Why yoga retreat?

Why would we want to join a yoga retreat program, when there's so many yoga classes on the island?
Because, its different.

How many times have we tell ourselves to do something about the stress building up daily. That the frequent insomnia is making us looking a zombie at work. That we've slowly lessen the toilet visits. That all those multi- tasking are making us crazy.
That we binge, drink, smoke and party to escape from the days we are leading?

We try to keep going regularly to yoga classes,  work pulled us back. We rush for classes, think about the iphone,  think about work, think about what to eat later, in the during the practice. We probably get a short 5-10 minutes of peace during the savasana. And when the class ended, we rush out of the studio and back home.

So, what great difference will it make by attending a yoga retreat?
For that, we decided to put a pause for all those buzzing. We happily tag " i am out of town!" on you work email. No more rushing up and down, no more chitterlings and chatters and no more endless checking of text messages.

In a retreat, we experience a sample of living fully ( which we can hardly have a chance to do that usual days). We are giving time to ourselves, for education, to relax and out body to heal. Meeting a group of people who are also in search for the spot of bliss as we are.We discuss, pour and open up for discussion about the stress we are facing. Giving ourselves a time to re-look at the lifestyle we'd been engaging, and learning how to make small changes slowly.
For once, we are soak into tranquility and calmness. Learning becomes easy when we're relax and happy.
And so when back, we carry a fruitful bag of knowledge, and ready to inject them bit by bit for a healthier lifestyle.

An Imperfect Getaway is happening in May to Cambodia. Come with me!

Santosha vs Greediness

I want to to this.... i want to do that... to do everything that i see others are doing... 
i want to travel around the globe... in and out... and turn it upside down....

It always seem like i've not done enough, not travel enough, my days are probably not exciting enough. With this, i got more greedy and created more desires. And became restless.
Never is enough. There are endless desires one can create, and i am never fully satisfied with any.That makes the birth of unhappiness.

Santosha, inner contentment stepped in. There's nothing wrong with having desires, but too much of them is chaotic. Many agree that we need to experience to learn. Yes. But know that we can always make a smart move by learning from others mistakes or experiences. And focus on what we are building on at the moment.

If life is a piece of canvas, paint it one stroke at a time. Take time, and enjoy. On the reverse, splashing paint, colour after another mindlessly--- one lose sight of the big picture.

Living with skill, by living out every simplest moment specially.

Tearing in practice

It was a quiet morning, i was all alone in the hall... the rest were still sleeping. I started my practice. i heard my own ujjayi, loud and clear while i moved through the standing sequence. As i assumed in a seated forward bend, i decided to stay a little more longer in each pose for a change. I closed my eyes, observed my breaths and i found myself sinking deep into the pose. i stole a little bit more time to feel it as much as i allow myself to....

i started to travel in... into myself.. as if gazing myself internally, right to the core of my heart chakra. I felt uneasy, i felt a twitch inside... and tears started rolling down from my closed lids. I stayed on the pose.

I remembered how a client teared during a pranayama practice and how a little boy cried secretly in a downward dog. Now, its me.

I lost track of how long i've been in the pose...i kept tearing and it somewhat stopped. Allowing my body to move deeper into the bend, i went into a short "mind-less' state. Every went silence, still and calmness.

My muscles began to relax a little; and my chest started to soft as my heart opened with every exhalation. I'm not sure if I've fell into a deep relaxation mode ( sleep!)... i guess I've been in that forward bend for quite a while.
Gently i opened my eyes, i felt I'd release something... maybe a thorn. Amazingly good!

It was an unforgettable and amazing experience personally. Unexplainable yet very close to my heart.

Every pose serves a purpose at every stage of our practice. Every breath makes a huge difference in knowing ourselves. As we're fighting against the stiffness and tightness, at the same time... we are also fighting to understand ourselves a little bit more.

The beauty of yoga is patience. Full loads of it. As we peel open the physical layer, slowly we are also opening the doors of our hearts... where our true self lies within.
The internal fight may be a fierce one, towards the end, its a victory of freedom and bliss.

Living with Intergrity

A story to share...

After having fun, the monk walk out of the brothel. Upon seeing his teacher walking passed, he felt ashamed. While walking back home together, the monk apologized to his teacher for his act.
The teacher said, " why do you feel sorry now? you should have felt that before you act upon it."

There was once i saw an human resource advertisement: Genuine service happens even when nobody is looking.
Some of my friends told me, "When in Rome, do what the Romans do." Hmm... yes and no. If we live by this phrase, aren't we are one of the rats running in a bigger race? No doubt we should be open to different cultures, however things that are done blindly is a good as not doing it. 

Living with or without integrity, we can decide- to be a 40 year-old child or a 6 year-old adult.

Un-intention eavesdropping

When i was sitting alone doing my work in Starbucks...
I didn't mean it, i couldn't shut my ears... so i overheard an interesting conversation between a well-to-do lady and male friend next to my table.

Man: how are you doing recently? been busy with your kids?
Lady: ya, the usual. Your children must be quite big already huh... are they still in school?

And the conversation went on.... and when the ball was thrown to the man...

Man: You have a husband to support you and a maid to take care of your household. i am curious...so, what do you do everyday?
Lady: err... shopping....like that.. nothing much.... (trying to dig something out from her head)

Man: Is there anything that you will look forward to everyday when you wake up?
Lady:... errmmm......

Man: then, what is your purpose of life? anything or goal that you can work towards to?
Lady: ehh.......

The male voice got louder as he went on, and the lady was dumbfounded. Sounds quite crude, maybe... but these at least set us thinking. What do you look forward to when you wake up everyday?

Sitting in Starbucks, shirly & I was just discussing about karmic effect when we witnessed one man threw away his cup of drink right after collection over the counter. Grouchily he stomped around the cafe for a seat and demanded a fresh cup to be served. “He probably had a bad day this morning.”  And this is how he passed his anger to another person. The staff can decide to cut the anger line and everything stops there; or otherwise he would pass off to another person and the cycle moves on.

Yes, probably the drink was below standard- we can just note the staff and request for a fresh cup; without the throwing into the bin with a face filled with deep facial lines. Do you know, that our facial lines tell quite a bit on ourselves?

Look into the mirror, keep you face relax and natural.

Observe your facial lines- are they obvious around the forehead, side of the eyes, puffy lower eyes, in between the eyebrows or around the lips?

 Look out for your facial muscles- are they drooping south or uplifting and tight. Do you carry a happy, sorrowful or angry face when in a relax state?

Smile is probably the best cosmetic make-up we can apply. Anger is probably the best vandalism we can do. An angry person does not have to speak much, because all is written on the face.  But angry people usually lose ones’ mind and express it freely--- shouting competition, banging and throwing, beating, fighting and killing.

People express anger, in fact, they are asking for help--- but don't know how to and express it inappropriately, all to pamper that inflated ego in them. They expand their anger, and when others are afraid and kowtows to them, wow… that’s superior “I feel like a king!”

Sometimes, getting angry with another person is one of the easier method get things done your own way. If you love to get angry, then you must also love getting high-blood pressure that leads to potential strokes, heart problem, lungs congestion, insomnia, multiplying cancer cells…. and vandalizing your face.

Is anger all so bad? Of course not! I do get angry too…arrggg!

We’re human, and emotion fluctuation is part of us--- and we learn. Love the anger arises in us, observe and do nothing. It’ll go. Anger is a good teacher to teach us how to manage our emotion. It gives us opportunity to practice patience on both ourselves and others. It tells us that we need to be humble to learn--- when we need help; we don't have to shout across, just ask.

And in all, anger does make us a better person. Paradox isn't it?

Many practices, One intention.

When looking up for yoga classes through search engines, one will be bombarded by a whole list of various yoga names.
From the hatha... therapy... anusara... yin...yang...vinyasa..ashtanga...iyenger...restorative... jivamuka...shakti...kundalini....and so on. Isn't this hair-pulling? Which one is best suited for us?

We pick up yoga practices for various reasons, but for just one common intention.
Teachers out there are sharing different practices, but all for just one intention.
It does not matter which style we are at, so long we feel comfortable and connected with ourselves with the practices. If there's any other intention, it'll be a good one.

Many times, students slowly drift away from the practice when they come to know the amount of effort they need to put in. Putting off by how much work they need to put into for themselves.

Think, think about the initial intention of searching for yoga classes.
Recall, recall on the intention that we've want to really improve some aspect of our life.
It does not matter at what level of practice we are in, what matters is- we're already in, and keep going. Slowly, but surely.

i salute to the moms in prenatal classes. however tired they may be after a long they work, carrying tummies that's growing tremendously huge, battling from legs cramps and struggling their way up the flights of stairs for the weekly practice. For one intention- a healthy body for a healthy baby.
That's the mama's spirit!

In 2011, i lost my idenity

When travelling, i was seldom being identified as a Singaporean; nothing unusual. But even in Singapore, many do not see me as a local. Which is interesting.
The cabbies peeping at their rear mirror to make up where i am from. Revealed that they did not dare to speak much to me, until they know that i am as local as rojak.

Being treated as an tourist in home country, i felt a lost in identity. Looking into the mirror, i am just an object of reflection.  Its good to be nobody, and starts to view things in different perspective. Many fight their way to be somebody, and losing themselves. With titles, give inflated egos and failing to see who we are.
Without the identity, we understand ourselves more; because we've got little ego to poke, nothing much to lose.

Just like what Robin Sharma had been sharing... we don't need a title to be a leader.

I have this far away dream. One day, if i have got enough of here, i probably pack-up and go; to a place.... teach, share and learn with aliens.

from darkness to light...

tamaso ma jyotirgamaya

from darkness to light...

Darkness, is the absence of light. Just like coldness, is the absence of heat. Darkness grows coldness within us. And too much coldness, makes us lifeless.

Each of us does go through some dark moments, i do too. Not so dark maybe, dimmed times.

When trapped in darkness, fears pervades. Don't get trap, keep moving, keep the struggle on.  

Be thankful, because of darkness, we see light.

Just like a train moving through a tunnel. If the train decided to stop moving in the tunnel, it'll trapped in the darkness. Because the train kept moving forward, and move through the darkness, it sees light eventually.

Those that leads us to darkness, leads us to light. Be thankful to them.

Agni

fire...

We all have that lit of fire. Sitting right in our naval center (manipura chakra).

Igniting it, lights up every of our dark corners; that keep us moving forward. Slowly, we feel a little warmness, we see a little more clearer and realises that darkness is just another phase of life leading to a better life.

Groping in darkness strengthens our sight (literally!), too much light will blind our eyes. 

We all need to be push into darkness, so we can grow better when the light arrive. 

Many thinks that a yoga teacher should be " happy-throughout". Because yoga "suppose" to make us peaceful. Coming back to reality, yoga teachers are as human as everyone. Without " un-peaceful" moments, i would probably not create my own path to "peace".

I do have my dark moments of travelling through the tunnel. Struggles seem more tangled than ever, do not touch!  Simply observed and keep moving.

As the struggles still struggling, the problems still creating more problems for itself... and the light arrives. The Agni, burns off all, and the seed of the struggles is tiny as an ant.

When darkness pervades, i thought of the teachings from my teacher. A point where my teaching partner will give me a hard push forward. They are my petrol kiosk. I travel out of the tunnel, smiling with millions of thanks.