Flow through life

The last two months has been pretty hectic for me, and stressful too.  Eversince I got back from Taipei, I have only been packing boxes, ordering furnitures, organising moves and house arranging.  I wonder why you were never taught in school, amongst sciences, history and geography, on the 'art of marriage', 'moving houses' and 'life'.  In school we learn to count numbers in silly algebras that I have never once used in my daily chores, and learning countless numbers of 'what year is it' in histories that I cannot for the #$%!@! remember when the Boston Tea Party took place.  Schools never teach you about death and life, never told you about the art of reality and fantasies.  

And when things happen to you without a clear explanation, you feel like screaming," ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!????" Yup, that's me, shouting in my own head at God and the Universe saying, "HA! HA! Jokes over! Quit it, will ya!?? I have enough!"  

Why didn't any schools prepare you to deal with life as it is? With thanks to a little sanity left in my right side of my leftover brain, I came to my senses and let bygones be bygones.  I understand when things are out of my control, I just learn to flow with life without changing the course of my path.  I learn to understand that my life has a bigger plan for me if I waited patiently without trying to intervene always.  I learn there's a solution if I find hard enough what the answers are.  I learn to forgive my own past even if others are too proud to do so.  I learn to live with a smile and a positive thought for everyone even when I cannot see the reason why.  .........and surprisingly through the toughest times, somehow, I'll pull through.  I'm not alone in my need to know 'why it happens'.  Instead, I take comfort, there are others just like me, different, but definitely in the same Universe with a different fate.

Schools shapes the lifes of their students, in more ways they can imagine.  We probably spent more than half our lifes in schools always learning the logical, but why didn't my teachers teach me the unexplained and tell me it's okay to doubt?! That not everything written in 'black and white' goes according to plan but if we think with positive intentions we might just pull through.

I believe life doesn't wait, it lives through our decisions and experiences to learn and understand human nature in it's fullest potential.


Here's something to read from the Daily Om...........................


As We Ebb and Flow Through Life
Changing Roles

As we bob and weave with the ebb and flow of life our roles change, but our true self remains constant. As spiritual beings having a human experience, we go through many aspects of humanity in one lifetime. Living in the material world of opposites, labels, and classifications, we often identify ourselves by the roles we play, forgetting that these aspects shift and change throughout our lives. But when we anchor ourselves in the truth of our being, that core of spirit within us, we can choose to embrace the new roles as they come, knowing that they give us fresh perspective on life and a greater understanding of the lives of others.

As children, we anticipated role changes eagerly in our rush to grow up. Though fairy tales led us to believe that “happily ever after” was a final destination, the truth is that life is a series of destinations, mere stops on a long journey filled with differing terrain. We may need to move through a feeling of resistance as we shift from spouse to parent, leader to subordinate, caregiver to receiver, or even local to newcomer. It can be helpful to bid a fond farewell to the role that we are leaving before we welcome the new. This is the purpose of ceremonies in cultures throughout the world and across time. We can choose from any in existence or create our own to help us celebrate our life shifts and embrace our new adventures.

Like actors on the stage of the world, our different roles are just costumes that we inhabit and then shed. Each role we play gives us another perspective through which to understand ourselves and the nature of the universe. When we take a moment to see that each change can be an adventure, a celebration, and a chance to play a new part, we may even be able to recapture the joyful anticipation of our youth as we transition from one role to the next. 

...............For Amani A.

Wishing Ikuyo and Maki All The Best

Susan P.(Far Left) Ikuyo L.(Left), Meself, Maki S.(Right)

20th November at 9.30am :  Arrived at the airport to wish Ikuyo and Maki all the best for the teaching training course with Patrick Creelman in Hong Kong.  Both of them were set and ready to go.  Maki was a little 'over' her check in luggage weight, but she managed to pack some of her stuffs away into her hand carrier bag.  Maki's daughter, Hanako, was there with her dad, David to bid their farewells.  It was definitely exciting to see them leaving for the TTC but little Hanako didn't look that happy when Maki headed for the departure gates.  

21st November 9pm : Received text from the girls in HK.  Both are well and have survived their first day.  Seems like they are having fun by the way they've both typed out their text messages.  Om Namah Shivayah.

Side note.......  :O)  I am so happy for Maki and Ikuyo's decision to become yoga teachers.  A path that's challenging in so many ways, but they have both set their dreams and goals in ways I have only assisted.  It was their own initiation and their own self-determination that has given them this opportunity to do the teacher training course.  I admire their tenacity and their drives to always know more about the yoga philosophy and their maturity has grace them well into potentially 'good yoga teachers' .  

It's not been that easy for the past year for the girls.  They have family commitment , little children to attend to, and even other obstacles that would have stopped them from pursuing their dreams.  As a teacher, I only guided and morally support them the best way I know how.  But I believe it's through their family support, love and their own inspirations that they have achieve and deserve their journey in the yogic path. 

I  will keep them in my thoughts and keep wishing them the best ........

Yoga Makeover Workshop

Bringing Alignment  with Self And Universe 

HipOpener, Inner Spiral, Outer Spiral, Lead from the Heart

  

Keeping Focus, Breaths, Arm Strength with Shoulder Blades Drawn Down

 

 

Bringing Re-Alignment, Inner Spiral, Outer Spiral, Muscular Energy, Organic Energy

Plug Arm into Shoulders, Realign, Breaths 

Uddiyana Bandha Shown by June (Far Left)

 

Titibhasana using  Uddiyana Bandha and Arm Strength.

The Yoga Makeover workshop was hopefully inspirational to the students attending it.  My hope was to give students the knowledge and the understanding with deep appreciation of the muscles that we use to 'enhance our asanas.  Based on Anusara Theme, we worked into our 'inner spiral' 'outer spiral' ' shoulder loop' and 'heart softening'.  There were a lot of transformations made in the poses by students who felt they weren't able to do so in the 'past'.  Some students who had well rounded backs and other back issues to neck issues, we used the breaths and Anusara verse of adjustment to bring the students into their highest potential.  'Transformation' was the key word, and I was more than happy to see students doing yoga in the most of their ability.

Cynthia has back issues, so going into Paschimottasana is challenging for her.  Whenever she goes into any forward bend, her back rounds off.  But with inner spiral, and creating space to her lower back and hips, she's created 'space' to her lower spine while she maintains her length through the crown of her head. She's now able to guide herself half way into Paschimottasana. Transformation.

Om Namah Shivaya

N.B  Thanks To Candy C. For Taking The Pictures.

Funny Things in La Dolce Vita

5 Days ago- At 12 midnight, in bed already, half asleep.  Pete feeling parched, leaned over me and reached out for a bottle of water.  He downed about half a bottle.  When I turned to my side, I realized he drunk something he shouldn't have.  " Pete, did you drink the white capped bottle or the blue capped bottle?"  ..." The blue capped?!! Why?"...I  smacked him on his shoulder liked 'a wife would do'.  " That's the Holy Water my sister got me, was going to bring that over to our new house to have it blessed.  You just drank Holy Water!!!!!! "

Peter looking half stunned," What!!?? What was the holy water doing at your bedside table? How would I have known it was Holy Water?!!!!"

"Because it said in a big and bright orange sticker clearly marked 'Holy Water blessed by Rev. Johnny Chin'?!!! {Sigh!}

He then mumbled under his breath," Well, I do feel a little bit holy-er now.  It's going to clean and detox my soul while I fall asleep.............!"

Whacked him on the leg ," next time, read! don't do an "Alice in Wonderland" business!!"

4 days ago-Bought Grey's Anatomy PC game............How Shaddddd!

Last night-Late at 11pm, after a late night class.  Tuned into 90.7 F.M whilst driving back home from Jalan Tutong...There was DJ Dean and Boy Boy...it was my first time hearing these duos on radio.  Boy Boy sounded like the Bruneian version of Alvin the Chipmunk.  They were both reading messages sent to them for radio requests....One particular message brought my attention:-
Boy Boy -   " ...... (so and so)..requests for a .....milo music? ....(Boy Boy pauses after not being sure of the message)....m-i-l-o music?  ehhh...( he still after 20 seconds wasn't sure what he was reading on the screen)....

Dean (the other guy probably tried to help him out and read it too) - Oh!!!! No, Boy Boy, it's Mellow music.....not  M I L O music.....( at this point, I cracked up laughing so loud in the car ...it really made my day).....

Boy Boy just laughed as hard as I did in his cute chipmunk voice.  At least he didn't take it to heart...That's cool!

Today - 9am till 12.30pm .....30 turnouts for my second yoga workshop....good start with a yoga makeover of sun salutation followed by Anusara inspired led class with different standing poses.   Good fun with discovering ways into arm balances and backbends.... Will forever appreciate and remember all the amazing students that made a transformation into their breaths and asanas.  In awe of the ability to fully embrace the changes they made in their poses and their outlook on yoga.  And thank you to Sheila, Ikuyo and Maki for your help during the workshop.  Deeply appreciated.

Om Namah Shivaya 

Wishlist comes true

I'm having my birthday in a week and already it's been a great week. Been at Gadong mall lately and love Shabby Chic. So have been into Scrapbooking lately. Am playing around with the Slice gadget my dear hubby got me. Pretty cool stuff, it cuts out pretty much loads of lovely shapes.

But that wasn't the only thing keeping me away from blogging. Have been spending my free time teaching 'soon to be' yoga teachers who will be on their way to Patrick Creelman in Hong Kong this December. How exciting! Wish I was going along with them.

In any case, we had a kitchen demo this morning in my parents home. It's the Tmix Kitchen Chef gadget, it grates, mince, kneads, cooks, steams and blends!!! I invited Aunty Faridah and Diana P. since they both love cooking, and it was an instant love from first sight! But the best surprise was when my mum told me she got a Tmix for my coming birthday. I was so super excited, I gave her such a tight hug!! What a super mum.

See, I'm moving out to Telanai in probably a month or two...and my dear mum was thinking of who's going to cook..well, (and I admit, am spoilt having lived with my parents, my dad cooks all the time....he used to be achef before) mum didn't want me to 'doggy bag' all the time...so she got me the kitchen deluxe Tmix. I'm feeling a lot of Bhakti yoga love from everyone around me.....ahhhhh, what a feeling.

I'm looking forward to Christmas, December will be an exciting month! Get to see Desiree Rumbaugh in Taiwan, maybe and possibly moving to a new house, my sister arriving with my nephews end December....wow! Just looking forward to everything!

P.S Love 'This Is It' ...MJ is an artist in true light...

So Cute & Romantic!!!

I think the guy actually works in Disney for him to organise the whole proposal

Heather Graham in Eka Pada Koundiyasana

A Happy Dog

Glad to say the little Terrier I found at Pantai Meragang, is now with a new owner.  Super, super happy she's got a new home now..................Kudos to the new owner!

Rodasana

26th Oct, 7.30 pm ...driving home and saw a terrier dog running into a beach area.  Reversed crazily backwards to catch up with it.  Friend lured it in and we brought it home. Beautiful white blackish grey terrier, 7 to 8 years old with big dreamy eyes.  Wish I could keep it but landlady says 'no'. (Landlady= Mummy dearest).  Reasoning- we have 5 dogs, 3 terrapins, 1 chicken and uncounted fishes in a pond. 

Detective Brain says dog has been either lost or abandoned for at least a few days or more. Fur is ruffled and tangled.  Bad BO.  Poor dog starved, finished 3 bowls of rice and chicken. (Got scolded later by Vet not to feed too much to a starving dog or else will create ulcer....crap!)

27th Oct 11am...drove to Vet and asked him to assessed and health check it.  Vet says no problems with health....just loads of fleas....eww, eww, eww......(need to vacuum car)  ...Paid Vet to get her groomed, washed and de-flea-ed.  Text few or more friends to help find a home for poor terrier.  Temporary solution, leave at another friend's house.  Learned from friends Animal Shelter not fully functioning....Why oh why, would anyone abandon such a beautiful dog.  Still calling dog 'baby' only.  Baby very quiet and shy.  Also gets edgy and scared when someone walks past. 

28th Oct 6am...feeling restless and can't sleep.  Got up and changed into lousy track pants and baggy shirt, went into attic and marched my ass on the threadmill.  Speed at 5.9 (short of 0.1.......my feet was finding problems with the speed already) inclination 0 .....20 mins later.........enough sweat to cover a face towel was good enough for me....got off and had a nice warm shower...........

10 am ......have decided I have road rage today.  Yoga can't cure me today, not this morning anyways. Bizarre that I'm encountering drivers cutting closely enough to cause an accident! Hormones must be up.  Wish Patanjali had a pose for anti-road rage. We could call it Rodasana.  It could be a modified version of chair pose with arms bent, at 90 degrees....

12pm .....lunch with hubby, told him it's my turn to feel 'Bruce Almighty' .  His answer was ' Meet in Le Taj, eat and relax.......

1.30pm ....Chicken Kashmiri and Spinach Rice worked the irritation and annoyance away.

Life is good again..............