Brenda on new beginnings 1/6
First day at ytt. I don’t really no what to expect, but that’s good I suppose. Leaves me open for possibilities. Back to basics, the lady boss says. Great. We broke down sun salutations A (surya namaskar A). Transiting from plank to ashtanga namaskar, I got “singled” out for knees-chest-chin pose. Hmm, is it because I’m a positive or negative demonstration? Having forgotten my basics, I was corrected and completely humbled. At least I learnt something today. And my practice will get better from here. A new journey begins today. 6 July 2019
Val – YTT : Could I be more wrong! (2)
Been doing yoga for more than a decade and frequently asked “why don’t you do a Yoga Teacher Training course since you like it so much?” Other than the demands of family and a full-time job, it’s been in my mind (and I’m not even sure why) that YTT will have a religious slant, that I’ll have to make a trip to India, facing a serious yoga guru for 200 hours, lots of meditation and breathing techniques that I didn’t think I would ever practice/use, immense stage fright at teaching a class and, it’s such a daunting endeavor to embark on alone; so I just thought myself out of it by telling myself that practicing it will suffice. Cue fast-forward button to 2019 when my pole pals jigged the dormant decade-long YTT thought in my mind. The stars were aligned — my children are now teenagers, I have company to brave this, The Yoga Mandala offered a weekend-only option, with the icing on the cake being arm balances and inversions. I do so want to nail that handstand off the wall! And so YTT started first week of July and my world opened! I love that Jess is our Lead Trainer. She’s such a good teacher, an inspiring yogi and bestest, she’s hilarious. Week after week, though the stage fright remains a force to be conquered, I feel the inhibitions and apprehension of YTT ebbing, realizing how wrong I’ve been. I’m now learning so much about my own practice, correcting my bad habits, achieving more physically and mentally. Looking forward to more with Jess and The Yoga Mandala!
Val – What Yoga is to me ? (1)
Been rather sporty in school and during my twenties – dabbling in canoeing, dance, inline skating, and jumping right into open gym classes when the craze hit Singapore with California Fitness and Planet Fitness entering the scene. But none of these classes and activities seemed to be able to sustain me; I’d do them for a bit but the interest just waned. Till yoga. Yoga is simply addictive. Post my foray into my first yoga class in 2004, I found myself wanting to attend more classes, to practice it and desiring to get better and better at it. My take on it (for myself) is that it’s that “learning” that I enjoy – of achieving a pose through practice and awareness, discovering what my body can do and to keep trying the poses that I can’t yet master. And equally important, stemming from vanity, I love the toning and lovely lean muscles that the body builds through this practice. This learned control, awareness and strength from Yoga provides me with the ability to apply it in pole fitness and other forms of exercise. I heavily rely on the knowledge and body from and built from Yoga to fuel the pole tricks and combos I love executing on the pole. I’m really glad I chanced on Yoga way back then and I’m extremely grateful to the awesome instructors who’ve touched my life and shaped my practice. Fortunately, this amazing journey doesn’t have an endpoint and will evolve with me as I live. It’s exciting!
Yen – Embarking on YTT (1/6)
I decided to enrol for TYM’s YTT one day before the course commenced. Jess told me not to come down right after work to pay. She told me to sleep on it and turn up in the morning if I wanted, then make payment for the course. I think this sums up much my life thus far. Me teetering on the edge of impulsiveness, only to be held back (or, more accurately, protected) by the people I choose to surround myself with. Thankfully, our 10-20 minute meditation / pranayama session each morning before our physical practice has, I think, given me the tools to balance my more erratic traits out. I was introduced a few years ago to the practice and value of mindfulness, although it was more like a vague, somewhat incomprehensible, “OK, you are here now so focus on the now” kind of thing. At YTT, being forced to sit with most of my body rooted to the ground (sit in a comfortable and easy position, and ground your sit bones, make sure you’re not leaning too far forwards or backwards) and having to literally count the duration of my inhales and exhales (as my chest-ribs-stomach rise and fall), however, is a real game changer. I’ve always been a more tactile person when it comes to learning / doing, and attaching the physical to the mental really helps to reorder and reset my mind. Having to do it for such an extended period of time and with this frequency has kind of drilled into me the fact that I can turn to meditation at any point of my week / day / life. Now, if I catch myself and find myself giving in to an impulse, I try to meditate and think about the emotion I am feeling, and then consider if it’s an appropriate response to the situation. And, in my books, this split-second reflection / deliberation is half the battle won 🙂
