Imagine (John Lennon)

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Without Judgment

Mother Teresa said, “If you judge people, you don’t have time to love them.....If we have no peace in the world, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." 

...ran into a conversation on how yoga is denounced in christianity in some churches.  Some pastors believe you cannot be a christian whilst practicing yoga, they claim it'll disrupt the person's own christian beliefs.  Some christians believe that it'll alter subtle changes within themselves and have profound dramatic spiritual consequences that will not be for the better.  How funny that because yoga is from the East, some even claim that travelling to the East (i.e. East of Eden) is idolatry.  

Yoga can be affiliated to hinduism.......if that's the direction you want to head into.  If you send your kid to a chinese learning school, would you be worried the child might convert into buddhism one day?  Everything in life is related to one thing to the other.  But the linkage to 'whatever not's ' is to your own discretion.  Everything in moderation.  Not too much and not too little.  

I've practice yoga for well over 5 years....still a strong believer in my faith and I don't have deities set up in my home and  even though I meditate, I don't levitate and I don't go into trance.  And this is all because I don't seek to do it and it's not where my practice is heading.  Yoga means (to me) the balance of the body and the mind .....it's not magic.  When you jog or when you dance or when you watch a movie, do you not forget the one thing that was troubling you before you started your run or waltz? The only difference is yoga teaches you to observe the parts of your physicality that needs strengthening and toning.  It teaches you to listen to the breath.  It's not rocket science ! When you're in the hospital and you're recovering from heart surgeries, the nurses teaches deep breathing.  Same thing, yoga teaches you to focus on the breath, one of the many things that helps relaxes a busy day work.  

You could love baking or cooking and maybe that relaxes you.  Some people need poses that stretches and tones, so yoga could be something that makes the day better for them.

I don't hail yoga as the be end and end all.  But maybe if people stop judging, cause judgments seldom leave room for alternate possibilities. 

As we seldom know what roads people have traveled before a shared encounter or why they have come into our lives, we should always give those we meet the gift of an open heart. Doing so allows us to replace fear-based criticism with appreciation because we can then focus wholeheartedly on the spark of good that burns in all human souls. (Daily Om)

It's sad when society claims by self on what's right or wrong to do in every religion.  You'll either be damned if you do and damned if you don't.  Yoga teaches the ego is destructive,  so, is it not egoistical to claim knowing your spiritual way is the only gateway to heaven?

I think above all lessons I have learned till this day is love.  Love is simple and kind.  It's not hateful in any way.  It doesn't judge, it doesn't cause separation and it's not set on certain conditions. It just is.  Simple.  Love tolerates and it forgives.  It doesn't berate grudges for a life time neither does it claim rightfulness above anything or anybody.  It's infinite.  Love is acceptance and understanding of the human race.  Love is trust, faith and hope.

Maybe if one doesn't have all the above, it's time for a little humility, less ego and more enthuasiasm to live in a more balanced world.  Maybe we might not be able to live together in harmony altogether yet, but we can at least start to live in tolerance and compassion.

Like Gandhi once said,"My religion is kindness"

Roll Out Your Yoga Mat

Yoga...it's not a sport or exercise that competes or compares.  And if it is, it should be with the best of intentions.  It attracts people of different ages to try this ancient system of body toning and mind balancing.  And does it work?  It could have worked for some individuals or perhaps not for all.  It even depends on what yoga means to you or me.  Some would see it as a new fashion 'fad' to exercise or wear 'cool' yoga clothes.  Some would do it to lose weight, and just that only.  Or perhaps it gives them a thrilling or heighten sense of acheivement when performing some of the utmost challenging asanas.  Others may seek it for relaxation and to regain a sense of peacefulness ...away from their busy schdules or daily stresses.  Perhaps it's also another way of meeting new friends, perhaps the yoga teacher is truly a hunky stud Brad Pitt lookalike (hell, I be in the class too! .........) or for some, it's a way of life. 

Losing weight....hmmm, I would imagine you would have to practice a dynamic form of yoga (frequently in a week) especially if you're a big eater to lose weight.  And the way we eat in Brunei, means a marathon run on alternate days would suffice to help us maintain our size 8 or 12 body shape.  Let's face it, we can jog, cycle, swim and dance to maintain our physique.  But there's only a far in a few of us that can keep up with the strenous exercise till we age in our sixties.  And perhaps yoga doesn't slim us the way we 'want' it to.  We can't always have 'everything'.  But the beauty of yoga is it heightens our awareness to the things that consumes our thoughts that's unnecessary.  Not to say we shouldn't exercise, by all means do, but everything in moderation.  Our physique shouldn't be something that haunt us on a daily basis, to feel that our need to look 'good' is priortised above everything else.

And really, if you're a regular practitioner, you will soon realise it's the breath and the silence that brings calmness and serenity to the pose.  If you're practicing yoga, don't do it with high expectations, but be inspired to do it so it helps you find your 'dharma'.

The physical side of yoga asanas takes years to practice, it's not an exercise that's easy to master.  Not unless you practice on a daily basis.  It's like an art form ...like a song or a dance.  The time taken to practice may be quite a 'put off ' for some, ...and I don't blame some for seeing it that way.  We all have different views.  I personally don't have much patience for baking cakes made with beautiful decors ....icings and all.  But I love yoga and it's part of me.  Just like someone who loves cooking, baking.....looking after children....You either love it or not, ......cause if you don't like something, it usually taste yucky at the final touch. 

But if you build a love affair with yoga for a lifetime, somehow the results are rewarding and fruitful.  Just like a relationship can either wither or grow, to build the latter, you feed it with continual practice of love, patience, respect and dedication.......even if it's every so often.  

Thoughts For Today

GLEE....If you had a teacher like Will, you take up music any day even if you couldn't sing.  But it would be a real killer to have a P.E teacher like Sue....Tough, tough, tough.  

Earth hour last night, ...........thought hubby was kidding when he said we had to switched off everything for an hour........couldn't see what 'mackeroos' I had on my dinner plate.....hubby then reminded me of my 'non-environmental friendly' four range drive Toyota I have.  Not something a yoga teacher (who cares about the world) will drive, he says.  My reply..," If there was a flood, my car would probably save 6 to 8 people while I drive us to the safest destination.  That's why I'm keeping it."  He says," But if there's a BIG flood, you probably won't save anyone let alone you."  I don't argue, never argue with Peter... kept quiet and placed my cutleries aside to use my hands .....spaghetti are hard to scoop up.......Earth hour should happen when we are sleeping ...........

New Beginners Class

That's right! We'll have new beginners class starting 2nd March 2010 taught by Kristie Ying, Ikuyo Lampel and Maki Sakanoue.  If you are brand new to yoga and have decided to return back to yoga after a long break from it, joining the beginners class will help you ease your way back into the practice.  Here's a brief introduction to the teachers' profile.

Kristie first discovered yoga in 2007 while she was a Business student in Brunei. The following year, she pursued her education abroad and completed her management degree in London. To cope with the sudden lifestyle changes and adversities, she continued her yoga practices regularly with Bikram yoga where classes are conducted in a heated room of 41 degree to promote flexibility and aid in detoxification. Gradually, she developed a growing passion towards yoga and made the decision to embark a journey to India for an intensive teacher training yoga course in Himalayan Yoga Valley, Goa. She had successfully completed the 200 hours training and is now a qualified yoga instructor on Hatha and Vinyasa practice. Other than the fitness and health aspect of yoga, her decision to pursue in this path was also due to its abundance in inner peace and calmness. 

Maki's years of diligent and dedicated practice to Hatha yoga helped inspired and transformed her lifestyle into one's that's peaceful and calm.  Along with another yoga devotee, Ikuyo Lampel, both teachers have recently qualified as certified hatha yoga teachers, having taught by Patrick Creelman in Hong Kong.  Maki approaches her practice with sensitivity and great understanding, her patience to teach will be of great benefit to those students new in yoga. 

Together Kristie, Ikuyo and Maki will lead the classes this coming March, so don't wait, join us and find out more how yoga can help relieve stress.

Class Schedules as follows

Every Tuesday ,Thursday and Saturday at 8.15a.m

Every Monday and Wednesday at 7.15p.m                

Class Fees : Walk In $10 / 8 Lessons for $60.

Please call Kristie at 8873838 or Maki at 8603313,Ikuyo at 7171583

N.B The new beginners classes as stated above are lead by the teachers Kristie,Maki and Ikuyo.  **Jac Fang will continue with her normal schedule as previous **

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