On Chakras (relight my fire!)
I have been interested in the topic of lifeforce(chi), chakra channels, for a while and had done some reading on kundalini. All the articles would explain the types of chakras, where they were located, and how imbalances would affect us, but it was difficult to find information on how to open up these pathways or channel energy around the body. If they did include an explanation, I found it hard to understand as I had not practiced meditation at that level. On the third day of YTT, we did our usual asana practice and I was surprised to find myself tearing up during Savasana. I usually have my emotions in check but that day I just felt such a release (also sorrow) while pretending to be a corpse that it was rather difficult to maintain rhythmic breathing. The tears were flowing down the sides of my face and I was worried about making the others feel awkward, but I wiped them away in time before anyone saw (phew!). It was just a curious sensation for me to feel such an emotional release. Usually when I am stressed out or have pent up frustration, I would go to the gym and just bust myself out physically, and I would feel better after that. But it was never up to a point when I would feel like crying. I would not find out what this was all about until the theory lesson on Chakras, when teacher Nicole said that this phenomena is the Anahata or heart chakra trying to find balance. I knew I was recovering from a grieving period but to hear it being explained from a yoga perspective was so refreshing. After some contemplation, I have realized that asana practice is also meditation and the body and spirit finding balance. I would like to share this with my future students as well, if given the opportunity. With love, Afiza (200hr Hatha Vinyasa YTT Course, 28.09.2015 to 30.09.2015)
200 Hour YTT Hatha Vinyasa – Week 1
One month before my employment contract ended, I was faced with the uncertainty of what to do next. When my close friends asked if I’ve started looking for a job, without giving it much thought I told them, “I guess I’m finally going to be a yoga teacher.” I had imagined myself teaching yoga but never expected having to make that decision so soon. So I did some research online, trying to find out how to get certified, never really settling on any particular school because the timing was not right. In retrospect, I’m glad that I voiced my intention out loud, because the next week, a friend showed me the IHA Yoga Instagram post announcing that registration for the September batch of 200 Hour YTT was open. My last day of service would be exactly one week before. It was like the Universe was giving me a sign and pushing me in this direction. I had a talk with my mother, received her support and blessing (another sign!), and signed up. On the first day, my body received a shock. I was made painfully aware of my lack of strength and the imbalances in my body. I brushed away thoughts like “Can I really do a headstand?” and “This is so tough!”, and tried to absorb as much as my body could take. I have so much respect for all who have gone through YTT now because there is just so much to learn and improve on. In addition to the guidance from our teachers Nicole and Jessica during the physical practice, the discussions and sharing between my course mates during theory lessons make it an even more enjoyable journey. I was exhausted and fell asleep at 7pm that day, but said to everyone who asked how my first day went that I should have done this a long time ago! The week went by in a flash, by the second day I managed to get my legs up in a shoulder headstand, third day we executed Bakasana, fourth day we tried tripod headstand. By day five we were already taking turns at teaching surya namaskara A and B! What a load of information for the body and mind to absorb. One takeaway lesson for me after week 1 is to approach the practice without fear because it only limits us in our learning and discovery. Something we can all apply to our daily lives as well, definitely! I am looking forward to everyone’s growth over the remainder of the course. Thank you all for sharing your positive energy with me. Love + Peace out! – Afiza (200hr Hatha Vinyasa YTT Course, 28.09.2015 to 30.09.2015)
Balancing Kapha: A satirical surviving guide :)
I have large and soft eyes, smooth and radiant skin. Thick hair as well. My physical characteristics should be like this. My emotional characteristics are strong, loyal, patient, steady and supportive. Makes me think about Pumaa from Lion King. People with an excess of Kapha tend to hold on to things, jobs, and relationships long after they are no longer nourishing or necessary. No wonder I work for the same company for 5 years albeit 2 different departments. Excess Kapha in the mind manifests as resistance to change and stubbornness. In the face of stress, the typical Kapha response is, “I don’t want to deal with it.” How to Balance Kapha Seek stimulation. Follow a regular daily routine. Clear your space. Get regular exercise. Eat nutritious breakfast as it will light up your fire for the day. Here are my breakfast to go before attending yoga class.=) So what’s your doshas and how you balance it? (4/6) Wendy Loh, 200 hour Hatha Vinyasa YTT Course, 28 Sept to 30 Oct 15.
My Yoga Journey – Week 1
After transferring to Singapore last year with my company, my dream of working in this Asian metropolis, and then flying on the weekends to the beaches of Phuket or eating my way through Hanoi was rudely awakened by a new reality. A reality of working 14 hour workdays hunched over a desk, eyes glazed staring at numbers on my computer screen. After having one too many calls at 1 am with my New York friends on their lunch break, I decided that I could either be unhappy and complain or take control of my life and do something about it. So I quit. But I wasn’t ready to end my journey here in Singapore just yet. What now? I’ve never loved being in Finance. But I went to school for it, built a career around it, and spent the past almost 10 years building my experience and perfecting my craft to succeed in it. I always envied people who were doing things that they were so passionate about. I told myself if I ever had a clean slate to start over, I would. Or at the very least, try to do something I could really love and enjoy. Yoga teacher training has long been on my bucket list and now I was finally in a position to make that happen. So I held my breath and signed up for the 200 hour YTT course at IHA yoga. I was partly excited, partly nervous, and partly thinking, is this crazy? I’m a risk adverse person! I don’t like public speaking! I’m terrified of inversions! On my first day, I was so nervous and had no idea what to expect. It felt like I was starting my first day at a new school. After what seemed like 100 chaturangas during the morning practice and then awkwardly trying to read and speak Sanskrit in the afternoon theory, it was safe to say I left there feeling just a little overwhelmed. I came home and savasana’d on the couch for two hours. On Day 2, I managed to force my tired arms into a crow pose for three seconds. Albeit it was a pretty ugly crow, I still DID it. It was an encouraging three second reminder that this is something that I CAN do. Reflecting back on my first complete week, I could not have prepared myself for how demanding this would be, both physically and mentally. I can tell it’s going to be a long journey ahead, but a good one. I’m still super scared but I’m excited to trust the process and see where it will take me. Namaste. Lillian Cheng (200 Hour YTTC September Weekday)
Negative thoughts? Change it!
So as a typical Kapha, my face might be appeared calm and composed but underneath that “Zen” veil, sometimes I do also overwhelmed by negative thoughts. But I always try to think in positive way. Here’s a summary of my thought for the 1st week so far. =) 1st Challenge: Why wake up at 5.30am to get ready for a 7.30am class? Why why why? Positive: Girl, you are lucky! It is a blessing that you are able to learn yoga with in a loving and supportive community under a professional team and safe environment, not to mention the teachers are also the best in town. =) 2nd Challenge: Sometimes wake up too late and the MRT goes way too slow. Positive: It represents my circadian clock still have a lot to be improved. And when people goes slow, you go slow as well. Take that time to slow down you breathing and practice a little bit of ujjayi breathing. 3rd Challenge: Never had the time to eat breakfast. Positive: Drink more water. Consider this one of your own”kriyas” and maybe it’s time for some “bhastrika”? 🙂 4th Challenge: What? Teaching???? Speaking in front of public? I have stage fright to teach in front of my classmates. How am I going to survive this? 🙁 Positive: Just do it. I repeat, just do it. 5th challenge: Omg! How am I going to hold this pose? 5 more breaths? My lower back is aching and my knees…Oh my knees. Positive: Just hold it. Even the world comes to an end and you still haven’t tasted Brunetti’s chocolate truffle cake. JUST HOLD IT. 6th challenge: My classmates are better than me. I’m not going to top them.T_T Positive: Stop beating yourself up! It’s not a competition and it is a journey of self-discovery.Period. 7th challenge: Shouldn’t drink that wine and shouldn’t eat that pork knuckle with blueberry jam last night. Maybe I should become vegan or vegetarian. Positive: Forget that. Concentrate on being. Means now. I repeat. Now. 8th challenge: Stomach is screaming hunger. What am I going to have later for lunch? Salad or mixed rice? Salad, what combinations I want? If mixed rice, what dish should I choose?…. Positive: See no.7. As time goes by, I have befriended my mind. Even though sometimes it drives me crazy, especially doing asanas, but I choose to embrace them and not to be aggravated by them. Just another day of class while having the thoughts above before 11am everyday. Haha. (3/6) Wendy Loh, 200 hour Hatha Vinyasa YTT Course, 28 Sept – 30 Oct 15.
so much for judging gimmicky headstand stuff…
There were so many choices after leaving my job. Work-holiday in Finland? Try out my other interests by working in different start-ups/restaurants/fitness centres as a temporary staff? Learn about food and agriculture by volunteering in a farm? And then I chose this — 200 Hours Yoga Teacher Training. OMGGGGG!! What was I thinking? I hate meditating, I hate chanting, I hate the fact that something so zen like yoga is now just another trendy thing to do (like spinning and vegan diet. *roll eyes). Do not get me wrong, I love peace, I agree with the power of mindfulness, I think yoga, vegetarians and spinning are cool shit and I’ll love to live in a mountain and do yoga-ish stuff, but the ego deep inside me just can’t swallow the idea of myself doing something so… (how to explain this)…it’s just so instagram-facebook-spamming-common. I could never get why people need yoga to find fulfilments, confidence, love or whatever enlightenment. So my original goal for this 200Hours is simply this, get a ‘legit’ certificate, build my fitness and hopefully get all my foundations for yoga correct so I won’t injure myself when I follow youtube yogis’ videos when I exercise, and if everything goes well, I can earn some pocket money from it. Today is Day 5 of the course. Has my mindset change? Quite a lot. Ok firstly, I like sitting in stillness and concentrate on my breathing (pranayama) now. I think there’s something about the energy (omg i just said energy) in IHA, after all the practice, my mind is relax and I become more aware of my body. I’m still considering which is my most favourite pranayama method. Hmm, after today’s class, it should be bumble bee (bhramari). I wonder if it has to do with my love for the dying bees… hur hur. I’ve also gained a lot of knowledge on yoga poses (asana). A lot of yoga teachers did not give important instructions during lessons, some even praised me for wrong postures I did, all these may potentially cause serious injuries to people. And so, this is my second and most important change, I feel that, maybe, I can be a great yoga teacher after the completion of my course. ALright, great or not, who knows? I guess now I do aspire to be one who motivates people to practice yoga correctly. Enough said before I bore whoever that’s reading this post to death, I’m going to nap now, I am sneezing continuously as I’m typing. I hope I won’t fall sick. This course is tough. I need a healthy body and mind to go through another 4 weeks of this. God bless me ^______________^ Lindy Tay, student 200 Hours Teacher Training Course
Mudra
So Nicole taught us mudras during our nadi shodhana pranayama practice yesterday. We learnt Chin Mudra and Vishnu Mudra. It puzzled me why hand gesture is so important? So I decided to dig deeper. What is Chin Mudra? Chin Mudra means “gesture of consciousness”. The middle, ring and little fingers symbolize the three gunas: rajas “activity”, tamas “inertia”, sattva “luminosity”. The index finger represents individual consciousness and the thumb represents universal consciousness. Their joining together in Chin Mudra expresses the union, or yoga, of these two aspects. The benefits of Chin Mudra are listed below: 1. Sharpens the intellect 2. Reduces daydreaming and fantasy during meditation 3. Lift depression What is Vishnu Mudra? Vishnu Mudra means “god of preservation” and “the Preserver of the Protector. It indicates the form and character of the Hindu deity Vishnu, who is worshipped as the supreme god in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. Hand mudra is integral in yoga practice as to channel higher energies into our body and mind. Mudras are not simply a means of personal expression or self-empowerment but to communicate with divine grace spiritually and drawing them to our lives. Tremendous healing can be done through the hand mudra by directing higher pranic energies into the body and link us with the beneficial pranic currents in nature and in the universe as a whole. Enough said. Let’s practice pranayama and yoga mudra! 😉 Reference: Mudras of India by Cain Carroll and Revital Carroll. (2/6) Wendy Loh 200 hour Hatha Vinyassa YTT course 28 Sept 15 – 30 Oct 15
