Nature Heals

Ah the lovely rain.. I have always been drawn to the rain. Even when I was younger up until now, the rainy season is my favorite season (but not when it turns into a destructive typhoon). I have always enjoyed the moment and the feeling I get every time it rains.

When the day starts to turn into a shade of pewter, and the heavens begin to grumble and murmur, followed by lightning bolts, then you know that it is heaven's way of telling the Earth to be ready to receive the healing powers of sweet precipitation. A liquid sunshine from up above.

When the rain drops, I give out a smile, I am happy and so is the Earth. My senses are refreshed and so is the land. I feel blessed and so does the soil. When it rains, I look forward to something that is good and even inspiring.

Here's something I subscribe daily too on my email called the DailyOM. This article was sent to me today, hence, the inspiration to blog. I'd like to think that this is the Universe' subtle way of explaining why it is I feel such interconnectedness with the nature of rain:


Cleansing Nature
Rain (a repost from the DailyOM)

"Rain can be experienced through all of your senses, allowing you to understand how important each drop of water is.

There are times when we might feel the need to wash away all of our troubles and call forth freshness into our lives. Since perhaps the most cleansing substance on this earth is water, we can think of the joy rain brings as an energetic bath, rejuvenating our minds, bodies and souls. Just being able to spend a few moments every time it rains to become aware of the healing powers water brings to us can renew us in so many ways. As we do this we will find that the more we appreciate the universe's gift to us in the form of rain, the more we can see that a gentle rain shower is a strong reflective tool that has the ability to cleanse our entire being.

The next time it rains might be a good chance to experience the rain through all of your senses, allowing you to truly understand just how truly important each and every drop of water is. First, take a few minutes to look outside and notice how each individual raindrop seems to come down in a continual stream. By noticing this you can contemplate how it takes many small accomplishments to create the whole of your existence, for nothing exists in isolation. Then you might wish to focus your attention on the sound of the rainfall, letting the sounds of drops penetrate into the innermost recesses of your self. Listening in this way may bring you a greater sense of connection with nature and the world around you, knowing that the sounds you hear are an integral part of not just the physical sustenance you require but also nourish your spirit as well.

Consciously using our senses to feel nature's healing energy as it comes to us in the form of rain is an act of internal cleansing. Just as the rain physically washes over the earth and rinses out any impurities and imperfections, so it also bathes our spirit in the joy that comes from knowing that we are in fact one with the world around us."

Doesn't this make perfect sense? It does to me. Also, I just realized that even my constitution in Ayurveda is a Kapha-- the water element. I consider this an ethereal sign that tells me how my body is naturally aligned with nature and her rhythms.

If you look deeply into yourself and notice even the most delicate of things around you, you will find out that one way or another, we are all connected.

Rain Mantra: (a repost from a fellow blogger Kirstanuci Veranda)
Nikame, nikame nah parjanyo varsatu.

This means "the clouds have to form, the clouds have to form, it has to rain, it has to rain!"
To bring rain to a certain area, this mantra is chanted with strong belief.

GreenFriends Tree Planting

Small and simple acts from each and everyone of us create new beginnings!
Karma points to all Green beings for helping give back to mother Earth!

Chakra Meditation

Chakras are the 7 centers of spiritual energy sitting horizontally on the Sushumna.

As I find my own meditation and cleansing from within, I sit comfortably and breathe life anew into my chakra points. And in my mind, I give out a chant for each one of them: lam..vam..ram..yam..ham..om..

YOGInspired

I am blessed to have crossed paths with Dr. Karen Kow. My good Yogini and Psychologist friend whom I've had the pleasure to be friends with in Prenatal training. I am proud and happy to say that she is on the finishing stages of publishing her very first book!

About YOGinspired: an honest, easy to read book with amazing photos! A quote from her: "It is a book written in the gentlest of spirits to encourage all of us to be more than who we already are." or you can check out her website at: www.yoginspired.com/about-the-book/

Here is a sample piece of how it looks like. Looking forward much to the rest of it!!



Only 17 days to go for her book launch. So I send out love, light and hugs and an advanced thank you for sending me a copy of your book all the way to my home! I'll be posting it soon! More power Kar! Here is friend's awesome website: Dr. Karen Kow

Shivaaya Namah Om!

"The Roll Back" or Chakrasana

It is only this year I gained the confidence to do "drop backs" on my own in back bending with the help of one teacher-- Govinda Kai. And now, Chakrasana or "The roll back." A pose I would normally ask for help (in a Mysore class) to link me to my Chaturanga usually in the finishing sequence. I am able to do now with some degree of boldness. Thanks to the guidance of another one of my teachers named James Figueira here at the Yoga Shala in Singapore. It's still a little unpolished with the many attempts I take before finding that determination to finally flip over. I'll take this as a stepping stone for my body to remember and eventually refine.


The process taught to me is coming into Halasana pose with hands beside your ears (as if doing a backbend), with the legs and feet wide apart like Upavishta Konasana, and then bringing the chin towards the chest (whilst keeping the gaze there and not looking up) to round the back. And then it's all about finding the "momentum" to lift the hips up, pressing shoulders down and lifting the body with the arms and hands to bring the heels of the feet down all in one motion and without hesitation.

The reason for the "wide legs" school of thought is a basis on how compact your forward bend is. Unlike my body which is not exactly that "pressed together" yet, the "legs apart" theory in preparing to do the pose makes a lot of sense to me.. When the pose becomes more and more comfortable, you can start bringing the feet closer together.



I forgot to mention too that my Marichyasana A, and B are getting so much better in terms of binding. C, and D are still a bit of a challenge, but there is so much improvement now compared to before especially with the help of the only three people who are able to bind me even for just a breath. Thank you Hoze Arando, Jessica Blanchard and James Figueira. At least now I know how it feels like.


As always, I am excited about my new found discoveries and I look forward to where my next practice and next teacher will take me.. It just feels like my body is slowly unraveling on it's own.

Thank you patience.. :)

When in Singapore and you need a yoga space with knowledgeable and well trained teachers for an Ashtanga Mysore practice, visit the Yoga Shala. Located at 11 Yan Kit road (off Craig Road) or check out their website at www.theyogashala.com.sg

I highly recommend it!

A Day Of Iyengar Yoga (part II)

Iyengar 101- All I can say is, Rina Ortiz rocks!
Nobody has put Iyengar yoga in a much better perspective than her. It was like learning yoga all over again but in a more conscious method this time around!

Even if it were just the basics, the workshop was another one of those eye-opening experiences that allow you to get to know your body once again..

We took in by heart her concise verbal cues. Executing poses that entailed using the right muscles, and correct alignment. Also, while establishing equality by working both the right and left side of the body, it is of utmost importance to carry out the poses with equanimity.
To help enable us to accomplish this goal, aside from her, conveying her accurate understanding on the anatomy of the body, we also made use of a lot of yoga props to get there. Using props is what Iyengar yoga is really known for. The reason behind this style is that it can help you come into the pose properly, and so you could stay in it much longer with ease.




With her gift of gab, she also managed to bring out realizations of the soul which we needed to be reminded of again and again. A consciousness that is applicable not only in our yoga practice but in our daily lives as well.

One I like best and that really hit the spot for me was (I'm paraphrasing here): "Intelligence comes from awareness. We practice awareness so we don't create violence to ourselves and even to others. Intelligence alone can lead to arrogance which is its closest cousin. So by being aware, it gives us the ability to act intelligently." Makes a lot of sense, right?

"


Lastly, I must say too, that with this constructive activity going on, I have observed that everyone was quite focused today. I could tell that there was a lightness of mind for all the students including myself. I think I speak for all who attended the class that chaotic thoughts were at bay for 3 1/2 hours. I shall quote her by saying what she said earlier: "We were able to move our frontal brain into the back of the head which is the organic brain." Everybody was enjoying the energy of the present and were in full concentration mode. We experienced "pratyahara" for half a day. This means that we have taken a step in turning our senses inward.


I am so happy that this workshop came about. I am blessed to be able to cross paths with her. The knowledge and vigor she brought with her to the class was amazing. I am thankful to her for sharing this branch of enlightenment that has a direct impact not only on the mat but in life itself.

"I salute my gurus and I salute the divine light within." OM SHANTI!

An Unending Journey

After having gone through a yoga teacher training last 2009 that took place in the beautiful island of Boracay, I am finally able to put my education into something that is constructive and gratifying.

I was just recently given the opportunity to join a yoga association of teachers and students who share one thing in common: their love for practice! But this time, I have been asked to become a part of their "teachers' pool" now. Don't get me wrong, I will forever be a student of yoga. I just feel honored to have been given the opportunity to help spread yoga and its awakening to those who seek to try it. And, I am only happy to travel this new path together with my fellow teachers and students.

As an apprentice for now, I started observing and assisting just last Monday. I have to say that it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. As a student, I am being adjusted by my teacher during a mysore class and during a led class, we follow the teacher. How hard could it be, right? All I needed to do was to remember how the teachers "fixed" me in Mysore, and in a Led class, to just say what they usually say. Wrong! Even if it were just watching, it was an entirely different experience! Before, I had never really noticed much the person beside me. That's what yoga does. It helps heighten your focus and turns your senses inward. But being on the other shoe, going around and observing everyone was quite a refreshing change. I was also learning as I was watching my fellow yogis in action. It amazed me to see how unique each and every one of my classmates were on a pose and in their practice. The structure and sequence in an Ashtanga class are all the same but how it was performed by every one in the room was entirely different. In mysore, having had to adjust their different bodies and to be able to be on that same "wave length" with them at the same time was the biggest challenge of all! All I could say is, kudos to all the yoga teachers around the world! Now I know that it is not that easy to surrender to this kind of demand. Phew! This calling sure does take a lot out of you!

As a new yoga teacher, little by little I am finding myself becoming more aware now of every students body type and their needs. To meet them halfway, I guess you just have to open yourself up more to their needs and accept that you can only do so much to assist them in their journey...

As a seasoned practitioner myself, I find that another major thing considered in a teacher is gaining a students' trust. I know that this does not come easy and is developed in time. But I know that one day, with the help of my great teachers, I will overcome all these obstacles of shyness and self-consciousness (when you tentatively adjust a student in their pose) and finally have that sureness in myself. Lastly, aside from finding that confidence and intuition for each student and where they are in their practice, as a teacher, it is also my responsibility to bring in an active and positive energy into the room. And from that energy, it helps a great deal to put it out there -- an approachable vibe to the class. Not only does this make the students enthusiastic to learn, it continuously keeps them inspired and coming back for more.

I'm actually excited! I know that this will all be great! I look forward to welcoming the teaching challenges of everyday and charging it all to experience. And I know that one day I am certain that I will get the hang of it and be good at what I am most passionate about-- yoga, and being an instructor of it.

The knowledge I gained from my teacher training exposure is certainly a beautiful blessing. I lovingly thank my mentors and all my tt classmates for making this experience the start of my unending journey. As a student, I hope to never cease to learn, and as a teacher, I offer my services to those willing to learn.

OM
Gate, gate paragate, parasamgate, bodhisvaha!!

On Back Bending...

January 2010, in this picture, I still needed a safety blanket from my mentor, Clayton Horton. I am thankful that he was guiding me through it, helping me feel my way around my body.

February 2010, under one of Govinda Kai's My Sore classes, I was able to perform Urdhva Dhanurasana's (upward bow pose) dropping back and coming up without any assistance. The last time I remember doing this up and down motion (without any awareness at all) from the ground up, was when I was 10 years old at the time and playing piko. Now at 30 something when your bones are at their peak, I did it because he left me no choice. The energy was so strong it was exhilarating. It was finally finding that momentum ( I had been looking for) and the power of my legs that helped me come up with ease. I think my body seemed to remember now . All it took was for him to let me go and give me that trusting, confident vibe that I could.. That action will well be remembered now since I was told to do it 5 more times. As superficial as it may sound since it is just a pose, I am still not over the fact that I did it. There are many other poses in the primary series that I have not yet completed. Anatomically it still seems impossible. But who knows, one different teacher at a time to help me uncover the endless possibilities of what my mysterious body is capable of. I have my whole life time to discovering this. :)

P.S Thank you for taking this pic, Kar kar! =)