Sthira - Sukham

स्थिरसुखमासनम् 

sthira-sukham-āsanam

sthira (strong, steady, stable) sukham (comfortable, easeful, joyful) asanam (asana, posture)

The practice of yoga should be steady, stable as well as comfortable

-Patanjali, Yoga Sutra 2.46

I remember a time when not much of my practice was sthira or sukham! When i first stepped onto a yoga mat, i could barely sit upright, and my ego and competitiveness would just push and push and push. I think sukham was missing for many years of it. I loved it even then, in all it's un-sukham-ness! But wow! Once it had found me, how incredible did it feel??

It took some time for me to realise that this practice is a journey of un-determined, if not indefinite, time. So it is expected that it will take time to find sthira, sukham. I notice often how frustrated people get with themselves and even how discouraged they become when they try a pose and fall, or wobble or just did not get it. I have been there myself. When i demonstrate* poses in class sometimes and maybe it looks so sthira and sukham, I hope they hear my words that it took years to get here and many years to come in transforming my yoga practice- in my body and in my mind. And really...not finding this (sthira, sukham) right away is a great gift of the practice. When the body is wobbly, the mind becomes so much more focused and starts to understand that the sthira and sukham actually starts from within, not from the physical body, from from deep inside.


* This is also why I hardly demonstrate in class unless necessary. 
I hope it does not come across as laziness hahaha. 


So anyway... never be discouraged. If the person next to you is stable as a statue, remember that they too once flapped their arms, fell on their faces and their bottoms and struggled with all the internal dialogue, and that one day, you will also get there, to a place that feels sthira and sukham.

Enjoy your journey! <3

Star Dust!

So I was watching the last episode of Africa last night. David Attenborough is a legend of course. He even made his producer shed a tear or two. I certainly did. Some bits were heart breaking; freak draught that killed att the baby elephants in 2009, how our advancing population is pushing animals into smaller and smaller spaces that are not great for their survival, this one Masai warrior who had killed his first lion only to find out that she was pregnant...
And then some bits just gave you so much hope - more tears, but this time, tears of joy!
For example, how this Masai then had a change of heart about killing lions and how now the Masai work on avoiding conflict with lions. Whereas before, they would take the name of the lion they had killed, now, the lions were named after the Masai that protects it. 
What also touched me were all these other warriors out there championing giant efforts to help and protect wildlife. I love the idea of building an underpassage tunnel for the elephants so they can continue roaming (under the road that cut through their park) and more importantly, how they got it right away!

Sorry, i am giving you the whole synopsis of the program.

Anyway, a of couple of hours later, there was Professor Brian Cox show presenting 'The Wonders of Life'. He is the new love of my life LOL. Reinforcing the science that shows how every single living thing on the planet comes from the same source, share the same beginnings, through the explanation of the formation of carbon. The most beautiful science! When the stars within the big bang exploded, carbon was released and this began the building blocks of all living things. We came from start dust!!!!! How much more awesome can it be???
And there were all sorts of lovely tales that followed- watch! watch!

Unfortunately, the morning after was not so great. Stories about this fox that had severed a baby's finger, lots of angry people calling for fox culling, even heard a angry man went on to say we should also cull dogs (i am sure he meant dangerous dogs).
So sad...
I understand that the problem not simple. It is not that I love animals more than people. I love people too. It is sad that we keep seeing animals as the problem when really, we are part of the problem in a big way. But people who work with animals know that it is possible to live together somewhat harmoniously. Animals do it. If they can do it, surely we can too. They have as much right to be here as we do. 

It got me thinking... imagine if one day, all these amazing creatures are gone. I guess we would just be left with "food" and us (& the all important bugs) The problem is, so few of us are in any close contact with these animals that if they were gone, it would not create a vast impact in our lives. We are just too far removed from them. That is why if you ask most people in the city about global warming, they laugh- because they don't feel the impact- they are not polar bears, or Inuits. They are not in Africa, and these small changes do not capture anyone's attention. And as far as environmental impact is concerned, because we have not experienced anything quite like that, it is difficult for people to understand it or believe it, even though it has happened before- just too long ago. Or maybe we have just gotten so used to someone else taking care of "these things".  

Some of human endeavours out there really gives us hope- that as the species blessed with consciousness, empathy, great intellect and great abilities, there are those out there who are truly the hero's of life. And the very least we can do is keep informed with what they do and champion them on with our support. 

Sweet Joy

Last week, I have been meditating on all the sweetness in my life. I find this to be incredibly softening as it makes me realise how little I need or want, those things my head are feeding me to want.  I often need reminding! 
And ultimately all this sweetness can only be sweeter, and in many instances, can only be sweet, if all around me share the same. I find little joy in being happy when no one else around me is happy. I am sure this is true for everyone. So wanting / wishing/ helping others to succeed in their life, is no different from pursuing your own happiness.   

And so 'lokah samastha sukhino bhavantu - may all beings everywhere be happy and free' ultimately is what it is; may we all be happy and free, for this is the only way we can truly be happy and free. 

On Mat Challenge

This week, the discussion has been centered around why some yoga poses and methods can be so challenging. I decided to bring this up again because this is a frequently asked question, recently being asked again. Some people feel it is gimmicky, or more acrobatic than yoga, or even, just to show off, which would of course be counter yoga, if there was such a thing ;-)

Since the beginning of consciousness or fire or intellect (i am assuming that this is so), the human race have endeavoured to make life easier. We have achieved this beyond our forefathers'  imagination! We have gone from having to hunt and gather food, to food being delivered straight to our door steps, cooked, if you prefer! Computers and machines help make every day living simple (arguable) And information is available for almost anything you would like to know, at a click of a button! Even adventures have gone mainstream, and we have learnt to avert danger and as we gain more knowledge and information, things become less and less difficult or risky. 

* Hang on, I am not saying that challenging yoga is about taking risk.

It is about facing up to our tendencies. There is a famous saying out there there goes something like "you cannot control what others say or do, but you can control your reaction". For example, if you are in a class and you find that it's a theme that your body really struggles with, but you are already on your mat- how do you react? Some of us take a moment, let the irritation / frustration melt and then do our best and enjoy the class anyway. Some of us, go through the motions while we plan our dinners in our mind. Some of us put on a dissatisfied expression in the hope that the teacher gets it that this is not favoured, and hope it never happens again. Some of us make a quick exit. Stick with the yoga and you begin to recognise the repetition of this tendency, and thoughts, and once you do, the yoga begins. 

Challenging practices really show up a lot of our tendencies; how our ego rejoices when we can do our favourite pose, how our insecurities play up when we are faced with the unknown, how brave we are, how scared we are and most of all, how chatty our minds can be! For me, it is not about doing yoga poses, but about how I experience them - although, please, don't get me wrong, i LOVE doing yoga poses and when you can do them, the are fun! But so much work comes in the approach to doing the asana. It is never ending! And some times, you will find that the thing you disliked the most, you now love, because you had put so much work into it (in your body, mind and spirit)

Challenging practices also teaches me how to soften. It taught me (and continues to remind me) that if I decide not to pay attention to my limitations, then I will be rewarded with consequences. It teaches me that some days, the answer is just no! 

For me, challenging practices are also very meditative. Your mind and breath becomes focused. These poses and sequences require deep concentration and it is also a practice of making commitments. Committing to learning a pose. Committing to stick to learning. Committing to the good stuff and the bad stuff that comes with learning it! :-)

You get all of these and more!  

So that is my answer!
A challenging practice is yoga. 
It is not about gimmicky asana. Perhaps at the beginning it will feel like it is all about gimmicky asana. Along the way, you may even start to learn things about yourself without realising it. Not long after, you will start to realise the changes. And eventually, you will realise it is just all about you. And how the impressions from your practice affects your relationship to everything and everyone around you :-)))

namaste

Angkor

The people of Siem Reap have really captured my heart. The temples have also captured my heart. It is a place I would love to return to- perhaps my new favourite place. The people here are so warm. Next time (hopefully very soon) I will capture their smiles to share. This time, I just wished to enjoy the moments of shared smiles and laughter. 

You see kids everywhere. I thought at first that there were many kids in siem reap but it clicked later that it is because kids are playing freely outside, so you see them everywhere. The fear of people is not yet present so they speak to everyone. Mostly, they want to know your name and where you are from. I had no encountered anyone begging or asking for things. Some tourists hand out sweets and toothbrushes- really hope that soon more people will understand that this does not benefit anyone. It is difficult to criticise good intention. 

Anyway, we hired a bicycle for a day and decided to take another day pass around the temples. If you are visiting and have time (& don't mind the humidity, can cycle the distance, as well as walk the temples) then I recommend this highly. All the kids wave so do look out for them. Don't miss their lovely smiles when you wave back. It makes you smile. Can't think of anything better than smiling all day, just from smiling at each other. 

So we had met a lady in a shop who had told us that if we had time we should visit Preah Khan temple so we did. Amazing! It had the most amazing corridor! You could not see then end of it! It was not deserted, as we thought, but there were few people here. Towards the end of the corridor, we met an elderly nun. She sat in a squat, low to the ground, had no teeth but smiled with her entire face and body. Just to add here, by this time, we had visited many temples and encountered many nuns and monks- this one was...different. I was not even in a very good mood this day lol. On the way out, I approached her and gave her some Riels for a blessing. If you've not had one, leave it till you get here. She had the gentlest voice. As she ties the bracelet on your wrist, she says a little prayer (they all do it, but her voice touches your heart), a soft touch on your forehead, she blows onto your face and then sweeps it off your hands and then giggles happily & places her hands together in front of her heart (Cambodian greeting) Maybe she said something funny hahaha It didn't matter. The exchange of energy has remained with both Steve & I. It felt like she had just married us. What made it even more special was that, we were in this beautiful ancient temple of ritual, at this time, there was no one else around us and this little ritual was being received. This was the highlight of my trip. 

What is special here? 

The energy is special here. The energy from the temples and from the people. 

(I will blog about the 'poverty' in the next entry)

 

Sweetness of Practice

 

Today is day 5 of my current visit home to Malaysia. The way things worked out this time (eg: I was on a night flight for the first time ever), I started my trip with a weird jetlag. I would be up by 04.00 & made an early decision to pop into the Mysore ashtanga sessions till my clock sorted itself out. Of course, the practice itself put my clock on track within the 2nd day. However, I have stuck to the practice. 

I stopped (regular) ashtanga practice after discovering vinyasa flow. I was struggling with it so much & when I got into the vinyasa practice, I felt like a whole new happy world was revealed to me. I was a asana yogi at this time. I am pretty sure my teachers then explained that the yoga starts when the crap comes, but I heard nothing. All I felt was my tight body, all I understood were my limitations & my ego played up every day when I was not allowed to continue into the sequence. 

Today has been like one of those 'eureka' days. I started to recall all those things this morning, probably because I started to feel them again! But I have learnt some things since then and saw the opportunity I had missed back then to deal with those things. I guess that is just how the journey of practice flows, except that these days, there are many more teachers out there, many more combined experiences & many more avenues to share and receive these teachings so that we may miss less opportunities. (Awesome stuff!)

Anyway, in this Ashtanga practice, I am not very far off where I left it last! Lol It is not surprising since, in my own practice, I tend to leave the things that I do not enjoy & have been fortunate that they do not come up in class often! (Especially Marichayasana D) Fixed practices are great for me- I know I am not great at making myself work through the difficult stuff. And really, I know better, life is not just about the good stuff. The sweetness of life is made up of the great stuff and the tough stuff. Today, it was clear to me what has been missing from my practice. Don't get me wrong, I do do the tough stuff...but only the ones I like (*laughs*) The thing about fixed sequences is the repetition. Learning to "fail" every day until you succeed is a great practice in itself! 

All the yoga practices begin when the challenges begin. The practice of yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyhara, dharana, samadhi begins. The sweetness begins...

Namaste

Malaysia-home

  I always notice so much the first few days I am back here in malaysia. The first thing I always notice are the trees & the hills- I guess because Norfolk is so flat. I always think to myself how green it all looks along the motorway. I figured out this time that it is not so much that Norfolk is less green (although it is) but more that, it is a different shade of green. The green here is greener- deeper green maybe. During spring in England, the greens are definitely more vibrant. Here, I would describe this green like....a deep green, even in how it "feels" is different.

I suppose also, the trees look different. Leaves are very much denser. I guess that is why they look different. I think they leaves are even thicker. 

Then there's the general sound of the city. This is incredibly different. My mum lives in a suburb. I grew up here. I think we moved here when I was 7. Back then, we were surrounded by hills, lakes and rivers. There weren't many homes here so we all knew each other. It was the biggest and the best playground in the world! Things started to change some 8 years later. It's all gone now and we are now surrounded by other homes, shops and towering apartment blocks. 

Anyway..... I don't hear as much traffic sounds as I do back in Norwich so without that constant hum of engines, it is quieter. I hear birds chirping in the day and dogs barking in the night. It seems to be acceptable here if your dog barked (or cried) all night long. It didn't even bother me- I am not sure why. I would also hear- tv's, clanging of woks at all sorts of times (it's predominately Chinese in this suburb so eating at all times is expected) people speaking loudly (some dialects are very loud) and oh yes- that chicken! I suspect the cockeral is gone- thank goodness! Now, he, pissed me off. Now it's just the gentle clucking of a chicken. More dogs barking. I can't conclude if it is noisier here or in Norwich. But this noise does not seem to bother me. I am more irritable about noise back in Norwich. What I do not miss is the sound of wailing sirens! 

Here's a picture of my mum's garden. I am just looking out onto it as I write this. Monkey's roam the neighbourhood so we can't have our doors open unless we are here. They come in and wreck havoc & cute as they may be, they also carry diseases.