Life’s All about Balance

That’s what’s on the wrapper of new Kitkat dark chocolate.

New finds: Kitkat dark chocolate and M&M orange. Rajas!

Led Ashtanga Class

source:http://www.istockphoto.com

Because it’s moon day.

Said teacher.

Slow practice.

Holding poses for several breaths.

Urdhva Dhanurasana.

Ten breaths.

Counted five.

One, said teacher.

Counted ten.

Two, said teacher.

Wasn’t any easier than mysore.

I swear.

Yoga Milestones – 2009/11/08

Jon Cagas in photo (source: mitahara.blogspot.com)

 

source: www.samadhi-yoga.com/ images/acroyoga_SandK.jpg

How I got out of dhanurasana? We did a fancy exit which will remain a secret. Ha ha! 

Thanks, Jon! It was a fun class tonight! And yes, I stole your picture

Odds and Ends

Had been having numb pain on my left arm…until last Tuesday when I sneaked in Avril’s led class for beginners to do mysore (Thanks, Avril, for accommodating the pasaway me, ha ha!). She adjusted my Prasarita C by pushing my arms down the floor, as pictured below. 

Ouch! My left arm REALLY hurt. I could resist…or persist. I chose the latter. Up to my last breath. And as I did my last exhalation, I heard (or felt?) popping, running from my left upper arm down to my wrist. Wow! I felt something had just been released! It made a big difference in my practice that night. That’s for the physical part anyway; the psycho-emotional part is yet to be revealed. 

That experience led me to ask when it is right to surrender and let go (like I did that night) and when to protect oneself and resist. Not only in yoga asanas but in life in general.

*****

I was surprised to find vegetarian options at the Apartment 1B. For appetizer, I had baked samosa–not the typical Indian samosa though. Fillings were made of mushrooms and spinach, and the thinly-made wrap was crunchy, almost like the pastry layers of croissant. Not too flaky, just right. Not greasy, too, since it was baked. Yummy!

Gruyere cheese added a twist in their French onion soup. For entree, I had three cheese (ricotta, parmesan, and cheddar) vegetable lasagna. Yummy, yummy! Even my carnivore friends liked it.

vegetarian lasagna

Another nice thing about this resto is that even the meat dishes come with a generous serving of vegetables (carrots and broccoli). Two thumbs up!   

The flourless chocolate fudge and brewed coffee were equally wonderful.

*****

Early last year, I wrote in this post about my four-month-old (then) niece who effortlessly did cobra cum locust pose. Now she has advanced to Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana!

She’d get into the pose and ask my sister, “What am I doing?” To which my sister would always reply “yoga!” Then she’d giggle! Nah, I couldn’t claim credit for that–my sister did Iyengar for four years while a cousin of my brother-in-law is a yoga teacher.

Three Years and a Few Lessons After

I was inspired, er, reminded by my friends’ FB status which said “Exactly 10 years ago, I did this and did that….” Now, my turn.

Exactly three years ago, I attended my very first yoga class, vinyasa/flow yoga, under Pio Baquiran at the Vinyasa Yoga Center. Now I do ashtanga in Yoga Manila under Jon Cagas (most of the time) and over this period I had tried other yoga styles in different studios, including Pulse Yoga and Iyengar Yoga Center Manila. And over this period, too, I had learned some life  lessons:

Yoga starts the moment one steps out of the mat.

The root of chaos is one’s sense of entitlement, regardless whether it is rightful or not.

Respect space–physical and psychological, one’s own and others’.

Know your place.  

Some days you can, other days you can’t. And life goes on.

Life becomes so much fun when one stops trying and starts breathing instead.

Brands don’t matter; discipline and dedication do.   

Life is about relationships, not transactions.

Growth is a painful process. It hurts. So what?

Thank you all who have been part of my yoga life–my teachers and classmates–who taught me these lessons. And I welcome those who will be part of it as this journey continues.

And I pray for my teachers, and their teachers, and all those who come before them. I pray for their blessing of light, life, and love. I thank the Lord for the beauty and benefits of yoga and I pray for the grace to use them for the service, love, and glory of the Lord, and for the good of mankind. Om.