Hello Yogis,
It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged on this site… not because I stopped blogging or left my passion behind, but I have a new website!
Please bookmark this new website and look for all my updates there.
Namaste!
Taking Yoga to a whole new level
July 22, 2010 at 6:01 pm (Yoga)
Day 22:
I can’t help but to be aware that I have been wanting to go home since the first week of training. I kid you not, the story of how the first week revealed itself sounds a lot like a reality show. I’m pretty sure it is to test how I can deal with stress and learning how people feel when they are in a constricted, non-optimal state…
Reflecting on Week one and structural alignment therapy, I found myself really understanding anusara and how UPA and the spirals work. It was easy to apply the principles once the review on them were made and I know why I should be incorporating these into my daily class and in that order.
I then learned a lot about the doshas and found my condition constitution changed. The doshas also explained what poses suit each type and the kinds of foods to eat to balance the doshas. This included learning about macrobiotics and alkalizing vs acidifying foods.
Defining, understanding and treating pain was also an interesting topic a Physiotherapist had provided us with. The biological make up of our body, anatomy, the physiological changes that take place under stress and pain were very note worthy concepts to think about when designing a class.
Next came the cancer aspect of things and how yoga helps many chronically ill patients and people suffering in general. Alot of Yoga History were incorporated in looking at lost, grief and chronic illness. Everything is turning into a holistic approach to looking at healing!
I’m on my last 9 sleeps before I head back home and we’re dealing with Holistic Psychotherapy which takes us through being at the mercy of or source of, love vs fear, dealing with emotions and learning to love ourselves.
It is true.. it is soo important to learn to love yourself first if you want to love others. We spend all our time being the mercy of and stressing over things beyond our control and getting caught in a tornado that was never necessary. Until we become more aware of ourselves and our true potential, it will be very difficult to attract another who share an optimal blueprint as you.
Until then, I intend to come home very soon and work on my studio’s grand opening!
9 more sleeps!!
My Yoga Journey Part II
June 30, 2010 at 9:44 am (Uncategorized)
It will be almost 1 yr less 2 months since I took my last teacher training. Since then, I have taught Karma classes, Private classes, Small Group classes and Regular classes.
I started my own sole proprietor business and enrolled in a self employment program.
Looking back, I’ve accomplished much and accomplished little. Although I am still pleased with what I’ve accomplished so far, there’s so much room for improvement!
As for my yoga journey part II, I’m in Toronto right now pending my yoga therapy training in Hamilton on July 1st! That’s right, no Canada Day break for anyone. 🙂
I’ll update everyone on my yoga journey from time to time.
Laugh. Love. Grow!
Namaste.
Why some Men don’t do yoga
April 13, 2010 at 11:55 pm (Men, Yoga)
Recently, I’ve been reading a lot about Yoga for Men books and articles as to the benefits for men to try yoga. Of course, there’s the physical benefits of complementing their intense sport activities (that usually get them injured) but also an emotional / mental balance where men tend to shy away from and keep to themselves no matter what.
More importantly, from what I’ve discovered over market research, observations and just asking men in general, here’s a list of things I’ve come up with as to why *some* men don’t do yoga:
1) It hurts. Men don’t want to show they’re in pain.. and it is a top priority to avoid pain and gain pleasure.
2) It’s not rough enough – yes, it’s a little contradictory to the previous but it’s not hard core stuff like hockey and ultimate fighting.
3) Men don’t like commitments. In many yoga poses, we commit to a posture and stay there. The C word can be too much for them.
4) Men rather like their scars and bruises. The need to have those injuries where they can tell their friends about it and limp around looking tough is a manly thing to do. So none of that yoga put you back together stuff!
5) Yoga is a process and reaps long-term gains whereas Men thrives on immediate results.
6) Yoga asks students to let go of the ego. That’s just too much for Men to digest.
7) Yoga requires Men to activate a philosophical side of the brain and work up a sweat at the same time. That’s multi-tasking. No can do.
8) Men are intimidated that their Women counterpart look so much more stronger, tougher and flexible in warrior than they do. That’s an insult to my ego so NO WAY!
Alright, I am only commenting on a “few” men out there! 😛 But seriously, there’s a reason why yoga is so popular these days and even P90x has incorporated yoga in their series. Worth taking a look boys!
Another Milestone. Not a Big Red Easy Button though.
March 23, 2010 at 5:41 am (business, life, Yoga)
I’m sitting here in front of the computer typing away and back spacing.. typing again and back spacing.. somewhat constipated because I want to express the things I’ve accomplished but mostly because of the things I need to do next. But what do I need to do next? Where should I begin? The old adage of “when one thing ends, something else begins” is a stage I think I’m at right now.
So what have I accomplished?
Since being laid-off, the first thing I wanted to do was to find a yoga teacher training school. 5 info sessions later, I found Indigo Yoga at Vancouver School of Body Massage. Dan, my teacher had an open source approach to his teaching thereby allowing us to freely play and learn about all different styles of yoga.
I was then approached with my first private student, Mike, who allowed me to teach him my passion and showed him what he was capable of doing.. he was 6 foot 7.. and balancing on one leg in tree and warrior III poses. Amazing!
I was also opened up with the opportunity to teach Karma classes. My better half cleared out a room for me so I could teach there once a week. I could only fit a few people at a time in the room but I certainly learned alot about the potential and got to work with different body types and levels.
Next came the egg or the chicken. I was looking into finding a bigger space to teach near my area and also looking for more opportunities to teach. I met a Jiu-Jitsu instructor who’s studio was so close I had to go check out the potential. At the same time, I found a government assisted self employment program that offered skills in business plan writing and business set up.. another opportunity I could not resist.
A short time later, I sealed the deal in renting the Martial Arts studio 3x a week and I got into the self employment program. The birth of Beautiful Om Yoga has emerged.
Time flew by so quickly I can barely believe I am but 2 months away from a one year anniversary of what was a life transitioning pivot point in my life.. we got the laid off notice from eBay. A year ago, I was contemplating on how I should transition my way out of the corporate world and work in another area along with getting a p/t gig to teach yoga. It seems almost surreal that I am in a full time position to teach and have already started my business. CRAZY!
Honestly, if I wasn’t as passionate, and as my better half would say, if yoga wasn’t my first love, I would not have been able to accomplish what I have today. NEVER! And boy, no pun intended :), I look back at how much time and effort placed on each activity, how much dedication it requires, how much research, support from family, friends and loved ones, today’s milestone IS something I should be proud of. Although I can be as critical and my own worse enemy in many ways, I do need to give myself a little credit for these achievements.
The last few weeks have been a huge stretch for me. Not a big red easy button for sure. I was playing catch up and the more I struggled, the worse it got. I felt like I was caught in a turnado and I couldn’t get out. I questioned if I made the right decisions in renting this studio and starting the business during the Olympics. I questioned if I should have gotten into the program now or should I have waited till later on the year. I felt exhausted from the seminars that seem to drag on forever and not being able to go talk to more people. I questioned if I was spending enough time on planning and research and what I could have done differently. I stressed about filing for taxes and how it should be done.
In the end, I resolved to let it all go and took a nice long nap. Even though my mind was still racing as I was resting, I somehow convinced myself that there’s nothing more I can do but just let it be. And with that, I think I found my inner space.
I think I just pressed a release button.
Confidence, Authenticity and Passion…
March 9, 2010 at 10:50 pm (business, life)
I was listening to the radio this morning and the radio hosts started to talk about a book regarding attractive people and why they are attractive.
The 3 key attributes so far revealed are confidence, authenticity and display of passion.. These attributes translate into attractive characteristics (people),in the book’s case, men find attractive in women.
I find this not surprising but at the same time interesting to point out because everything we do reflects how the world perceives us. It is difficult for example when one doesn’t know their direction in life to know what she is passionate about and therefore reflect a less confident or authentic self. It’s no wonder people say cliches like “fake it till you make it”.
Fortunately, I have found my passion and in doing so, everything else seems to align itself. I’m sure business owners and entrepreneurs will all tell you alike that a successful business requires passion. And with that, confidence and authenticity comes with it.
I think if education revolves around life management skills: learning about confidence, honesty, and searching for passion rather than memorizing theories and repeating the same cirriculum over and over again, we will head towards a better informed and secured society.
Reflections about time, action, and decisions…
February 22, 2010 at 5:44 am (Eckhart Tolle, Yoga)
How fast can time fly before you have time to stop and reflect on the actions and decisions you’ve made that have changed the course of your future?
Do you wonder about the what ifs or do you break it down into screenshots of the moments that changed everything to come?
Were you mentally ready to make these decisions or did action happened before decision and you didn’t have time to think before you do?
Law of attraction.
It starts with a mental note of what you’re looking for. Then, you begin to do things that matches what you’re looking for. In time, you network and connect with people who share the same values; they find you because they started with a mental note as well. There are many possibilities of people that match your criteria in general but the TIMING of when that person shows up may sometimes feel like 1 in a million. Also, these mental notes are constantly in afflux of evolution and that overtime, some of these mental notes change and are rewired. (through experiences and action of the painbody)
Now comes the decision. At the time when your mental notes have attracted the one, others that may have also matched or potentially be better than the one are placed into a TIMING list. This concept of the “unknown” known by motivational speaker Anthony Robbins as insecurity is what drives potential drama in many people’s lives. What keeps a relationship together is how mentally equipped the couple and especially the person who has the upperhand can act on the decision that has been made. The national American average 49% sucessful.
I am still a firm believer that 2 chopsticks are stronger than 1. To find a perfect set is really 1 in a million but to stick together and become stronger is the goal. I pick up the pair of chopsticks many times throughout the day and line it up each time to ensure that they are in line with each other. If they are not in line, I can’t pick things up properly and the chopsticks become useless. If I don’t coordinate my fingers properly, food falls out of them. The good thing about learning how to use chopsticks is that once you’ve learned it properly, you won’t ever forget. But often people form bad habits and take the lazy route to poke at food instead of pick them up or use fork, knife and spoon instead.
I rest my case to not look back at some of the decisions I have made (for better or for worse) but with a clear intention in mind: to love and be loved…
My PainBody
January 28, 2010 at 7:27 am (Eckhart Tolle)
In the past few weeks, I’ve been restlessly thinking about my business plan and how my vision can be translated onto paper and then into action.
In doing so, I was challenged by the physical, mental and emotional stress that encompass building a vision. More specifically, I’ve found my painbody creep up slowly feeding off of any drama, negative emotions or doubt that crossed my mind. Afterall, a good business plan require one to analyze best and worse case scenarios.
After reading another chapter from Tolle’s book on the Pain-Body, I always get revelations from reading his book, I found myself in a situation where I need to chill out and just be back in the present. I stopped, I observed, I breathed in deeply and sighed out fully.
Tomorrow, I hand in my business plan. I get to let it go and enjoy the rest of my week. Can’t wait.
Visit my site: www.beautifulomyoga.com
MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Yoga
January 3, 2010 at 12:30 am (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts, Yoga)
Life/ Karma/ Destiny works in its own miraculous ways.
I remember a long time ago wanting to own a business but didn’t know what passion I have that can keep me working long hours and still be happy.
I remember awhile ago how yoga puts me in a state of mind that is full of compassion and understanding. Amazing transformation that brought me strength and wisdom off the mat.
I remember not too long ago that I had hope to find a place where I can teach and that a mixed martial arts studio will be ideal. Well, I’ve found one! A good one!
The more I connect the dots, the more I find cliches about dreams, believes and passion do come true. Everything that has happened played itself out according to how I have dreamt, believed or passion’d for it. And now, I just have to demonstrate more courage, more confidence, and even more believe than I have ever before to make it all happen.
I officially met an inspiring person not too long ago and he believes in Jiu-Jitsu like I believe in yoga. We’ve exchanged ideas, philosophies and training to find similarities in each other’s passion.
The great thing about MMA/BJJ is that there is already an existing number of students who believes yoga can help them improve their practice.
http://www.grapplearts.com/Yoga-For-BJJ.htm
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f12/yoga-help-bjj-flexibility-1125680
I look forward this year to teach yoga in a MMA/ BJJ’s perspective. Namaste.
Your Destiny
December 11, 2009 at 8:03 am (Anusara, Yoga)
Our body is designed as a life-affirming energetic instrument that illuminates strength and expands with beauty when space is created through breath work. Light radiates around your energetic body when proper attitude, alignment and action are rallied together to perform a masterpiece of your being.
When we compromise this masterpiece, we place ourselves in a position of vulnerability. Our breath no longer fill the lungs and open our heart and chest. The light that once shone fully is dimmed and space becomes hollow instead of full. Our minds wonder and even question the validity of our practice. A story that does not end with a happily ever after.
Yoga, with its ever expansive meaning, is to unite the thoughts and the body into one complete masterpiece. I leave you with your own interpretation and a quote I’ll always remember:
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
Witness your own destiny. Namaste.
Visit my site: www.beautifulomyoga.com
Beautiful Om Yoga 