2012 Through the Lens of Gratitude

The clock shows 4am as I step onto my yoga mat. I mean to do 108 rounds of Surya Namaskar, mostly to celebrate the divine source of spiritual energy from the last full moon of 2012 (but also the need to work off all that excessive Christmas eating). 

Instead I first sit cross legged, my face bathed in the brightness of the lunar luminescence that streamed through the windows of my practice space. It's just days away from my long awaited beach holiday, and I think of the gravity of the moon as it pulls the oceans back and forth, creating tides that constantly kiss and caress the shoreline. Just as the tides of our lives flow and ebb, I take a moment to reflect on the year that was about to end and how I'd embrace the new year that was about to begin.

Looking back, I feel a deep sense of gratitude for life's roller coaster ride of 2012. To me, gratitude isn't just a 'feeling'... it is a state of being... a way of looking at life through the lens of goodness to see the hidden wonders of what the world has to offer us. Being grateful is also to embrace our imperfections, and to recognise that there is so much love coming from every direction in our lives, and that whenever we are aligned with faith, we will be OK no matter how things turn out. When we are able to focus on the stuff that matters, and let go of the stuff that don't, gratitude beckons.

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.
It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.
We should be thankful for those people who rekindle our inner spirit"
(Albert Schweitzer)
(photo taken in Old Town Tbilisi, Georgia, Oct 2012)

A sweaty but deeply gratifying 108 Surya Namaskars later, I write the last post for the year, and pause to set a Sankalpa for 2013. A "Sankalpa" means "vow or determination"... it's kinda like setting life's resolution but with a yogic flavour. A Sankalpa is about the "I Am" and not about the "I Want". It aims to bring out the best in us and focuses on the efforts and nobility behind that intention. In order to usher in the positive, we must first recognise and eliminate the negative. And by training the mind to develop trust and faith in ourselves, a Sankalpa can be the creator of our destiny. 

In this new year, may you be free from the shackles of self-imposed boundaries, for you can be truly exceptional if you believe it in your heart of hearts.
May you be happy and surrounded by love and laughter, for there can never be enough of that in the world.
May you find gratitude in the angels who cross your path and reignite your inner fire.
May your Sankalpa enhance your life with contentment and inner peace.

Om Namah Shivaya.
Have a Happy and Blessed New Year.

Farewell 2011, Namaste 2012

My view of the sunset at the Historical City of Malacca
December 2011

As the sun sets on the last day of 2011, I take a personal inventory of the highs and lows of the past 12 months. My heart overflows with gratitude, as I reflect on the abundance of love, friendship and happiness that came my way.


As I bow towards the earth in Uttanasa in my last evening practice of the year, I am humbled by the many lessons learnt on and off the mat... lessons that free me from the ego... lessons that allow me to strengthen my passion in yoga... lessons that allow me to stretch my wings and take yogic flight into a state of grace.


As I step onto my mat tomorrow morning at 7am for 108 rounds of Surya Namaskar, my celebration of the First Day of 2012 would be a celebration of the mind, body and spirit.  


(If you're not too hung over from the NYE's partying), do join me in spirit as I meditate in motion to 108 sacred rounds of Surya Namaskar at sunrise. 


Thank you for all your love and support. Here's wishing you a beautiful, magical and inspiring 2012!


Blessings of love, light and peace always.

Goodbye 2010, Namaste 2011

Another 3.5 more hours and the year will be up.  Needless to say, 2010 simply flew by, and as I sit in the comfort of my own home with loved ones (instead of joining party revelers in crowded malls and pubs as they await the New Year's countdown), I think fondly of how the past 12 months have treated me. 

• My yoga practice has grown from strength to strength.  But I also recognise that the practice has had its peaks and troughs.  To quote one of my favourite Yogaglo teachers, Kathryn Budig, "some days I feel like a rockstar, and some days I just feel like a rock".  
• I love teaching yoga.... but I am a student of yoga, first.
• My third (and definitely not last) trip to Mysore, India delivered me to the presence of two great teachers in Hatha Yoga and Yoga Therapeutics.  In less than 4 weeks, my notebook was already full of notes, but my heart and mind were immersed with knowledge and shanti.
• There are so many (popular) yoga masters out there, and some shalas have, to an extent formed a cult-like association with that particular yoga style... yet those who seek will truly find the hidden gemstones among the Masters.
• It is not YOU who turns away from Yoga Therapeutics, dismissing its importance in the yoga equation... is your EGO.
• Yoga is not about achieving that much-admired pretzel posture (ok ok, it does look good on the Facebook profile page), but more so, Yoga is about balance... a fine line between nurturing softness with substance.
• Teaching at a yoga studio can sometimes be equated to working towards a slice of partnership in a law firm.  However, when the slice is offered, you get a chance to look closely at the ingredients, and realize that it may not be that delectable in the first place.
• Nothing is permanent... but honestly, non-attachment is also one of the hardest practice of all.
• You start where you are, and your yoga practice will take you there.  And where 'there' is, is exactly where you need to be. 

So as 2010 draws to an end, and the world celebrates a brand new year, I think about my New Year resolution (and creepily, I hear my mind's voice singing "I wanna be a billionaire, so friggin' bad, buy all the things I never had).


But instead, my affirmation would be to continue to do my best work.  I will infuse my teaching with enthusiasm and energy, thus making each class a gift to those who come to the mat.  I will continue to be fully present, as a yoga student, teacher and friend, to nurture, support and to do my part with humility and gratitude. 


Someone once asked me, "wouldn't you want to some day own a studio and leave behind a legacy"?  Well, if I could just touch and change one person's life for the better through yoga, THAT would be my legacy.

Happy New Year, everyone.  May 2011 bring you amazing adventures for the body, mind and heart.  Peace, love and joy always.

xx