May 2010
1 post
4 tags
“You are not your thoughts. You are not your ego.”
– - Andrew, yoga instructor, Yoga Barn in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.
While holding a strong posture, this was a wonderful reminder that we are in control of our minds.
April 2010
10 posts
5 tags
I would do yoga, but I don't want hepatitis
After almost 3 weeks of great yoga sessions in Koh Phangan, I was ready to commit myself to a daily practice. That’s a lot easier said than done.
Take our stop Penang, Malaysia, for instance. Upon arriving, we spent at least an hour trying to find a particular hotel with no luck. We eventually got tired and ended up at a fairly dingy place. We’ve stayed in some substandard...
5 tags
Yoga Destination: Koh Phangan, Thailand
Koh Phangan, Thailand is my yoga paradise. If you’re looking for warm waves, white sand beaches and more yoga classes to chose from than you could possibly attend, this is the place for you.
For a high end experience, The Sanctuary, on Haad Thian, offers many daily yoga, pilates, and meditation classes. They offer fasting and cleanse options in addition to their stylish...
5 tags
From Me to We. And WE wanna go to Bali & India.
Holy wow, exciting things are happening. We’ve been in our yoga paradise almost 2 weeks now taking a 1.5 hour class nearly everyday. We’re sweating, we’re stretching in ways we never thought possible, and I’m saying ‘WE’. So Kyle and I have been together for ~5 years now and married half of that, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s...
3 tags
Metaphysical This
So, as we prepare to leave our yoga haven of nearly 2 weeks in Koh Phangan, Thailand, here is my current yoga state of mind, so to speak. I like yoga, I really do. For me, it is a great way to get in tune with my body and work on the things that I need to work on. Yoga is an excellent guide at showing you which parts of the body are weaker or need to be stretched. And it is able to do that...
2 tags
Trying Yin Yoga
Today was a good day of Yin Yoga, or what I like to call “stretch-y” yoga. My muscles have gotten a bit tired from physicality of doing yoga everyday, so this was an excellent way to loosen them up a bit. If you’re not familiar with Yin Yoga (and I wasn’t until today), the premise is that you go into a pose only until you hit your edge, the point where your body is feeling...
3 tags
How long does it take to become a Yoga Guy?
Apparently, about a week. I’ve only been doing this yoga thing for about a week and already a lady in one of my classes thought that I was “a yoga guy.” It definitely was not in awe of my physical abilities as I still usually do the easier form of the poses. (e.g. on a tree pose, I put my leg on my calf instead of above my knee) And if she could see in my mind, it was most...
3 tags
Mysore makes my head sore.
The first yoga class went pretty well yesterday. Sure, I couldn’t do half the poses, and I was constantly looking around to see what it is that I was supposed to be doing, but it didn’t break my spirits or any part of my body, so that’s always a high point.
So, today, based on Bessie’s yoga expertise, we went to an Ashtanga class with teachers who studied under Patthabi...
6 tags
Popping in on a Teacher's Training
I’m still not sure what will come of my idea of doing a teacher’s training (TT), but today was a cool sneak peak into one. A studio here called the Blooming Lotus is about half way through a TT, and I showed up for an open class that was part of their training. Showing up to a room of 15 people super into some yoga text book all in a circle on their mats was intimidating. Luckily, a...
2 tags
2 Yoga Tips: Simple Shoulder Stretch & Vacuum...
Try it! Stretch and open those Shoulders! An instructor at The Santuary, Ushma from Mexico City, showed us a great all-levels stretch to open up the shoulders and chest. She explained that the more open your shoulders, the more open your heart is to the world. Women’s shoulders are naturally more open, and we’re also more lovey-dovey open and sharing than men she continued. I can go...
3 tags
Yoga might just be the Answer.
I’m starting on a yoga journey, and I’m excited to see where it takes me. I’ve done yoga on and off for the last 10 years but never too seriously. This last year though, I found myself in an up-hill battle trying to settle in a new country with foreign smells, sights, and stresses. I felt out of control. I was taking out my struggles on other people, and I didn’t like how...