Living in Santosha - The Gift of Giving It Forward

Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
A UNESCO World Heritage Site

I took a night shot of the beautiful, iconic Sultan Abdul Samad building in the heart of my city, Kuala Lumpur, last Saturday, 18 July. Built in the late 1800s, this landmark is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Take a walk behind the dark lanes and narrow alleys that surround this attraction and you'll see a different side of KL. The homeless, sleeping on concrete, cardboards or newspapers along poorly lit corridors, some reeking of cheap alcohol, drinking themselves into a deep slumber so that they can forget the meaning of extreme hunger; some utterly exhausted from a day of rummaging through the city's dustbins collecting cans and plastic bottles, hoping to earn a few dollars from the recycling centre; and some just having nowhere else to go after their families gave up on them and kicked them out to the streets.

My 3 friends and I volunteered to be part of a movement called "Giving It Forward Today" (GIFT) to distribute food to 2,000 of KL's homeless that night. It was the second day of the Eid Mubarak festive celebration here in Malaysia. Unsure where to "find" these people, we were also concerned for our safety, as we had to walk through stinky, poorly lit lanes, abandoned shops, and unsavory business establishments, carrying heavy carton boxes of food packs. 

It was indeed a pleasant experience to be greeted with smiles and gestures of gratitude as we handed out the food packs to the homeless (some had to be woken up from their drunken stupor). An old, almost toothless man even recited a prayer of blessing ('Doa Kesyukuran') to us as he received his meal. As we had more than enough to distribute, we offered them two food packs each. To our surprise, most said "one is enough, thank you".

One. Just one. From someone who couldn't remember when his last meal was, and has no idea when his next one will be. 

This evening's humbling message was Santosha...the contentment of accepting life as it is, and finding the 'enough' in moment-to-moment experience. 
I wonder how many of us truly can?

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible" - Dalai Lama.

The Hour of the Gods

In Yoga, "Brahma Muhurta" (or The Hour of the Gods) is defined as that magical time approximately 2 hours before sunrise. This is the best time to do our Pranayama or Meditation practice, followed by Asana, as it is when our Sattvic qualities rise to the surface, and the mind is quiet and free from distractions.

Brahma Muhurta outside Prana Yoga KL, TTDI, Malaysia

As I arrived at my studio (at what some would say at a "God forsaken hour") to teach my 6.30am class yesterday, I looked up at the dark sky and saw the New Moon smiling down onto the world. It was just a sliver...cheeky even... as if to hold onto its presence as long as She could, before dawn breaks and Surya illuminates the world and reveals her warmth. 

I sat down on the bench by the fountain, crossed my legs in Sukhasana, and sipped in the crisp, dewy morning air. A Nepalese guard who was patrolling the grounds walked by, his face in half shadows. He nodded at me, and put his hands in Namaste as a silent greeting. I was grateful for the absence of the usual "Good morning, Ma'am". I couldn't help but think of his family back in Nepal, in light of the recent (and still ongoing) earthquakes that shook the nation who already had nothing, and now left with even less.

I closed my eyes, savouring that special window of silence and blessedness, and did a short, 15 minute meditation.

A New Moon. New Beginnings. A time for reflection, recharging and replanting the seeds of intentions, fearing less, dreaming big, and manifesting that the Universe delivers.

Om Namah Shivaya.

xx

A Letter To Me

The 6:05 Standing Split

My dear,

Not quite the perfect "6 O'Clock", and looking more like a 6:05 on most days,
this IS your Standing Split. Remember the first time you stepped onto your yoga mat? You could barely reach past your shins, let alone grab your ankles with both hands and KISS your shin. When you signed up for teacher training, there was nothing in the training manual about being 'perfect', visually nor spiritually.

With the explosion of yoga on social media, it's pretty easy to be sucked into the trap of wanting to 'look' perfect. Remember why you practice in the first place. Do you practice to express, or to impress?

Yoga is not a be-all-end-all practice to gain mastery in something. Some days you make progress, and some days you regress - learn to be okay with it. Embrace the flux and uncertainties, ride the highs, laugh at the lows, and let the authenticity of the practice reveal itself.

The daily practice of yoga creates tapas (heat). This deep, internal heat that burns away the "could have's" and the "should have been's" will eventually make space for a deeper and more personal exploration. Learn to trust the journey, and remain open to what might be.

After all, darling, you were born to be real, not to be perfect.

xoxo

Challenge Pose : Flying Lizard

Flying Lizard Pose - Fun and Funky Rolled Into One

I personally love practising and teaching Lizard Pose (Utthan Pristhasana). If you attend classes at Prana Yoga KL, you'll see this asana, and all of its variations in my Basic, Strong and even Prenatal Yoga classes.

Utthan Pristhasana is far from the mental image that its English translation portrays.  It's a fantastic gateway to deeper hip openers, as it warms up the inner thigh muscles and hip rotators, stretches the hamstrings, groins and hip flexors. 

Flying Lizard Pose is a creative extension of its cousin. It combines the hip opening, with the element of an arm balance. The result? A Fun and Funky Flight!

Step 1 - Warm the Lizard Up
Here are some of my go-to poses to warm up the hip rotators, quads and IT Band. Begin with 8-10 rounds of Surya Namaskar, add in these hip openers, and fire up your core with poses like Navasana (Boat Pose), Dolphin Pose and Bakasana (Crow Pose). 

Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose)

Pigeon Prep

Hoist Your Backpack

Step 2 - Lizard Pose (the Vanilla version)

Utthan Prishtasana (Lizard Pose)

From Downward Facing Dog, step your right foot forward and place it outside of your right palm. Snuggle your right shoulder under your right leg, and just like the Backpack warm up pose above, place the leg as high up the arm as possible. If it's accessible to you, place both forearms down onto your mat, and powerfully extend through the back leg. Keep extending the chest forward, engage your Mula and Uddiyana Bandha, and stay here for 9-12 breaths before switching sides.

One option is to place the back knee on the mat. If you're unable to comfortably place your forearms on the floor, prop your forearms up on yoga blocks, continue practising Step 2, and keep your flight plan in your back pocket for now.

Step 3 - Take the Flying Leap

Ready, Steady, Fly

It's now time to piece all of that together, and fly! From Utthan Pristhasana in Step 2, grab hold of your right heel with your right hand, and lift your right heel off the mat. Squeeze the right leg into the arm/shoulder, and keeping your core engaged, lean forward until the back leg lifts off. Power through that straight leg, and keep extending it strongly up and back to maintain your balance. An alternative is to bend that back knee. Lower down after a few breaths, and switch sides.

If you'd like to practise with me, I'll be teaching a 2-hour Special Class on 29 March 2015, at 9.15am, entitled "Root To Rise". We will be exploring the techniques of Foundation Asanas before rising up to Inversions and Arm Balances. Suitable for Advanced Beginners and Up. More details can be found here. 

See you on the mat! xx

"Root to Rise" at Prana Yoga KL, 29 March 2015, 9.15am