On my yogi journey: Ash (part 2)
Hi I’m back! So time has past so immensely fast I now find myself at the end of week 3? And next week onwards, teaching starts! Wow wee indeed, time passes quickly when you are having a good time hehe. When I first signed up for this course (gonna be honest here), teaching was not my top priority – I simply wanted to have more awareness about my body & learn new knowledge to help my patients in the future. However, with each passing day, I saw the changes in myself and in my fellow classmates. This sparked in me an interest to share my newfound knowledge with others & hope that it will help them as it did for me. 🙂 And with this, I strive everyday to learn, to be a better teacher for my future students and praying that I may touch their lives in one way or another – if not through yoga, then through my spirit and love that can only stem from God alone So here I am again, humbled & thankful to be given this chance to learn – learning is such an amazing experience I never want to lose. Just a quote that spoke to me this week on one of days when I was not feeling my best (& i hope it speaks to you too) If there are days where you feel your body is too tired to fill the room with laughter and good stories in the way your heart wants to, it is ok to not be all you feel you have to be for everyone, and to focus on breathing & being, knowing that even when you are quieter and your smile comes a little slower you are not any less significant. You are a traveler on a journey who is simply in need of rest in the arms of the kind of peace where she is free to just be. -MHN- & so I conclude this post, God bless & with lots of love ♡ Ash
Life is but a Game – Kex (3/6)
So I was in China to film a game show called Lang Ren Sha (LRS) and completely missed 4 days of YTT. For the benefit of those who are not familiar with the game, it is basically a game of deceit and truth. In a group you have the innocent villagers, the saints with super powers and finally the big bad wolves. The objective of the game is simple, the big bad wolves have to scheme to kill the rest, while the others have to work together to eliminate the wolves from the game. The game ends when either side succeeds in doing so. The catch is that nobody in the game knows who each other is. Only the wolves know who their counterparts are. It is a wildly entertaining show to watch because as the audience, you are an “all-mseeing eye”. You are basically, God. And you know what is going on, you watch as the measly human beings battle it out against each other for survival. It struck me that, Life is basically a LRS game. We embody every character in the game within us. There are different sides to each and everyone of us; when our energy is disturbed our inner wolves rise in the dark to kill off any semblance of sanity within. Yet there are days when we are capable of good things, days when we act according to our principles, we feel in control and powerful. My inner wolf definitely woke up over the past few days while in China. Don’t get me wrong I love my job but I was so worried about falling behind in YTT class! Everyday I would see posts of my classmates progressing, doing postures that seem so difficult. I tried to do the usual pranayama and asanas in my hotel room early one morning, only to be disappointed by my rusty bones and sore muscles. Hours of bad postures have really affected the flexibility I have painstakingly built over the first week. I was worried that catching up is going to be really tough on me. I questioned why I fear, why the pressure. I was not fully enjoying my time in China. Then I took a step back, disconnected myself from the thoughts and let them linger. Like an audience in the game, I became the “all-seeing eye”. I felt no fear, no discomfort. The emotions were playing out in front of me and I merely acknowledged them, but I didn’t participate in them. I chose to be the audience in the game. Yoga is not a competition. The fear of falling behind stems from comparison. Comparison against others and against the self one week ago at YTT. But the body and environment constantly changes, and there will never come a day when I will be truly free if I let myself be led by the inner wolf. I need to keep myself centered and be the audience. Only then can I be called a true yogi. May we always stay centered as the Audience in this Game of Life. Peace Out, Kex
Chakra Discovery – Kex (2/6)
I had a dream. I dreamt that there was an enormous life force, an intense energy bursting out of me. I felt powerful, like I could conquer anything that comes my way. Jess warned us today that the class was going to be tough. It was, yet I had an enormous amount of energy to just keep trying. I felt like I could go on forever. Interestingly, the theory lesson of the day was on the Chakra System. The first time I was introduced to this concept was on a plane ride to Bali. It was a solo trip that I had planned, to stay in Ubud and do nothing but yoga and bliss out. On the plane, I was seated next to this American girl who was in the midst of her YTT in Bali with Meghan Currie. She was reading a book called “Eastern Body, Western Mind. Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to the Self”. I was a psychology student so I was curious and we started having this conversation about the Chakra System. I was skeptical cos it ain’t scientifically proven. Yet there is enough evidence to proof its existence. Chakra is neither a faith nor belief. But it’s something that we can feel and experience. If so, can we say that it is true? I believe in it, but I just can’t be sure about it. Perhaps it’s too egoistic of us human beings to think that everything in the universe can be explained. Though I may never know the answer, it was an interesting alternative perception to understand/analyse the self. At least, now I know that I lack a lot of root chakra. Time to do some Malasana. Peace out, kex
There’s a time and place for everything – Kex (1/6)
I’ve always believed that there is a time and place for everything. That seasons change and one should just ride along with the flow of life. I’ve wanted to go for YTT for years (it has been 10 years of practice), and finally the time has come. To think that the universe has intended for me to take up this course would seem too far-fetched. But truly, I couldn’t help but notice how events have lined up for me perfectly, allowing and enabling me to pursue this side passion of mine; Switch is closed for renovation for the month, MICappella and personal gigs are taking a backseat, I even consider my vocal problem as a blessing in disguise. I would not have dared dream of an alternative career option if I had not lost my voice. So today was the first day of YTT. I woke up early, I listened and absorbed everything like a sponge. I forgot what it feels like to be a student again. It was just so invigorating to be on the mat, to embark on this journey of self-discovery. Well I nearly slept during savasana, yawned a little too many times in the morning, but I felt good, energised. I told myself I need to set my intention for the next 200 hours of practice. At the core of it, I want to be able to conquer my fears and overcome both mental and physical limitations. I want to, first and foremost, have a solid foundation for my asanas. On a deeper level, I want to rid my mind of all the clutter. I want to open my heart and receive. No more closing of doors. I want to be free. Yet in the process, I want to learn how to be kind to myself again. I can’t wait to meet myself again after 200 hours of training. xoxo, kex
Jastine (1/6)
A little bit about me. My name is Jastine and till date, I have spent 8 years of my life studying law. It has been the toughest and most challenging journey I have ever been on. Of course, I wanted to quit every single day. I finished my first tranche of my bar exams the Friday before YTT started. It is difficult now as I wait upon my results. Unlike law school, bar exams are a whole new level. Failing is common, yet fatal at the same time. It means delaying my call – half a year more of being unemployed, having to go through the entire motion of studying for retakes. It is more painful than going into prasarita ardha chandrasana, to me (haha). Do not get me started on how much yoga has taught me, but there is one thing that I hold really close to my heart, one thing that we humans forget, that is, to be kind to ourselves – to never doubt what we can achieve, and to only allow positive thoughts to flow through our minds. May I learn to surrender to God what I absolutely have no control in. Jastine
Jan – (2) On Humility
There’s so much more to yoga. Learning about Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga has put lots of things in perspective. Let go of your ego. We’ve all heard this before. In the first few years of my practice, I treated yoga like any other thing in life – something to achieve, Asana after Asana. It was simply a physical practice that I abused. The ego was a constant voice in my head telling me to push my body until I nailed a pose, or some version of it that I could accept. If I couldn’t do it, I would file it under “something I just suck at”. Sure enough, my body taught me a lesson when I hurt my lower back, and somehow, (even though I didn’t know it yet) the voices of Yama and Niyama began to prevail over the voice of my ego. Both on and off the mat, I learnt to be kinder to myself, less attached to and less judgmental of what I could or could not do, and more content with wherever I was at any given moment. YTT week 2. Plot twist. We started our teaching practice and I noticed the ego’s voice getting louder again. The voice that inspires fear and self-judgment. “What if I **** it up? This isn’t good enough.” “I’m not new to this, I have to do better.” “I have to get it right if I want to teach.” By the end of that week, I was sleep-deprived and maxed out. And thankfully, again, the kinder voices spoke, not only in my heart, but from others who care. All these anxieties, they only exist in my head. I just need to be true and offer the best version of myself to whoever I’m sharing my time with. And if I do mess up, it’s okay. God will help me deal with it in that moment. I’m still learning to let go of my ego and I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning. Where’s the humility in all of this? It’s the fine balance between appreciating your strengths and embracing your weaknesses. It’s in knowing that you can be better, but you are already good. Why do we always have to take the extremes? And above all that, humility is in recognising that there’s something greater than yourself. So, I’m gonna keep trying to let go and let God. Love, Jan @saltfrosted
Learning! (3/6) Reena
Time flies. We are onto week 3 tomorrow, and will also be teaching our first standing sequence. We have also started learning adjustments, which was really an eye opener. How different and seemingly simple poses have so much more than meets the eye. Especially having so many things to do all at once, observing students, alignments, giving details of the postures and remembering the names of the postures. Difficult as it is, it helps me to learn to be more present in the moment. Focusing on the needs of the students and the surroundings rather than relying on memory work is very important. And I am really still working on this! I hope to be able to be better at multi tasking at moments like this, and minimise the stress and nervousness felt whilst teaching. I also learned to realise the importance of giving correct instructions while teaching. Especially from listening to my friends when they teach, their cues really helps me a lot to become more aware of my own body and postures, especially when I constantly drift off from tucking in my ribs and then the teacher in front goes “tuck in your ribs!!” and I remember! This is an important lesson to take away, so as teachers I will also be able to learn to be more aware of students and my surroundings. Finally, on Friday we tried our prone postures and was also my first time doing baby bakasana! It was a really interesting feeling and a whoaaaa experience because the body continues to surprise me everyday! And most importantly it was because Jessica gave really good details on how to get into the posture!! This motivates me a lot to keep going and learning more so that I could also give back to my students in future! Let’s goooo week 3!! I can do it!! Reena
Done and Dusted | RYT200 Reflections | Yuqi
Day 24. Wow. I still remember the first few weekends of YTT, waking up before 6.30am and walking up the stairs to the studio ensuring that I’m not late to class, was quite ‘new’ to me. But after one month of doing so, this weekend routine became more familiar, and coming to class felt more casual and I no longer felt as tense as I was before! Then in April, time suddenly flew by and we were off to our teaching assessments and today, our final exams. I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to say that YTT has changed my life, but it definitely has improved my life and myself as a being. Through YTT, I learnt not just about the poses, but the philosophy as well. Along with Jessica’s personal sharing & constant encouragements, I felt really empowered(???). I feel like I’m someone who tend to put others before myself and I tend to blame myself when I can’t achieve something or help someone out. But through YTT I learnt that it’s important to think for yourself, know what you are able or not able to do for someone else, and to stand firm to your own (righteous) beliefs. I’m unable to put into words how grateful I am for this YTT to learn not just physical poses, but also life lessons. I also feel that my focus improved so much since YTT started! I drive much better and more stable now than before (ok maybe just a tiny bit but still… haha) and I’m doing better at my internship now!! I’m more productive and perhaps less prone to stress now? I don’t know if all these before and after comparisons sound too positive but these are honestly what I feel about myself now! I am really really so thankful that I took this big step to do YTT. I’m excited for what lies ahead after YTT – I will definitely keep practising, keep improving, not just as a yogi, but as an overall human being. Namaste. Yuqi @yuqii
Gratitude
I joined this 200hr YTT not knowing what to expect, but I am so grateful with the choice I made to do it with The Yoga Mandala. First of all, I have to thank Alexis. You were so helpful from the beginning and probably the reason why I chose The Yoga Mandala. Always patient and responsive when I had many queries about the YTT course. You were also really supportive & whole-hearted when you taught. I am super grateful because I cannot imagine doing this YTT elsewhere. I am so grateful for all the beautiful people on this journey with me: Suzanne, Sophia, Shivonne, Ivy, and Yuqi. Everyone was also encouraging and uplifting. Especially after my first teaching class, when everyone was there to support me, it is always so amazing to be surrounded by such positive people <3 Suzanne: thank you for meeting me sometimes outside of our classes to practice. It was so fun learning and taking loads of photos. You were also so great with giving me advice to make me better. Shivonne: my adjustment buddy. It was amazing working with you every time we got paired up; you always have so much patience with me when we work together. Sophia: though you were always so quiet, you always made me laugh. You had such a positive energy to yourself, and definitely one of the sweetest people I know <3 Yuqi: I will really miss the times you laugh in class, and your tears of joy. Whenever I laughed in class, I know you’d be laughing along with me :’) Ivy: You were always such a great supporter, whenever I felt stressed or thought I wasn’t great in a certain aspect. I know I could always count on you to cheer me up. And most of all I have to thank Jessica. I couldn’t have asked for a better, more amazing and loving teacher. You were always strict on us when needed, but we also had so much laughter during our classes. I am going to miss how you have a funny story for everything. You were not only able to bring out the best in me, in terms of asana training; you also gave us so much knowledge during out theory lessons. What resonated with me the most were the life lessons you taught me that will impact my life outside of yoga. I will strive to spread love around to my students and also to be confident in who I am as a teacher. I have learnt to manage my emotions better throughout my entire journey here. I couldn’t have learnt more and had a more patient teacher. Though I have come to an end of my YTT course, I am just at the beginning of my yoga journey. Sending so much love to all of you and everyone reading this <3 <3 Su-May
EPK
I manage to fly today. I have been working on eka pada koundinyasana for almost a year now, and I have never been able to fly. I have worked on options like trying to jump, thinking somehow it will help me to engage my core. With Jessica’s instructions, I was able to fly and realized it didn’t take as much as I thought it would. I am so grateful for this moment J J Su-May
