The final week of training definitely flew by as we were all feeling emotions roller coaster their way through our veins. Kula brothers and sisters were going to be leaving, one announced her pregnancy to the group (hurray!) and some of us were unsure what we were going to do with this training once it finished.
Our second last day (Saturday the 9th) was one of the most freeing practices I have ever had to date and it was like dancing through our asanas. It was also the most emotional of all days as we ended Jerry and Sarah shared some beautiful music at the end of the day, bringing us to tears. Music, mantras, Kirtin yoga can have such a profound effect on the inner body and you become more balanced and aware of your surrounding. The last day was a fun filled three hour practice followed by our graduation ceremony, photos and 10 of us watching the sunset at South Bay.
So the real yoga is beginning now, as we step back into our "old lives" before teacher training. One thing that I am happy to say is that I have been sticking with my old routine of daily practice and now I can offer help in class when we do partner work with more confidence, knowing that whoever I am helping will be safe. On the everyday yoga, I am becoming more aware to my emotions as they arise without letting them take over and staying in the vibration "spanda" of life.
Today I had the pleasure of practicing for the first time with Ciaran and with Teacher Lawrence. I was also pleasantly surprised to see my friend Pea join the studio and take her fourth yoga class. It was such a fun class that I was on (and still am) a high and buzz! I was partnered up with a student today that gave me a taste of what it's really like to teacher yoga to non-yoga-teacher-trainee students. Challenging!!! But also a great way to learn how to refine my own teaching language at the same time. She got up into a forearm balance (even if her legs were draped over my shoulders and her head, shoulders, arms were all splaying out below her)... I just brought her down and focused on the foundation... always go back to the foundation.
I am back to work now but hopefully I will be able to share my knowledge with sports teams and athletes who want to learn how to align their body, muscles and energy to attain their full potential. On the other hand, I am going to take my next training for children's yoga. Children are a reminder that we are all born yogis and in our asana, we can have vibrant bodies, sharp minds and soft hearts and have fun! I am back to work and so happy to be with my little students again as they bring me light everyday that I am with them and I am so humbled to be able to share knowledge with them and watch them succeed and grow, mentally and physically.
Today's lesson from class: Upeksha to have an elevated view, to be able to see what we need more or less of without becoming too attached to it. I needed more organic energy today in my poses and when I did, I opened to the full expressions of my poses.
Thank you to everyone who has been a supporter along the way of my journey on this path and for following the blog! I will keep updating weekly, sharing what I've been learning and what I have learned. I hope you will keep reading and leave me any questions or comments.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
God gives us the ingredients, we do the cooking!
This week's theme really dug deep into the core of the soul. It's always easier in a class setting, surrounded by 33 other yogis to say yes and stay positive. But when you leave the safety of your studio, that's when the real test comes!
We were asked what things we did outside of our inner lives that simply made the world a better place or rather, Hong Kong an even better place to live in. I shared that when it rains, often when I have time (usually going home) I offer my umbrella to a stranger and walk them to where they need to go so they can stay dry. I hope my small gesture will make you feel a little lighter next time the rain warnings arise. Getting angry at the person who knocked their umbrella on you doesn't make you feel good, so, why not think of the rain as a beautiful time to splash around in the city, share the experience with a complete stranger! The effect is obvious, they feel grateful for your help and you feel good that you could help and wanted to. That's the key, you don't always want to do what's right, but you should...at the very least, try.
Dharma, Arta, Kama, Moksha reveal the cycle of life we are all embarking on. (Sometimes, we take the wrong turns, that's all). Dharma is the path of nature, our duties in our occupations to fulfil these in order to obtain Arta (wealth, resources, material things. Naturally, from having resources, we can obtain Kama or pleasure and fulfil our sensory desires (a car, a home, an ice cream, music, the scent of popcorn just opened from the microwave). Finally from fulfiling these sensory desires, we gain Moksha, freedom! However, I find that we often fall off the track from our dharmic path. It's a mortal fulfilment to work towards a material good, but we shouldn't forget that there is also an eternal fulfilment if we can liberate those around us in our freedom and achievments.
We started our disection of the Bhagavad Gita this week too. I found it very useful to know the history of where it came from. Although it started from a Hindu religion (breaking off into buddhism and jainism), the Gita shouldn't be recognized as a religious text. It is a beautifully written metaphor about the battles we all have within ourselves everyday. If we realize and really live into how beautiful the divine or God (from a spiritual point) can be, we will start to live with a fuller heart and lighter take on life. It is a lot easier said than done! After lecture this week we had a shorter lunch as we were having a shorter day. I was meant to meet Ciaran and his family and my friend Jay for lunch, after calling and calling and not getting through, I went to the restaurant to look for them only to find a big line of people and a full restaurant with no one I was looking for in sight. In my rush, the feeling of my inner self going into a fluster, I took a minute after meeting Ciaran and his family to remind myself that THIS MOMENT IS THE TEST...taking a deep breath as I walked ahead I told myself that I still had 45 minutes to enjoy the lunch and though I couldn't stay as long as I hoped, I still had the time. I thoroughly enjoyed it too because I had forgotten to bring breakfast that day. Imagine if I stayed flustered and anxious during lunch, it wouldn't have been enjoyable for me or for my beloved guests!
We all have the ability to control how we react, how we feel and how we want to live this life. God gave us the ingredients to do it, all we have to do is figure out how to put it together to make something delicious!
A few insights this week (as my friend Jenny would call it, bumper sticker style)
We all have setbacks in life, in all areas imaginable, but if we recognize them and fight through them with grace, it will set us up for a greater comeback!
Be sensitive with others hearts, be open with yours and maybe we can all begin to connect a little deeper and we can stop feeling alone. Afterall, aren't we all connected to the same source?
If you let the single sesame seed on your salad plate ruin your entire meal, you'd miss out on the fresh crisp greens, sweet tomatoes, cooling cucumbers and the person sitting in front of you who was waiting to tell you how much they love you. In another context, if you let one major setback drive you to sign divorce papers, did you forget about the love you shared and invested in for years that made your children, your family?
Can you observe the moment you're in right now and celebrate it fully or can you only celebrate the biblical moments of life?
That's all for now, as I embark on the last week of teacher training with an amazing group of people. They have become my family and I am so greatful for the opportunity to share our deepest thoughts, insights and learn with them. Shine from within and it will shine out! I promise!
We were asked what things we did outside of our inner lives that simply made the world a better place or rather, Hong Kong an even better place to live in. I shared that when it rains, often when I have time (usually going home) I offer my umbrella to a stranger and walk them to where they need to go so they can stay dry. I hope my small gesture will make you feel a little lighter next time the rain warnings arise. Getting angry at the person who knocked their umbrella on you doesn't make you feel good, so, why not think of the rain as a beautiful time to splash around in the city, share the experience with a complete stranger! The effect is obvious, they feel grateful for your help and you feel good that you could help and wanted to. That's the key, you don't always want to do what's right, but you should...at the very least, try.
Dharma, Arta, Kama, Moksha reveal the cycle of life we are all embarking on. (Sometimes, we take the wrong turns, that's all). Dharma is the path of nature, our duties in our occupations to fulfil these in order to obtain Arta (wealth, resources, material things. Naturally, from having resources, we can obtain Kama or pleasure and fulfil our sensory desires (a car, a home, an ice cream, music, the scent of popcorn just opened from the microwave). Finally from fulfiling these sensory desires, we gain Moksha, freedom! However, I find that we often fall off the track from our dharmic path. It's a mortal fulfilment to work towards a material good, but we shouldn't forget that there is also an eternal fulfilment if we can liberate those around us in our freedom and achievments.
We started our disection of the Bhagavad Gita this week too. I found it very useful to know the history of where it came from. Although it started from a Hindu religion (breaking off into buddhism and jainism), the Gita shouldn't be recognized as a religious text. It is a beautifully written metaphor about the battles we all have within ourselves everyday. If we realize and really live into how beautiful the divine or God (from a spiritual point) can be, we will start to live with a fuller heart and lighter take on life. It is a lot easier said than done! After lecture this week we had a shorter lunch as we were having a shorter day. I was meant to meet Ciaran and his family and my friend Jay for lunch, after calling and calling and not getting through, I went to the restaurant to look for them only to find a big line of people and a full restaurant with no one I was looking for in sight. In my rush, the feeling of my inner self going into a fluster, I took a minute after meeting Ciaran and his family to remind myself that THIS MOMENT IS THE TEST...taking a deep breath as I walked ahead I told myself that I still had 45 minutes to enjoy the lunch and though I couldn't stay as long as I hoped, I still had the time. I thoroughly enjoyed it too because I had forgotten to bring breakfast that day. Imagine if I stayed flustered and anxious during lunch, it wouldn't have been enjoyable for me or for my beloved guests!
We all have the ability to control how we react, how we feel and how we want to live this life. God gave us the ingredients to do it, all we have to do is figure out how to put it together to make something delicious!
A few insights this week (as my friend Jenny would call it, bumper sticker style)
We all have setbacks in life, in all areas imaginable, but if we recognize them and fight through them with grace, it will set us up for a greater comeback!
Be sensitive with others hearts, be open with yours and maybe we can all begin to connect a little deeper and we can stop feeling alone. Afterall, aren't we all connected to the same source?
If you let the single sesame seed on your salad plate ruin your entire meal, you'd miss out on the fresh crisp greens, sweet tomatoes, cooling cucumbers and the person sitting in front of you who was waiting to tell you how much they love you. In another context, if you let one major setback drive you to sign divorce papers, did you forget about the love you shared and invested in for years that made your children, your family?
Can you observe the moment you're in right now and celebrate it fully or can you only celebrate the biblical moments of life?
That's all for now, as I embark on the last week of teacher training with an amazing group of people. They have become my family and I am so greatful for the opportunity to share our deepest thoughts, insights and learn with them. Shine from within and it will shine out! I promise!
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