Pre Natal Yoga

I have been asked several times about pre-natal yoga, the truth is ....and here it is guys...the ultimate truth...I don't really feel I'm ready to teach it cause I haven't had one of those munchkins yet. Believe me, I want to, just the incubator is waiting for the 'telur' to 'masak'. Yes, in english, waiting for D Egg to cook. Can I say that? Okay, in any case, I have the certification for it and yes, I have attended the course for it, but who am I to say, " Ladies, take deep breaths and feel your belly rise, feel the 'prana' flowing inwardly into your child within, ....and so in the course of your labour, you will remember me saying.......Inhale, prana....exhale, less pain...." Bet one of the pregnant mums will throw a pillow at me and say," ARE YOU SERIOUS?!!!!?"

I'm a woman yet to experience where NO MAN has stepped into yet and has no clue what the pregnant mums feel like till I have one of my own in my belly. I would just feel like a big liar if I said to you, " Come on, ladies. Just hold the tree pose for another few more breaths, just feel 'floaty' light in your belly." Bet you one of the mummies will swing her towel at my face and say," You try and carry this belly and see how long you can sway like a tree!"

Okay, I am exaggerating, the other reason why I don't conduct the classes as yet besides not experiencing it is .....I truly....truly....don't have the resources.

Yup, yup, want to experience it first then say...."Hold and extend for another 5 breaths ....and yes, I know you can cause I have done it....do, just a little longer......"......AH HA!!!! Then no mummies are going to crucify me ..........Just kidding guys...

On the bright side, if you really want to try some pre natal yoga, there are a few pre natal video I recommend...There's one with Shiva Rea or Jennifer Wolfe. (amazon.com)

Like all home workouts, do consult your doctor before attempting it. There are so many types of yoga out there and you might just want to sit through the workout before doing it. At least you have a brief idea what you'll be doing.

I'm pretty sure I have seen some pre natal pilates dvd's in video shops in Brunei too. The picture below is one of the dvd's I have seen sold here.



So....to end off on a positive side, I do intend to teach pre natal yoga in the near future, just waiting for the flower to get pollinated. Till then, good luck new mummies out there.....

Plenty of Laughs...Mix & Match.......

Laughter is medicine for the soul.

Yoga Dawg with Miles Davis

Everyone in the household has been down with colds and flus, so I had to catch it at some point. Good job I'm feeling better today, bed's rest and vitamin c was all I need. Spent some time reading other blogs and have to say I am fully entertained by yogadawg. My favourite was his/her? write up on 'yoga dangers' , the EFFF cracked me up. There are funny images, yoga kit , 1st annual yogadawg yoga conference and so on.

P.S If you are thinking of getting a yoga mat bag, came across this from SantoshaP.P.S If you're thinking of becoming a yoga teacher and you're not sure what yoga books you should be getting, here's a few suggestions....

This book is such a blessing and writes clearly on how each and every muscle is engage in the asanas without getting in depth. It leaves you smiling, not crying not understanding medical jargon.
Another good read up, as a yoga student or teacher, is Light on Yoga by B.K.S Iyengar. It introduces yoga and the philosophy behind it.

P.P.P.S If you are looking for workshops to go to, here's one with Simon Park

7-9 August, Hong Kong - Central
14-16 August, Singapore - Ngee Ann City

Simon Park is an effervescent student of Vinyasa Yoga and Thai Massage. Drawing inspiration from many yogic styles and master teachers, he has developed a truly unique and energetic practice. Simon has taught Yoga and Thai Massage workshops nationwide and assisted extensively with his first teacher Shiva Rea. He has been featured in The New York Times and Yoga Journal for his whimsically wayward twist on ancient practices. Nomadic by nature, he travels the world to celebrate the pulse of the global yoga community.

P.P.P.P.S Have you ever notice if you return an angry face with a smile, the person is either stunned, or is a little less angrier with you?

The Power of Kindness

Who is this Swami "Baba" Ramdev? I didn't even know who this supposedly 'swami' is, untill he made headlines about homosexuality being a congenital defect. I find his comments on 'yoga cure' obnoxious and egoistical. He apparently has millions of followers and preaches about yoga being a cure to all fatal diseases. It's a very strong and bold statement to make. It does make me wonder if yoga truly cures all things, then why are people still dying? Won't his claims be proven if it did happen and if it did happen, won't doctors all over the world get patients, even the terminally ill, on yoga programmes worldwide diligently?

I have friends from different backgrounds, different religions, different races and different characters. They are all amazing human beings to me, regardless of their sexuality. Why would any one individual be condemned just because of 'who' he is? Who are we to judge? That's the problem with the world today, we judge and we blame, the word 'kindness' is taken for granted and forgotten. I have always believed that a man's faith and goodness is not based on how loud he shouts out about his love for God but how quietly and humbly he stands before the poor and misfortunate, gives them all his worldly possessions and that of himself.

In 2006, the following comment from Swami Ramdev drew the wrath of media and some political activists:

"I am a follower of penance, sacrifice, non-violence and truth. But I am also a follower of revolutionaries. I live a simple life. I don't do what everyone else does. But I believe that the freedom of our country is because of the sacrifice of martyrs. If somebody says that the country achieved independence without arms, without bloodshed, I believe that is an insult to the country's martyrs."—Swami Ramdev, 2006 (His comments on Mahatma Gandhi)

...What has violence resulted over the years? 'Niente!' Repeated bloodshed and lost of lives are the only achievements from wars. Really if he is a true 'swami', he would have known the 8 limbs of yoga well enough not to make such comments.

I think yoga can be a help to people's lifestyle, I don't dispute it, but I don't believe it's the only answer, if it is, the path to higher realm is definitely an easier path to take.

Even as a teacher, I look for answers in all religions and races, and each of them provide me with abundance of spiritual attainment. If you took our skin away, won't we all look the same underneath?

All I know right now, at this very moment, is the power of kindness is the key to plenty of things, if used with wisdom and without judgement.

Like the Dalai Lama's philosophy, his motto,"My religion is kindness"

Why Yoga Works ( By Alisa Bauman, Yoga Journal)

Exactly how does yoga build fitness? The answer you get depends on whom you ask. Robert Holly, Ph.D., a senior lecturer in the Department of Exercise Biology at U. C. Davis and one of the researchers on the U. C. Davis study, says that muscles respond to stretching by becoming larger and capable of extracting and using more oxygen more quickly. In other words, side benefits of flexibility include increased muscle strength and endurance.

"My own belief is that the small but significant increase in maximal oxygen capacity was due to an increase in muscle endurance, which allowed the subjects to exercise longer, extract more oxygen, and reach an increased maximal oxygen uptake," says Holly.

Then there's the pranayama theory. Birkel suspects that yoga poses help increase lung capacity by improving the flexibility of the rib area, shoulders, and back, allowing the lungs to expand more fully. Breathwork further boosts lung capacity—and possibly also VO2max—by conditioning the diaphragm and helping to more fully oxygenate the blood.

Birkel, Dina Amsterdam, and others are also quick to point out that Suryanamaskar (Sun Salutations) and other continuously linked poses increase the heart rate, making yoga aerobically challenging. And many yoga poses—particularly standing poses, balancing poses, and inversions—build quite a bit of strength because they require sustained isometric contractions of many large and small muscles. Of course, holding the poses longer increases this training effect.

Finally, yoga tunes you into your body and helps you to better coordinate your actions. "When you bring your breath, your awareness, and your physical body into harmony, you allow your body to work at its maximum fitness capacity," says Dina Amsterdam. "Yoga class is merely a laboratory for how to be in harmony with the body in every activity outside of yoga. This improved physical wellness and fluidity enhance not just the physical well-being but also permeate all levels of our being."

Reminescence

Late nights, watching M.J's Dangerous, mum and Peter joined in, such a brilliant album. Stores in Brunei selling M.J's latest album only, none of his earlier days. M.J-definitely a talented artist by nature.

J.R.R Tolkien-LOTR gifted writer.

Reminescing

J. Lo Adiós

Hoy he venido a despedirme
A hablar de tantas cosas
que nunca quisiste oírme.
Y ya no quiero mas excusas,
Tu nunca tienes tiempo,
Se te escapo la musa.

Adiós, adiós… Me voy, adiós, Y no me dejas ni tan solo la esperanza, Adiós amor, adiós…

…..Y no me dejas ni tan solo la esperanza,
Adiós amor, adiós…

Si hay una lágrima en mis ojos

Es que voy recogiendo
de mi vida los trozos
Si hemos jugado a una aventura
Nos hemos embriagado
Con tragos de locura

Serving others

The Dalai Lama's message on Human Approach to World Peace

When we take into account a longer perspective, the fact that all wish to gain happiness and avoid suffering, and keep in mind our relative unimportance in relation to countless others, we can conclude that it is worthwhile to share our possessions with others. When you train in this sort of outlook, a true sense of compassion - a true sense of love and respect for others - becomes possible. Individual happiness ceases to be a conscious self-seeking effort; it becomes an automatic and far superior by-product of the whole process of loving and serving others.

Another result of spiritual development, most useful in day-to-day life, is that it gives a calmness and presence of mind. Our lives are in constant flux, bringing many difficulties. When faced with a calm and clear mind, problems can be successfully resolved. When, instead, we lose control over our minds through hatred, selfishness, jealousy, and anger, we lose our sense of judgement. Our minds are blinded and at those wild moments anything can happen, including war. Thus, the practice of compassion and wisdom is useful to all, especially to those responsible for running national affairs, in whose hands lie the power and opportunity to create the structure of world peace.

Sharing The World

Too many times I feel I have to stop myself every once in a while, think hard if I have actually give thanks to God and the universe for the blessings I have received in a day or a week. And I wonder if I have shared my blessings with the world around me. It's so easy to take gifts and receive things, thinking we deserved it because it's in our own right to take. Perhaps, the worse we can do with the day's blessing, in any form it comes in, is to keep or hoard it to oneself.

I can be very much like that, sometimes, thinking I still don't have enough, I need more. It could be anything, from food to clothes shopping, money, e.t.c. A lot of the insecurity or inadequacy and 'not having enough' stems from the way we've been brought up to think.

Question is, do I have enough? Looking at it carefully, yes, I have plenty. I look at it 'all' and see abundance in everything, from the clean and fresh air I breathe, to being 'alive'. The bare necessities are always there, it's free and it keeps me going. The universe doesn't hold back her beauty, even the smallest seed in the ground shares its beauty when it blossoms. So what I do have as a person, experience, love, knowledge, country, money, food, time, possessions are expandable and can be shared. What I do in this life time does matter. What I do today does matter, maybe not to me, but to someone else, maybe not to somebody else but to God. So as the saying goes, live for today and not just tomorrow.

The abundance is right in front of all of us all the time, grab it, embrace it, smile at it, share it and give thanks.

Here's some inspiration from Daily Om

The Wisdom of Sharing

Stone Soup
There are many variations on the story of stone soup, but they all involve a traveler coming into a town beset by famine. The inhabitants try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food. They tell him in no uncertain terms that there’s no food anywhere to be found. The traveler explains that he doesn’t need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them. The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water. He sniffs the brew extravagantly and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brings out a cabbage to share. This episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets—indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village.

This story addresses the human tendency to hoard in times of deprivation. When resources are scarce, we pull back and put all of our energy into self-preservation. We isolate ourselves and shut out others. As the story of stone soup reveals, in doing so, we often deprive ourselves and everyone else of a feast. This metaphor plays out beyond the realm of food. We hoard ideas, love, and energy, thinking we will be richer if we keep to them to ourselves, when in truth we make the world, and ourselves, poorer whenever we greedily stockpile our reserves. The traveler was able to see that the villagers were holding back, and he had the genius to draw them out and inspire them to give, thus creating a spread that none of them could have created alone.

Are you like one of the villagers, holding back? If you come forward and share your gifts, you will inspire others to do the same. The reward is a banquet that can nourish many.

H1N1: The bugs and the truth of it all.

Okay, I know that H1N1 is on the rise in Brunei, thing is, is it deadly? I googled it and these were the results I got.

Official: A/H1N1 flu not more deadly than regular seasonal influenza

LOS ANGELES, May 1- Los Angeles County's chief health officer said on Friday that A/H1N1 flu, also known as swine flu, does not appear to be any more deadly than regular seasonal influenza.

"The current situation is certainly one of concern, but not alarm," said Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Jonathan Fielding.

"At this point, what we have looks very similar in severity to seasonal influenza," Fielding said.

He called the A/H1N1 flu "basically a mild and moderate disease, predominately."

"I don't think that this strain, based on the limited knowledge we have to date, is more concerning than other strains, and I'm particularly happy to see a pattern of illness which is not worse than the seasonal influenza," he said.

Fielding said the potential for the disease to become a "pandemic" should not overly frighten residents, pointing out that the term describes the range of the disease rather than its severity.

But Fielding warned that the potential does exist for the virus to mutate, possibly into something more deadly.

"Flu viruses can mutate," he said. "Whether that'll make it worse or better we don't know whether it'll change to a significant degree, we don't know. That's why we're monitoring the situation carefully, as is the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the World Health Organization."

The timing of the outbreak is somewhat fortuitous for the United States, he said, pointing out that as the weather gets hotter the spread of flu tends to slacken.

Will wearing a face mask protect you from the flu?

The Public Health Agency of Canada asked a panel of medical experts for guidance on how flu is transmitted and how best to protect against infection.

People don't The report was produced by the Council of Canadian Academies, chaired by Dr. Donald Low, microbiologist in chief at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

One of the questions the panel considered was whether face masks would offer protection in the event of a pandemic.

The verdict: yes, to an extent.

need mask unless they are continuoulsy within a meter of someone coughing and sneezing who has H1N1(swine), or has symptons and are unsure if they have this virus, this would be an emerg nurse or health care worker, in this instance a regular surgical mask would be fine for a brief conversation, turning away when they cough

A surgical mask offers little or no protection to the health care worker -or anyone else in the area of a person sneezing/coughing as they do not form a tight seal and are limited in their ability to keep aerosolized (the portion of the sneeze/cough that others can inhale and potentially lead to illness) fractions contained at the source.

Respirators such as the N95 are designed and certified (NIOSH) to filter out fractions that can enter the human airway - such as the influenza virus.

At this time, there is no need to wear either when in public. However it is prudent for persons to wear N95 (or better ie: P100) respirator when closer to suspect cases

Why was or is it deadlier in Mexico?

It's also possible that A/H1N1 began life in Mexico especially virulent — that country has apparently been grappling with the virus for weeks longer than the U.S. has — and evolved to become less dangerous by the time it crossed the border. That would not be an unusual evolutionary device, since viruses that are too deadly cannot survive if they kill off their host before being given a chance to spread. "It's fairly common in epidemics to see a trade-off between the ability to cause severe death and transmissibility," says Steven Kleiboeker, a virologist and the chief scientific officer for ViraCor Laboratories. The A/H1N1 virus may be attenuating itself as it spreads from person to person, becoming easier to catch but less dangerous. (Read "CDC Readies Swine-Flu Vaccine.")

The WHO, however, says that so far the virus appears to have stayed relatively stable during the chains of transmission, so it may not be mutating much. Still, the virus's current relatively weak state does not guarantee that it won't return later, much more virulent — which is exactly what happened in the 1918 flu pandemic that killed at least 50 million people worldwide. As the flu season comes to an end in the northern hemisphere, it may lead to a natural petering out of new swine-flu cases in the U.S. But the strain may continue to circulate aggressively in the southern hemisphere, which is just now entering its flu season, and then return to the north next winter.

Any conclusions now will be premature, because we still don't know what we're looking at. Experts predict we'll eventually begin to see fewer new cases in Mexico, as lab results separate real swine-flu infections from normal respiratory disease. Meanwhile, the anticipation of more cases and deaths in the U.S. has already been begun to be borne out. As the CDC's Besser himself has pointed out, swine flu is going to be a marathon, not a sprint — and we've only just gotten started.

What have you done to change the world?

I have been meaning to watch this movie for quite a long time, and it's only till now, I followed through the whole film. It's such a beautiful story with an interesting concept to it. The story starts off with a young boy who's been given a project by his school teacher to put into action an idea that could change the world. So young 12 year old Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) comes up with a plan to do good deeds for three people who then by way of payment each must do good turns for three other people. These nine people also must pay it forward and so on, ad infinitum. Trevor calls his idea "pay it forward".

The story is moving and it makes you think if you could realistically put it into action. But 'pay it forward' has 3 rules to it:-

1)It has to be something that really helps people
2)Something they can't do themselves
3)I do it for them, they do it for three other people

I looked through the website for what 'others' may have done, having inspired by the movie itself....hmmmmm, maybe they weren't paying attention to the rules...some have paid (anonymously) for a stranger's meal in a restaurant...the person paying may have felt good about it but surely if 'a' person sits in a restaurant, he must have been able to fork out his own meal??

There were some good ideas like:-

1. Forgive some who might have wronged you in the past. Go out of your way to do them a favor.
2. Search out someone who may need some real financial assistance. Maybe someone had their lights turned off because they could not pay the bill . You could be the light that they need.
3. Visit an elderly person in need of assistance or a visit.
4. Give someone your car. (wow, I better make sure I pay my loan first)
5. If you provide services for living, give your services pro bono.
6. Pay someone's mortgage for a month -- or a year for that matter.
7. Help a student with their tuition.
8. Help with an inner city project.
9. Be a mentor.
10. Walk someone's dog.(Done....10 years ago)
11. Shovel someone's walkway.
12. Babysit for free.(Ching!!! You see that...start paying if forward...just kidding!)
13. Have a fund raiser at your school.
14. Clean someone's house.
15. Drive people around.
16. Rake someone's leaves.(I like the leaves on the ground....)
17. Play music for the elderly. ( my piano playing would have them snoozing off)
18. Leave a huge tip next time you go out to dinner.(done...erm, but maybe the waitor would have looked at the tip and said,"are you kidding me?")
19. Give a lottery ticket to a stranger.
20. Treat a police officer to a cup of coffee.
21. Bring some goodies to the fire station.
22. Pick up someone's tab the next time you dine out.(Done!)
23. Pay the highway toll for the person behind you.(No toll in Brunei, sorry!)
24. Invite the less fortunate for Thanksgiving dinner.
25. Donate food, clothing, and money to the needy.
26. Buy the movie tickets for the person behind you.
27. Mow someone's lawn.
28. Cook a nice meal for a friend.(Done, done , done!)
29. Help a homeless person find a home.
30. Read the book, 365 Ways To Change The World, by Michael Norton, and then give the book to a stranger.

Thing is, I do think some of the 'do list' above are things most people can do for themselves. The movie wouldn't have been so appealing if not for Trevor to point out that the help has got be something that 'really'helps people. Small gestures are still blessings but 'pay it forward' feels more like a significant 'difference' you do to or for someone. I mean, are we brave enough to 'go out of our way' to 'do' something different out of our routines to 'help' somebody?

Remember Les Miserables by Victor Hugo? It's like when the Bishop Myriel saved ex-convict Jean Valjean, later telling him to make an honest man of himself. Jean Valjean followed through with his promise. The significance of the bishop's help did turn Jean Valjean's life around. He turned good and did help more than 3 characters in the book that did 'help' and made a difference. I would imagine that's the kind of 'help' Trevor Mckinney was aiming for.

It's made me think and wonder, who do I 'pay it forward' and how many? I always feel I'm conditioned to think to look out for myself, cause we have to survive. It makes you think when everyone's out there for themselves...and Trevor says,"Is the world just s***?"

Trevor Mckinney helped and although some of the 'help' he gave was truly heartbreaking, he showed true courage and bravery.

So let's just say, I'm thinking..

when someone does you a big favor, don't pay it back... Pay It Forward

.

Yoga 2 dalicious with Danurasana

It's always so nice to be a student again, to take the backseat and enjoy the ride. I did just 'that' today at Danurasana's place today. Before the practice, it was a blessing to have met Nora's gorgeous baby girl Sahara, she has such lovely eyes. It makes me think of my little nephew Gabriel, sigh.....

All in all, Nora did such a great job, creating a beautiful ambience with candle tea lights all around and coloured the background with such enticing music to lure the mind and body to relax all around. With the atmosphere set, I was more than ready to embrace the practice.

Danurasana created the spirited vinyasa with an uplift of virabhadrasana's and open of the heart with trikonasana's. Nora's voice guided us through from one asana to the next with such ease, her directions easy to lead our practice into an uplifting and blissful practice. She did throw in a few teasers which was a little challenging but the relief from it was pretty soothing enough to realise later when she rested us in balasana.

It was so nice to practice with Nora again and I can't wait to return for the next one. Hmmmm, completely yoga 2 dalicious..............