Pier's latest dinner napkin, Accessories latest winter scarf, the list would just go on and on and on. As long as I had the stamina to walk for another hour, it was just shop till my feet conks out on me. I'm even too embarassed to tell other stuff I bought that was so unnessary....and we are not talking about collecting $3.00 food containers....

The worst thing was, just to make me feel better about my shopping affair, I would stuff donation to charities standing by in the malls on my way out. Terrible!!!!

At the end of the month, I realised I would have spent far too much. But it re occurs again and again. Pete would asked me what I spent my dough on, and I be justifying my need for every item bought....even the Lilo & Stitch dolls...I know!!!!! Absoloodley terrible!!!

I thought my shopping addiction would stop if I came over to Brunei...I WAS SO WRONG.....I just bought anything I thought 'may need' or 'might need'. And this time, it was food containers.....Terrible!!!!!

Everytime, I tried not to overspent, I feel I had 'shopaholics' withdrawal symptoms. I felt down in the dumps and was angry.

After a while, I only realised my overspending was just a way of consoling my insecurities(and boy! did I have plenty of that). It's weird, but I kinda' felt I needed to pile the pretty shopping bags on me just to feel 'good' on the inside. It was only thru' time, I slowly cut down on my shopping sprees after awhile and instead spent more time understanding 'me' from the inside out. It was like having myself as a 'best friend' rather than relying on materials or other emotional resources for comfort.

I just mentioned to William I have to keep budget at the moment, even though I do badly want to spend out on another lovely enticing yoga workshop.......But I look to this moment in time to self practice and contemplate...........

Okay, I must admit, even though I do feel a 'wee' bit spiritually better as a person with my 'ho's and hum's', I am with flaws still....and yes, there will be a few naughty spending sprees once in a while, but at least I'm not doing it on a weekly basis anymore.......I'm thankful my headstands has helped keep an abundance of prana O2 to refrain me from thinking haywired shopping sprees............

Like King George said,"What! what!" ............. a girl's joy isn't her inedible diamond ring, ......in my case, it's Meiji's Dominica dark chocolataaaa.....................

Prana Yoga Flow -Heart & Mind

The Yoga Arts Association

invites yoga students to our first

Prana Yoga Flow 2009

Take your yoga mat and join us for an uplifting, invigorating and relaxing practice on the 9th August. Yoga Arts Association invites students of all level to bring their own insights of yogasanas to the event. Our aim in this event is to illustrate and enhance an absolute awareness when practicing from the heart and mind. We, as teachers from Yoga Arts will lead you into a spirited vinyasa practice of sun salutations, leg and arm strengthening poses to a few tease and twists accompanied by soulful music.

So, if you're interested, don't wait! Just book your mat with us and be there on the 9th August(Sunday) at 4.30pm! See you soon!

**Venue: Tai Chi Hall, Heng Thai Building, Gadong Roundabout- **

** Admission Fee: $5 per person**

**Please be reminded students should at least have some experience of sun salutations. For other enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Jac at 8930886, William 8767019, or Nora 8800010**