First Time in America

Phew! Finally...... I'm here in America.  It was definitely 'the' longest journey I have ever made from Brunei.  And let me say the stress level was ten fold when I got to the immigration check point.  For some odd reason, the men in uniform were pretty intimidating and I got a bit nervous when it was my turn to have my passport checked.  The officer checking it was quite stern and just huffed at my passport when he saw it.  And the first thing he said was," ....I don't think you can use ESTA with this passport ".  My heart just dropped immediately and I instantly thought 'damn it, I'll have to make 21 hours flight back to Brunei again!!!!???' I explained to him the passport was definitely a biometric passport.  He then said," Well, we'll find out then!" ..............You know what, my passport did checked through.   I'm not sure if this officer thought to himself,' Let's make this woman's brain go to panic mode before she lands officially on our soil'
I think I was pretty intimidated by their loud voices as well.  I felt like my voice sounded like a little mouse next to theirs.

Glad my sister didn't live too far away from Dulles Airport.  It was a 20 mins to 30 mins drive to Reston, Virginia.  All I can say is b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l.  Love the view of Lake Thoreau from my sister's house.  Her house sits cosy-ly at at gorgeous lake surrounded by forest.  Even though I was jet lag, I felt so awaken by the beauty of nature around her house.  Lucky her to live in such a nice place! 

In the past two days, I've already decided I like America.  They have a wide range of everything.  We went to Trader's Joe and it had one whole aisle just for a selection of bread alone.  Aiyayai!  And there were different sorts of hommus (my favourite), lovely selections of yoghurt ice cream, all sorts of dark chocolate and all sorts of whole grain cereal.  Woo hoo!!!!!! And I got to try my first black bean burrito.  D-licious!!!! And we got bargained goods (good quality) for reasonable prices.  Ohh and I finally came across Gaiam yoga products.  There's the yoga gloves to yoga socks.  I wanted to get the yoga gloves but there was only one glove left.  Never mind, I'll keep looking for other yoga stuffs.

I'm still not used to americans saying," Hi, how are you ma'm?" I mean I lived in UK for 10 years but not everybody will ask and say it to you.  But here in the States, everybody says it and they say it so loud too.  I feel as if I'm being 'questioned'.  My reply to them is only (with a very quiet voice) ," I'm fine,thanks?"

Well, we're off to Washington D.C today and we might just hello to Obama today.  Not!

Surviving yoga in the studio

 
Let's just say some parts of this article is funny and some, you'll just have to take it with a pinch of salt.  Click here to read on.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion

Needles.  Don't like needles.  And I know I used to be a nurse handling all sorts of sharps but for some odd reason, I can't bear the thought of them now. Here's the story, I was recently diagnosed with PCOS a few months ago and the meds given to me to help with the syndrome was not effective.  I didn't feel 'balanced' and the side effects were horrible.  So, I thought to myself, what would be the next best thing besides trying pharmaceutical drugs?  Did a little googling on the net and read how acupuncture could help remedy or alleviate the syndromes.  So, off I went to find me a qualified acupunturist in Brunei.  A family relative recommended me to Dr Zhu in Grace Pearl Clinic just next to Cafe De Paris in Gadong.  

I wasn't sure what to expect when I got to the clinic.  My only thoughts were, if he can help, then I don't mind trying alternative therapy.  Dr Zhu did a general assessment and felt I was lacking 'yang' (heat).  He explained how my love of drinking cold drinks and air conditioners 24/7 did not help my condition.  So, he offered acupuncture and chinese herbs to help create more 'yang'.  I took up on his offer, after all, what did I have to lose?  And besides, as a yoga teacher, I believe in holism and I know for sure that acupuncture stimulates 'Qi' (often translated as “vital energy”, qi is the common denominator of all things) and harmonize the energy flow of the body.


What I found interesting was this:-

'Acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese philosophy that sees all sicknesses in the body in terms of an imbalance in the energetic field of the body. This energetic field has been carefully mapped by the Chinese and they have discovered over 400 points that, when stimulated, can effect systemic changes in the body. These points are stimulated by the insertion of very fine, sterile and disposable needles. A combination of these points is carefully selected by the acupuncturist to help activate the body’s innate ability to heal itself and return to a state of balance.

'Scientific research into acupuncture in the last 25 years has brought a general advance in the understanding of neurophysiologic & neuropharmacologic pain relief mechanisms as they relate to acupuncture (the endorphin theory, the gate theory, and DNIC (diffuse noxious inhibitory control) theory). Evidence indicates that acupuncture stimulates the release of brain chemicals such as endorphins that function to relieve pain. Research shows that acupuncture strengthens the immune system, improves circulation, decreases muscle tightness, and increases joint flexibility.'

To be honest, if I said acupuncture doesn't hurt, I be lying to you.  Like I said, I don't like needles, but the insertion of the 'fine' needles doesn't hurt intensely, it just feels like someone pinching you.  And no, I didn't have it all over my body.  The total count of needles I had in me was about ten.  It kinda' felt relaxing after the needles went in.  


The results I would say (over the past few weeks) is pretty good.  I feel 'better'. Then again, it's a matter of time in the next few months if the pcos I have has been alleviated.

But it's definitely worth going through the treatment.  And I would say Dr Zhu is pretty good, he's quite gentle when inserting the needles.  In any case, click here if you're interested to read more on acupuncture and moxibustion.

Dance My Heart Away

The last few weeks has been one that's challenging and yet, a lot of discoveries has been made.  Things I wanted to try but never did, and now, I'm not only trying out dancing classes but am also getting poked at with needles(acupuncture)! In any case,the dance instructors at D'Music Motion(DMM) have been tempting me to dance for awhile back now and it's only through persuasion, I thought I give it a try.  And you know what......it's so cool! It's definitely very different from doing a dance aerobics class.  Learning to do the steps from a dance teacher on a 'one to one' is exciting and at the same time more intriguing.  James and Jhung, both presently dance teachers at DMM are both newly joined dance instructors along with Gilbert, Joel and Alan.  James is teaching me Latin dances while Jhung is teaching me Argentine tango.  I am super psych for the past week and a half learning all this new moves.  I think possibly flexibility from yoga does help with some of the dance movements but more so James and Jhung being excellent teachers.  

Have you ever watched Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez dancing in the movie 'Shall we dance?'  Or maybe Penelope Cruz and Nicholas Cage in 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin'? Or even Antonia Banderas in 'Take the lead'?  Super cool.  It just makes you want to move your feet when they're dancing in the films. 


Well, I think it's always nice to at least know some 'moves' if you're a lady on the dance floor.  It's never too late to learn.  ;)

Bellissimo!

I thought I share with you photos I took of Gabriel's birthday.  Cake Connoisseur Candy C. created the most beautiful sea turtle birthday cake one has ever seen.  My family was so impressed by her creation, they didn't have the heart to cut through the cake.  Little Gabriel kept stroking the sea turtles and the starfish.  

My dad decided to 'save' the cake from destruction by slicing the top layer off.  It was like watching 'Operation Cake Challenger'.  But Dad did a brilliant job cutting the top off and my mum saved it into a container ...it now sits 'waitingly' in the freezer.  

But love,love,love the cake.  Super artwork and design.  Taste delicious too! Thanks very much again Candy!!

A little sadness, A little happiness and A few tears

I like 'hello's' more than I do with 'goodbye's'.  I like to 'arrive' more than I do to 'depart'.  I'm good at laughing and smiling but I'm terrible when it comes to crying.  'Do's' works better for me than 'don't's'.  'Trying' is always better than ' I don't think I can'.  'Definitely's' are better than 'maybe's'.  'I forgive' is better than 'I don't, so bugger off.'.  And to know, is better than not to know, cause if you know and understand better, you move on.  And last but not least, it is less stressful to trust and love, than to suspect and hate.
                           
                        These are my days..............................
Ikuyo L. has left for Tokyo and it was quite a sad moment to see her go.  But I hope that we'll meet again someday in the near future.  It would have been good to have her join us at the new studio.  Maybe she'll pay us a visit again soon.

Kristie and I have been meeting up lately, making plans for our new yoga studio.  Carpe diem ! Life moves on.  Excited and happy.  (ps. thank you everyone for your patience and loving support on our new move :O)

The next best thing is I'm looking forward to is seeing my sister and her two boys again.  Can't wait to give them a cuddle, a kiss and a bite.

And then 5 more days to go till my holidays. Woo hoo!

You have to read this!!!

Ah Hua went for a job interview to be a secretary.



When the manager saw Ah Hua'scolorful attire and gold, white-highlighted hair, his mind is screaming, 'NOT THIS WOMAN!!!'. so chekai, Nevertheless, he still had to interview Ah Hua.



So he told Ah Hua,"If you can form a sentence using the words that I give you, then I will give you a chance! The words are GREEN,PINK,YELLOW,BLUE,WHITE , PURPLE and BLACK"


Ah Hua thought for a while and said, 'I hear the phone GREEN , GREEN , GREEN, then I go and PINK up the phone, I say YELLOW..... BLUE's that? WHITE did you say?" He continues...
"Aiyah, wrong numberlah.....Don't PURPLELY disturb people and don't call

BLACK, ok? Kum Siah."


The manager fainted....


** Ps . I don't know about you guys but I employ Ah Hua to be my jester! Kum Siah!**

Peeling the layers

Just a word of encouragement for the beginners and also the in-betweens to advanced yogis.  Sometimes when a pose or a 'situation' gets challenging, be patient.  In the beginning it feels like 'impossiblity' but with endurance and will power to 'live', impossiblity could become a possiblity.  Peeling away the hard outer parts till you get the nice soft mushy parts is the part I find most exciting. Patience over time will reap huge benefits than a quick fix. Discover the mind and body without rushing.   

Om

A little dash of 'ahimsa' please!

Ahimsa means 'non violence' in sanskrit.  I like to look at it as an act of loving kindness not only to others but ourselves.  It's nice when you're able to display some kindness to someone else during the day.  It could possibly be something simple like," How's it going?"  and really mean it when you asked.  More often, I find as we become adults, we become engrossed in our own lives and 'busier'.  Everything around us becomes oblivious at times.  Perhaps we are generally to look out for ourselves to gain independence.  But maybe if we take time out to 'climb out of our heads' and look around us, you'll probably be able to use your own instinct sometimes to suss out somebody who might not be feeling themselves lately.  And all it takes is 'Hey , How are you?"  And I guess, if you can do that for somebody else, you could do the same for yourselves too.  Being able to nurture the inner self when you're feeling worn out, despair or lost.  This could just be a 'time out' like a break from everything around you.  Or what I like to call, my 'ahimsa' time.

Life is not fair.  Sometimes when you think you've already climbed over one hurdle, another situation comes along.  A feeling of desperation to have some breathing space.  Often enough, we have pushed through tougher times but with a thought that the ones we're having right now are probably harder that the ones before.  And if it is, perhaps a little part acceptance into the situation rather that resisting it, will probably give us a clearer understanding.  

Here's a little something from Daily Om which I find really helpful.

When we send healing light to ourselves, it is important that our intentions and our self-trust be stronger than ever to counteract doubt.

As we bless ourselves in this way, we serve as both an active channel and a passive destination. This should not change the way we interact with the valuable energy we wish to receive, however. Though we may be tempted to consciously direct or influence the manner in which light impacts our lives because we know ourselves most intimately, we should not try to control its path. When we draw the white light of protection and purity to our bodies, taking it into ourselves with each inhalation, our belief in the fact that it will naturally move toward areas of dysfunction will ensure that it flows through every muscle and organ. And when we fill our spaces with this light, our environments are cleared of all the negative energy that can sap our strength and our spirit. Surrounded inside and out with healing light, we feel safe and protected, healthy, relaxed, and content just as those who regularly receive such loving gifts from us do.

If you sincerely believe that there is a part of yourself that exists independently of upset and illness, the love and light you send yourself will help you connect with it. You will see the affirmative impact of this connection almost immediately when you include yourself in the recipients of your healing gifts, as life's frustrations become more tolerable and your bliss becomes ever more palpable.

:O)

Santosha

Santosha means 'contentment'.  They are the moments when you feel blissful, and these moments are pretty rare.  It is possible to find 'santosha' in your asanas when you practice with diligence and full awareness of your movements.  Moving with intelligence, strength, elequonce and beauty in sychronisation with your breath.  It brings a sense of calmness and focus into the present moment.  It is the energy you feel that settles and grounds you for the rest of the day. 
 

Here's a good article I thought explain it in one of the best ways possible from Yoga Journal about 'prana' and the goodness of it all

".....you can learn to tune in to prana when you're awake and to build reserves of it.When you remove obstacles to free-flowing prana, you feel more alive and present in your life. Think of how great you feel after a yoga class or a night of dancing or making love. Movement can awaken both prana and awareness. Slow-motion movement slows your mind. Just a few minutes of it before sitting is an excellent segue to a more subtle meditation practice. Try lifting your arms overhead and slowly releasing them to your sides, concentrating on the micro-movements of your hands as they flow through space. Just a minute of this helps you move into pratyahara, sense withdrawal.
Paying attention to slowing down helps you be mindful during the day. Try brushing your teeth or washing dishes more slowly and see how that brings your mind into the present. Slowing down a yoga pose also helps draw you into a dynamic flow of sensation, breath, and awareness.
A fascinating paradox emerges when you allow yourself to become absorbed in the small details of any physical action. Embracing movement, you are inexorably drawn to the stillness within." (Jonathan Foust, M.A)

 "Om" to that :)