Standing Up and Dropping Back

... started working on them again, after not having done so for some time. I love the feeling of floating when I'm about to drop back and the rush as the world rights itself when I stand up. Can't wait to do these on my own, but I know it's going to take some time. Oh well, part of aparigraha (non-grasping or not clinging on to anything) is not grasping the future and being content with where you are now. Part of dharma (duty) is doing your duty because it is your duty and not because of what will come of it. i.e. Practice for the sake of practicing and not for any outcome of standing up.

"As for you, do the work that comes to you - but don't look for the results.

Don't be motivated by the fruits of your actions,

nor become attached to inaction."

- Bhagavad Gita II.47

...so I will enjoy being helped until I can do it on my own.

Speaking of backbends, check out this thing called the Stretch Gym:

Just as an interesting alternative to working the wall, sometimes maybe? The image below looks like it could even help one in Supta Kurmasana.

Maya and Reading To-do

"We bear and are borne by a soul we do not know. When the riddle raises itself on two legs without being solved, it is our turn. When the dream picture pinches it's own arm without waking, it is us. For we are the riddle no one guesses. We are the fairy-tale trapped in its own image. We are what moves on and on without arriving at understanding..."

-Jostein Gaarder, Maya

I would love to spend a day with Jostein Gaarder, picking his mind. What is someone like that like in real life? Can you imagine conversation about life, consciousness and reality that would be?

It started with Sophie's World. An introduction to Philosophy, I heard it was, but taught within the context of a fantastical narrative. I loved it! I was mesmerized by The Solitaire Mystery too. Didn't like The Christmas Mystery too much. I still have to get my hands on Vita Brevis, but I've heard that's a good one.

*sigh* I've missed reading. So glad I'm getting to do it again. :)

To-do:

1. see if Joanne Harris has any new books out
2. get Brida by Paulo Coelho
3. get The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
4. wait for Anne Rice' new novel coming out this month
5. read Sleep, Pale Sister by Joanne Harris
6. find my copy of The Ringmaster's Daughter by Jostein Gaarder, buy a copy of Vita Brevis and see if he has any new books out

Time Out

Sure, I'd gone on vacation for a week or two, but before this year I'd never taken a sabbatical. Never stopped to give me some real time for myself. Now that I've had time to think, to go and do things that I've wanted to do for the longest time, to just have time to find myself again, it makes a world of difference.

Stefan Sagmeister talks about the power of time off and how it refreshes his ability to see new things, come up with new ideas and just resets his mind as a whole. To a certain extent we need to take time for ourselves. We need to heal ourselves of the chronic stress and the focus on materialism and productivity. We need to realize that taking this time to find ourselves and become whole again is being productive, for we are only useful to society as complete and healthy citizens.

Stages of Grief

Grey's Anatomy says that there are five stages of grief:

1. denial
2. anger
3. bargaining
4. depression
5. acceptance

These stages actually make up the Kübler-Ross model of grief when a person is terminally ill. When you are grieving the loss of a loved one, the first three stages are slightly different:

1. disbelief
2. yearning
3. anger
4. depression
5. acceptance

photo by pareeerica and used under the Creative Commons license

While the majority of people do go through these stages, not everyone follows this model and not everyone goes from one stage to the next. Often the lines between each stage are blurred and it is possible to actually be experiencing more than one stage at once. Considering the diversity of human beings and how we deal with the situations we find ourselves in, some people skip stages or, as mentioned earlier, simply don't follow this model at all and instead behave entirely differently. Because of this, Psychology Today published an article by Russell Friedman of The Grief Recovery Institute about how there really is no set model for the stages of grief.

Following this model or not, I've found that dealing with grief can apply not only to the passing of a loved one but also to the end of a relationship. Relationships too must be mourned before it is possible to move on.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kübler-Ross_model

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2007/02/24/five-stages-of-grief/

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/broken-hearts/200909/no-stages-grief

On Dehydration Headaches

My head hurts. I'm thirsty. My mouth is dry. I know that had I not used my favorite cream-oil body wash, my skin would be dry too. *sigh* I'm dehydrated again.

photo by Pikku-Kettu

One thing about Ashtanga yoga is that it really makes you sweat. This is great when you're well-hydrated and you can flush all the toxins out. When you're like me and don't always drink enough water, well, you get the symptoms listed above.

When I can feel it starting, I try to drink a lot of water. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't and I notice that I just pee all the water away. I learned in Thailand that sometimes the body can't absorb all the water even if you're drinking enough because it's saline level is too low for the body.

Remember high school biology and osmosis? Water will move from an area of higher concentration to one of lower concentration, in an effort to balance the system. If you add a pinch of salt (best to stick with organic rock salt and not the iodized stuff) to the water, it helps the water molecules to be absorbed by the body.

Photo by CecillePL

It also helps to add a squeeze of lemon to the water. You would think that this would make the water acidic, but in fact it makes it alkaline (basic), and thus also easier for the body to absorb. I like the tartness of lemon, but one great thing about practicing yoga in Manila is that I can do this with calamansi! :) I love the flavor of calamansi.

So there you go, mix a pinch of salt + a squish of lemon/calamansi + water = helps you stay nicely hydrated and ready for that next class.

On Procrastination

...I'm sure we can all relate with this guy:



Especially when it comes to starting a new habit or practice, we always think that we'll have time for it later or tomorrow.

I know I used to have 2 things working against me: procrastination and the fact that I can be very OC. I always wanted to have the perfect practice and I wanted to have the habit of practicing 6 days a week, as my teacher said I should. This meant that I needed to have an empty stomach, a quiet practice space, a full 1.5-2 hours of uninterrupted me time, the discipline to actually get onto my mat...and I needed to be able to do all this a full 6 days a week or it wouldn't be worth it.

Believe me, that is so not the case. I tried it and was completely overwhelmed. Yes, it would be great to do all the above, but unless you've got superhero powers of time and mind control, all that probably won't be happening anytime soon. Instead, take baby steps. Try 10 minutes of practice 3 times a week in addition to your weekly class. When You've gotten the hang of that, move it up to 4 then 5 then 6 times a week. After that, start adding onto the duration of your practice. Move it to 15, 20, then 30 minutes.

And about the procrastination? Doing yoga first thing in the morning actually gives you more energy throughout the day to get your "stuff" done. Plus the early hours are usually quieter and you'll have less chances of being disturbed. The dirty desk, squeaky chair and groceries can wait a while. There's really no shortcut to this one other than being aware of when you're procrastinating and telling yourself to buckle down and get going.

So in short, take it 1 step at a time. Remember, you have the rest of your life to develop your practice. Just start it today so you can be sure that you do have the time to develop it.

Let me know if this was helpful!

Can't Believe It's All Over

I'm sitting in the Koh Samui airport, waiting for my flight to Bangkok. Once I get there, I have a 3-hour wait for my Cebu Pacific flight home.

I can't believe it's all over. The course was great and I met some fantastic people. In truth, I was starting to feel really tired by the time the last week rolled around. Neil said we were an unusual group in that everyone usually breaks down during the 2nd-3rd week. We, however, didn't start our breakdowns until the last week to the very tail end of the course.

I was just tired physically from the month of intensive practice and the long days of class, I guess. Once the course ended and I settled into holiday mode with some friends, it got really comfortable again. We'd do yoga in the morning then spend the day in town, lazing around the pool or just staring out to sea. It really was starting to feel like home, like we belonged there.

I didn't even get to say goodbye to the 2 wonderful ladies I spent most of my time with, especially these last few days. They are truly amazing women, really fitting into our lot of characters. Goodbye, Gyl and Ali! Goodbye Yoga Thailand! Goodbye to our wonderful group...hope to see you all somewhere someday.

***Didn't have time to post more about the course. I'll update when I get back home.

Practice Milestone: Backbends

Yesterday I stood up from and dropped back into Urdhva Dhanurasana for the first time ever. Woohoo! It was so much fun, seriously, I loved it! I did it with help from Neil, of course, but right after that Paul came by to say that he wants to work on my standing up by myself. I've been looking forward to this for a while now, but I have to say that the work that goes into standing up and dropping back is just that: work. My back was starting to cramp today after the 3 regular Urdhva Dhanurasanas plus the work they gave me to do at the wall plus standing up and dropping back with assistance. Only a few more practice days left here...have to make the most of them.

Silence is Golden

I've noticed that I've changed in the last year. Especially in the past 4 months or so I've become a lot calmer and quieter. I don't talk as much when I'm with others. I'm more content to just listen and observe, really only getting actively involved when something is of particular interest to me. I'm also more content to just stay home and enjoy the peace and quiet of relative solitude.

For the past month or so I've been a little worried about this quietness I've taken on. Mostly I've been concerned because I noticed that the silence isn't just my outward behavior, but my mind itself has become so much quieter. It's like there used to be 10 voices in there, conscious and subconscious alike, all talking at once. Now I feel like there's just one. Only me. I was worried that maybe I've repressed stuff and maybe I've now moved all the other voices into my unconscious, which would totally not be healthy.

I now wonder though if this quiet is from my yoga asana, pranayama and meditation practice. Maybe it's all managed to help still the torrent. Maybe I'm just adjusting to being alone in my head. Maybe it's a good thing.

You think?

Karma Yoga

(Beautiful statue in its own little pagoda out front)

So we did Karma Yoga today. This is the yoga of action and we went to this forgotten temple on Samui and helped out. By "forgotten" they mean that tourists don't really know about it and hence don't go visit it. It is still used, however, and monks still live and worship there. We painted the walls and wooden supports of their outhouse and an little stage-like platform in the center.

(Working hard)

The temple itself is beautiful, so we were really lucky to get this chance to see it and be a teeny-tiny part of it. It was so much fun to be working with everyone and it was amazing how quickly we were able to get it all done with everyone pitching in. Makes me want to help out a Habitat for Humanity. Any takers?

(The temple exterior)

It's just too bad the temple was closed so we couldn't go inside.