A Pinch(a) Salt

Being obsessed with the outcome of your yoga practice, is exactly what the ancient yogic texts teach us not to succumb to. However, as a result-oriented society, many of us tend to look for a desired outcome after putting in the effort, and this insistence, more often than not, sets us up for frustration. So much energy is spent on focussing on what we can't control, instead of staying grounded to our true intentions to the practice.  


What amused me the other day, was when a yoga teacher bumped into another, and the first thing she asked was, "Hey! Can you do the handstand yet???" 


Excuse me for being old-fashioned, but what happened to the "Long time no see, how are you?", or even "How are your classes going?"


Has the yoga society gone so competitively mad, that the handstand is perceived as the creme de la creme of yogasanas, and that achieving it puts you on a pedestal amongst the League of Extraordinary Yogis?  


Is progress in one's yoga practice defined by the ability to (eventually) do an advanced asana?


When my Tripsichore Yoga Teacher Training came with a huge serving of Pincha Mayurasana, garnished with arm and leg variations, my heartbeat accelerated and my first reaction was, "how the heck am I going to do ALL THAT by November?"  I googled for tips and techniques, and drooled at images and videos of LA-based yoga rockstar, Kathryn Budig, who eat forearm balances for breakfast!


I YogaGlo'd and zoomed in on as many online classes I could find on the Pincha. I printed out a picture of Kathryn Budig in an effortless funky Pincha Mayurasana for motivation. And I practised, and practised, and practised, keeping one eye on Budig, and the other eye on the October 24 deadline.


My shoulders collapsed whenever I tried to maintain vertical stability, and my arms were sore. Never mind I now have the ugliest elbows on this side of KL, as the skin got scraped off and re-scraped off.  And the final posture couldn't be further away. The more I stressed about "getting up", the more I fell down frustrated.


And so, blessed with tight shoulders, a dented coccyx from a previous bad accident and the love of going upside down, I tore down Budig's picture (sorry, Kathryn, but I still love you!), chucked my deadline out of the window...and continued to practise. Some days I can hardly get my head off the ground, and on other days, I lift off effortlessly with a 'woohoo', and encounter some stability.


One of today's great masters of yoga, B.K.S Iyengar, said, "Transformation is sustained change, and it is achieved through practice".

Start with the Headstand.
Stabilise and press the wrists and
forearms down firmly.

Slowly, flatten your palms,and
shift your forehead onto the mat.

Eventually, lift your head off the mat.
(A good indication of tight shoulders, is
when your forearms aren't totally straight)

Progress in your yoga practice should not be gauged by milestones and a timeline to achieve perfection.


To me, progress is defined by my highest point of my practice TODAY.  I still can't claim that I nailed the Pincha Mayurasana (as evident in Pic 3)... and there are days where I crash, boom and bang more than I stay up effortlessly... but I believe, you are only as good as your last practice.


So, sprinkle a pinch of salt, a wink and a laugh on deadlines, and enjoy the ride. It's much more exhilarating than the destination.

A Yoga Practice Fit for Two

Every Tuesday and Thursday evening, I hop over to Fit for 2, a mum-and-child fitness studio, to teach Prenatal Yoga.  A typical preggers yoga class with me entails a blend of active and dynamic movement and yoga postures, pelvic floor exercises, breathing and light meditation.  As it is a mixed class, the ladies are gently challenged to be as active as they can be, in a practice that is modified to suit the different levels of personal fitness and pregnancy.

Assisted Camel pose for gentle backbends

Here are the Top 6 reasons why I love and salute my Prenatal Yoga practitioners.
1.   They're extremely focused. 
9 out of 10 of the pregnant women who come to yoga, have never practised yoga prior to their pregnancy, yet their focus in mind-body connection is astounding. They sign up for classes with the intention of getting fit(ter), to better prepare them for childbirth.


2.   They're very dedicated to their practice.
Most of them are new to yoga, so they're not at their peak in the strength and flexibility department..... but they diligently turn up for class twice a week, albeit after a long, tiring day at the office.


3.   They're good breathers.
(Yes, I meant 'breathers' and not 'breeders'. LOL!) As yoga prepares the mind and body for childbirth through the building of strength, stamina and flexibility, these mums-with-bumps breathe well with the flow of the practice, in order to assist in the huge physical, emotional and hormonal changes that the body is going through.

Open Sesame : a shoulder opener pose

4.   They never complain.
Tight shoulders, tight hips, even tighter hamstrings, puffy ankles and wrists, eczema, borderline diabetes, perpetual morning sickness, or more serious cases like Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction.... collectively, they have a whole shopping list of discomforts that are often associated with pregnancy, but they never complain about the postures, nor about how much their muscles ache the next day.


5.  Their commitment is amazing.
Most of the practitioners continue coming for yoga, right until the very last minute, until they 'graduate'.  My favourite moment is when I receive a text message, saying they've safely delivered their prince or princess, just 3 days after their last yoga class with me.


6.   Practice, practice and all is coming.
They rejoice at the improvements made in strength and flexibility.
I rejoice when they tell me they actually practise some of the postures at home.

Supta Virasana : increases the flexibility
in ankle and knee joints, as well as
lengthens the quads and hip flexors.

Being pregnant is such a special time in a woman's life, and practising yoga helps one to nourish, connect and embrace with the wisdom behind childbirth. I feel extremely blessed to share my yoga space with these wonderful, strong women.


Love and Light.

Ignite My Fire

Inversions.... I absolutely love them.


Once you find your tipping point and stay effortless in an inversion, there's just something so endearing yet quirky, in looking at the world the other way up.

The miles you put into staying in an effortless inversion don't come free. You wouldn't believe the number of times I've fallen down from Sirsasana straight into Savasana, when I first started my yoga practice!  The countless (and frustrating) times you fall down, is just part of the journey of awakening, to what is happening within the body and the mind.


This feeling of awakening, is what is called "tapas" (or heat). This is not necessarily a physical heat but more of a metaphorical burning.  


"When people first experience tapas, there is often a sense of discomfort, a desire to squirm away from the situation because it is so authentic; it is as if a border of life is being eaten away by fire.  But if we stick with the observational practice, if we do not run away when we reach the juncture where tapas first arises.... there is a residue of clarity and relief that is discernable in the breath and is actually felt in the body.  Our very own body, which is immediately available to us, becomes a laboratory of consciousness, a field of exploration into the truth of our own existence, so that, our body becomes a temple for open awareness" - Richard Freeman, in The Mirror of Yoga.

Do you remember your first tapas experience?

108 Surya Namaskar : A Karma Yoga Project

There's no nicer way to welcome the second half of 2011 with a session of 108 Surya Namaskar.  As part of an ongoing Karma Yoga Project hosted by Sun Yoga Kuala Lumpur to raise funds for selected charities, this practice also marks a farewell to a dear friend, and Sivananda yoga teacher, Nicky Zammit.

Nicky, Raymond and me

And just like the 108 sacred beads on the japamala, which are used in prayer and the repetition of a mantra, we will be practising 108 rounds of sun salutations, where each asana will be finely woven on the thread of the breath.


Come join us for a beautiful and energizing practice, and do your bit for charity.
Time : 7.00am to 8.30am
Date : 9 July 2011 (Saturday)
Venue : Sun Yoga, 145B Jalan Aminuddin Baki, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Map and directions : please visit www.sunyogakl.com


See you there!
Namaste.