how important back bending class is...
for a nice photo!
taken in Pulau Langkawi :)
for a nice photo!
taken in Pulau Langkawi :)
Monday, October 17, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
open the heart
today i started my practice with frustration (becos someone isn't co-operative in some life matter). i lost count during sun salutations and that's when i realized my mind is so occupied with the frustration (or the person). I calmed down a bit after a few more rounds and tried to focus on my breath, but little, annoying thoughts continued to creep up.
i moved on to 40mins of heart opening sequence, dedicating my practice to this someone that has triggered anger in me. i paid really close attention to my breathing, trying to bring back focus on the breath. i inhale and open the heart to accept the matter as it is, and exhale to forgive and re-try, i feel much better towards the end.
and much much better after writing this down. yes, i will try again with that person!
thank you, yoga!
i moved on to 40mins of heart opening sequence, dedicating my practice to this someone that has triggered anger in me. i paid really close attention to my breathing, trying to bring back focus on the breath. i inhale and open the heart to accept the matter as it is, and exhale to forgive and re-try, i feel much better towards the end.
and much much better after writing this down. yes, i will try again with that person!
thank you, yoga!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
yoga & fasting
august is the month of Ramadan where all muslims in the world would fast. during the fasting month, yoga classes would still go on. i'm delighted to see so many that many students showed up for today's class.
i've always loved classes during the fasting month. it is the time where we easily work on our body alignment, just staying in poses and connecting with our breathe and our mind ~ simply relaxing and restorative :D
pictures of my classmates taken & edited using iphone :D
yoga sutras, the 5th limb of yoga which is pratyahara which means withdrawal of the senses. i personally think that fasting is a good way to practice pratyahara. Just as the body benefits by fasting from food, so the mind benefits by fasting from impressions.
happy fasting!
i've always loved classes during the fasting month. it is the time where we easily work on our body alignment, just staying in poses and connecting with our breathe and our mind ~ simply relaxing and restorative :D
pictures of my classmates taken & edited using iphone :D
yoga sutras, the 5th limb of yoga which is pratyahara which means withdrawal of the senses. i personally think that fasting is a good way to practice pratyahara. Just as the body benefits by fasting from food, so the mind benefits by fasting from impressions.
happy fasting!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
loving it again
ashtanga class is never really my favorite because of the many many jumps, and the pace of the flow, i forgot my breathing most of the time and end up with sore arms. my teacher decided to do ashtanga class and so, i had 60 minutes of ashtanga asana practice this afternoon. thanks to her patience, i finally could feel my inner thighs working. my jump back and forward is slowly coming!
this is a picture of me (edited) doing inversion with wall support. one fine day, i would be able to do this without support. practice and all is coming...
this is a picture of me (edited) doing inversion with wall support. one fine day, i would be able to do this without support. practice and all is coming...
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Relax...
I certainly do not want this to happen in any of my yoga classes!
A birthday card from my best friend in Melbourne - Joanne
A birthday card from my best friend in Melbourne - Joanne
Monday, July 18, 2011
supta virasana
supta virasana - reclining hero is wonderful during menses. i love to simply relax in supta virasana, feeling the tension in the lower back melting away...
supta virasana, my humble drawing. hehehe!
supta virasana, my humble drawing. hehehe!
Friday, June 24, 2011
eka pada rajakapotasana
if you would like a very deep back bend and therapeutic hip stretch, eka pada rajakapotasana is the perfect asana for you. eka - one, pada- foot, raja - king and kapota - pigeon. hence, the name eka pada rajakapotasana - king of pigeons where the chest is pushed forward like of a pouter pigeon.
background image from Yoga Journal magazine
image editing done using my 1 and only gadget - iphone :)
with regular practice, more blood circulates round the pubic region, keeping it healthy & disorder of the urinary system is rectified. like any other pose, there is no shortcuts to eka pada rajakapotasana. so, have you practice today?
background image from Yoga Journal magazine
image editing done using my 1 and only gadget - iphone :)
with regular practice, more blood circulates round the pubic region, keeping it healthy & disorder of the urinary system is rectified. like any other pose, there is no shortcuts to eka pada rajakapotasana. so, have you practice today?
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
supta bekhasana
Bhekasana comes from the word bheka means frog. According to Light on Yoga, the action in this asana resembles that of a frog, hence the name. supta bekhasana on the other hand is the reclined version of bekhasana. Both poses allow the front of the body a nice stretch from the ankle-thighs-groins-abdomen-chest-even the throat-hip flexors.
B.K.S Iyengar in bekhasana
below photo was taken weeks ago of me in supta bekhasana. what i like most about this pose is the opening of the heart and the feeling of my neck & throat being stretched. its a kind of massage on your throat that you won't get from any spa :D
And of cos, i won't be able to get into this pose without the help of my teacher. here's a video how you could assist your partner into supta bekhasana. Try this only if you are comfortable in bekhasana and... enjoy!
B.K.S Iyengar in bekhasana
supta bekhasana
And of cos, i won't be able to get into this pose without the help of my teacher. here's a video how you could assist your partner into supta bekhasana. Try this only if you are comfortable in bekhasana and... enjoy!
Friday, April 8, 2011
the dying that brings life
yesterday was my group's turn to present our quality circle learning at office & our topic was on stress management. cool! so to de-stress, i made my fellow colleagues do some easy stretching and a loooong savasana, corpse pose. Is nice to die for a while. This is a good time to practice quiet the mind and to exercise the essential component of our inner peace practice.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
for the love of inversion
i love inversions. it is the opportunity where you can be at the moment, being able to look at fear, to stay present and to go into intensity of life.
my teacher-julie helping me into pincha mayurasana, translates as peacock feather pose but i ended up in Vrischika, scorpion instead. Feet just to heavy!
The peacock is the emblem of the Indian Goddess of the Arts, Saraswati. Like the goddess, the peacock is both beautiful and fierce. Most of the time the peacock walks with his beautiful fan of feathers dragging behind him on the ground. At the time the rainy season approaches or when enticing his mate with his attractiveness he lifts his splendid crown of feathers. The yogi's intention is to make themselves as attractive to god as possible. Just as the peacock lifts their feathers, the yogi adorns themselves with good intentions and an unconditional loving heart. This pose can be seen as a metaphor for this intention. There is a fierceness and a bravery to the peacock that is needed for the yogi to have an unconditional loving heart. This bravery is cultivated during this pose. The peacock can eat snakes and be unaffected by their poison. This symbolizes the yogi who can live in New York City and with its endless objects of distractions, remain steady and unaffected. The peacock feathers are adorned with "eyes" at the top of each feather. The eyes at the top of the feather remind the yogi that true sight does not come from the eyes but from the heart. While in the Peacock pose we see the world upside down with our eyes and are reminded that true sight comes from within. ~http://www.jivamuktiyoga.com
Vriscika, Scorpion; the eighth zodiacal sign, Scorpio. Some Hindu mystics say it represents Vishnu expanded as the universe: the expansion of the mystic bija (seed) of Vishnu into the universe, as a manifested emblem of creative activity. ~http://translation.babylon.com
The peacock is the emblem of the Indian Goddess of the Arts, Saraswati. Like the goddess, the peacock is both beautiful and fierce. Most of the time the peacock walks with his beautiful fan of feathers dragging behind him on the ground. At the time the rainy season approaches or when enticing his mate with his attractiveness he lifts his splendid crown of feathers. The yogi's intention is to make themselves as attractive to god as possible. Just as the peacock lifts their feathers, the yogi adorns themselves with good intentions and an unconditional loving heart. This pose can be seen as a metaphor for this intention. There is a fierceness and a bravery to the peacock that is needed for the yogi to have an unconditional loving heart. This bravery is cultivated during this pose. The peacock can eat snakes and be unaffected by their poison. This symbolizes the yogi who can live in New York City and with its endless objects of distractions, remain steady and unaffected. The peacock feathers are adorned with "eyes" at the top of each feather. The eyes at the top of the feather remind the yogi that true sight does not come from the eyes but from the heart. While in the Peacock pose we see the world upside down with our eyes and are reminded that true sight comes from within. ~http://www.jivamuktiyoga.com
Vriscika, Scorpion; the eighth zodiacal sign, Scorpio. Some Hindu mystics say it represents Vishnu expanded as the universe: the expansion of the mystic bija (seed) of Vishnu into the universe, as a manifested emblem of creative activity. ~http://translation.babylon.com
yoga for japan
Yoga for Japan, a fund-raising event by Manasa Yoga. Let us make a difference because we can!
For details, visit Yoga for Japan on Facebook.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
in praise of downward dog
Downward Facing Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana (wow! that's mouthful, isn't it?) is one of the most frequently practiced poses. Adho Mukha Svanasana, yogi forms an inverted V shape, with the hands and feet on the floor and legs and arms straight, hip witdth apart. Sounds easy but, if you are new to this pose, or with a tight hamstrings, Adho Mukha Svanasana might make you want to howl.
In spite of how commonly it is practiced, Adho Mukha Svanasana is complex as there's a lot to remember because so much of you is active. But, the best part of Adho Mukha Svanasana is that you don't have to be perfect to gain its benefits because it does you good at any level. Because of this, its best lesson, perhaps, is teaching you to enjoy the journey instead of reaching for the goal!
Little Oliver, cute boy of my yogini friend - Michelle, in Adho Mukha Svanasana
In spite of how commonly it is practiced, Adho Mukha Svanasana is complex as there's a lot to remember because so much of you is active. But, the best part of Adho Mukha Svanasana is that you don't have to be perfect to gain its benefits because it does you good at any level. Because of this, its best lesson, perhaps, is teaching you to enjoy the journey instead of reaching for the goal!
Little Oliver, cute boy of my yogini friend - Michelle, in Adho Mukha Svanasana
Thursday, February 3, 2011
transition
It was about 3 years back when I first attempt to perform salamba sirsasana II (tripod headstand). And a year after that, I saw my teacher Dina (then doing teacher’s training course) was practicing the transition from tripod headstand to bakasana. That was the ever first ‘transition’ in yoga that I’ve ever known and I try it almost every time during my self-practice. It didn’t come through so I took a break, thinking that I may not be ready for such ‘transition’.
This evening, I once again practiced salaba sirsasana II –to-bakasana transition. I got into inversion and with full awareness of my body, breath and more so on gravity, I balanced and settled myself into bakasana. And into squat, I gave myself a big smile. Again, I agree wholeheartedly - practice and all is coming - Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
Some demonstration videos i find inspiring - Om Shanti: A Yoga blog
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
props & accessories
Standard Mat - 6mm thickness - RM78 - Bag included
Premium Mat - XXmm thickness - RMXX - Bag not included
D-ring Belt - RM20
Foam Block - RM45/set
Wooden Block - RMXX/set
D-ring Belt - RM20
Wooden Block - RMXX/set
For orders, please e-mail to siewwei.lim@gmail.com
*Pictures shown above are for illustration purposes only*
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