Bali Yoga Retreat 2010

I'll be teaming up with Vincent Tam - Jiva Yoga for a rejuvenating yoga retreat - Bali in 2010.
I am in the midst of confirming the date , locations & designing the information flyer.

Tentative location & programm for the retreat will be ;-
2 days @ a lush , beautiful ,tropical forest - Ubud &
2 days @ ocean front, breezy - Kuta.
daily yoga sessions plus treat yourself to the local 'favourite '- Spa & Massage while surrounded by stunning Balinese hospitality and nature.

Bali is a earthly paradise - setting in which nature & art are in balance , any spiritual discipline perform ,like yoga , meditation , or even prayer - gain from the open air and harmonious environment , you can simply relax your mind , refresh your body & renew your spirit there ,with eyes closed , treating senses to lovely sounds & smell of Nature.

Bali is the ideal place for your yoga experience!!!

Anusara Inspired Workshop with Vincent Tam @ OMPlace - 10th & 11th,October,2009

Thank all for your open hearts , support , enthusiasm and participation in 2 -days Vincent Tam's Anusara Inspired Workshop hosted by OMPlace Studio. We hope you all found it to be useful and informative in your practice.

We would also like to thank Wendy Cheng from Superwater Marketing Snd Bhd , for sponsoring the oxygenated water during the workshop.

Once again , we thank you all as the workshop would not be possible without your support and participation. There's already a request for Vincent Tam 's second workshop from majority of participants . We are also hoping to persuade some of other teachers i have practiced with to come to Brunei in 2010. Please check back in for the update. till then,see you in the next event!Namaste!!!

Super OXYGENATED water sponsored by Superwater Marketing Sdn Bhd

Assist Wendy Cheng in Backbend

Vincent demo how to practice the advanced backbend

Vincent Showing ' Melting the heart ' in Anusara Yoga Technique

Melt the heart and hug the shin in Partner practice high lunge

partner practice high lunge

partner practice standing hand to toe

Prepare for Rocking and arm balancing

prepare for Bakasana, hug the shin in

Relief for the wrist joint after the arm balancing

Preparation for Vasistasana

Vasistasana

Enter into Hanumansan from Vasistansana

Hanumansana

Day ( 2 ) @ Tai Chi Association Building

Partnering massage

Pigeon twist
Pincha Mayurasana

Mystery Arm Balance



Shoulder opener

Partner handstand practice

Headstand

Notice

Namaste all !!
Please be informed that the venue for Sunday Anusara- Inspire workshop - 9:30am & 2:00pm will be at Tai Chi Association Building - Heng Thai at Kairong. ( behind the Kairong central - w.w mart building). Feel free to call or sms 8767019 or 8168930 / 811930 for direction if you can't get there.

For Saturday workshops , still at OMPlace Studio. See you there & have fun & rock then!

Please take note for the cancellation of daily classes this week as follow :

Friday ( 9th Oct ) - 5:30pm & 7:15pm

Saturday ( 10th Oct ) - 9:00am & 6:00pm

Sunday ( 11th Oct ) - 7am
- 9am - JPMC

Monday ( 12th Oct ) - 7:15am next week

CCA ( Co Curriculum Activity ) - Yoga for form 5 & A level group @ Matab Sains 'finale' today!!!

I am grateful to Angela and Hui Chin for inviting me to teach at the school this year 2009.

Group Picture

The practice

'Therapy' for the hips from Pigeon Pose

In yin yoga , the target areas are mainly in the lower back and the hip region . Because all connective tissues ( facias ) bind in and around the hip joints are strong and tough. Yin yoga approach works deeper and it is more effective by holding longer in a pose.

Baron Baptiste - pioneer of power vinyasa in the west , calls the hips the ' mother of all movement'. as you gain more freedom in the entire bodies once it is opened & loosen up. The hips are the emotional storage depot for the body.They house a good portion of your tension and stress, and as you start releasing your pelvis and softening that tissue, the rest of your body effortlessly shifts into a natural order of alignments.

I start to integrete the study from the recent yin yoga workshop and make assessment with students when i do the hip opener class. The following examples to illustrate how everyone looks different in Pigeon when everyone's hip joints are different ( both Male and Female ) , and aslo the porportion and the size of the Femur. Hopefully , the assessment will help to find their own range of the movement and get the best 'therapy' for their hips ( IT band and Joints ) that is the primary focus for doing Pigeon pose.

For Female , i use Two Melissa ( Leong & Ang ) , their orientations of the placement of the leg is the same , line up with the mat and this is the result;

.Melissa Leong has better external rotation of the right hip

Melissa Ang may get the compression in her right hip or the right knee if she lines up same as Melissa Leong

I Line up these 3 male students to illustrate the different ' angle' of the left knee when their legs are positioned at 45 degree angle and their hips are square, this is how they look;

John 's left knee is pretty far away from his center

James 's left knee almost paralleled with his right hip

Chong 's left knee is closed to his center

Hello JIS

Pose + Smiles

it's heaven...

Relaxing in Child pose

It's a good opportunity to reach out to different age group of people who like to give YOGA a try , you will get the familiar and the common answer when you asked the group of JIS ages from 14 to 17 for their fist session ;'what do they expect from Yoga session?'the answers are;

Alex, Kalvyn-joy , Fatin , Rafidah , Fathuyah & Min Thihe soe ; not sure about what 's yoga , but i want to try something new ,other than PE class.
Abigail ( she's the only one has yoga background , she's done some sessions with Nora ) & Afifah look for calmness and yoga stretching.
Richee is more fantansy about yoga , besides ,He likes to increase his flexibility as he jogs everyday , and also stretches his spine more. He added ; perhaps makes him more elastic like a contortionist.
one of the kind in this group is Ain Yusop ;i am afraid of it.( maybe she's afraid of any form of exercises too in PE class )

There are 5 absented - Irene , Krishna Mabo , Nurhafizah , Sabrina and Sizhen wong, will get their ideas about their expectations then.

Restorative practice on Full Moon

Based on the yogic viewpoints ,We should do less intense asana practice ,or completely do not do any on the new moon or the full moon.

It was the full moon ( Mooncake festival ) last Saturday , so the morning session was done with the gentle & relaxed floor practice integrating with two restorative poses -rejuvenating Viparita Dandasana ( Inverted Staff Pose ) and unwinding Viparita Karani ( inverted pose ). This approach i find works perfectly for these two typical examples -A stressful banker and An' exerciseholic' -who crave destress and balance for their 'imbalance'.

If You like further reading about;why don't do yoga on full moon ,please click or another link



Benefits for Viparita Dandasana ( Inverted Staff Pose );

*Soothes and relaxes the brain
*Builds up emotional stability and self confidence
*Stimulates the adrenal , thyroid , pituitary and pineal gland
*Gently massages and strengthen the heart and preventing arterial blockage
*Increase Lung Capacity
*Relieves indigestion and flatulence
*Increase the flexibility of the spine
*Alleviates lower backache
*Corrects a displaced bladder or prolapsed uterus
*Relieves menstrual pain and helps to treat the symptom of menopause

Savor Space -when you next spend time outside , enjoy the feeling of unlimited , airy space stretching in all directions. Air is the element of the heart Chakra - Imagine your heart being as open and limitless as the space around you.



Benefits for Viparita Karani ( inverted pose ):

*Regulates Blood pressure
*Helps to treat cardiac disorders
*Helps to treat ear and eye ailments, stress-related headaches and migraine
*Relieves palpitation,breathlessness,asthma,bronchitis and throat ailments
*Alleviates arthritis and cervical spondylosis
*Relieves indigestion , diarrhoea and nausea
*Helps to treat kidney disorders
*prevent varicose veins

if you like , please click here for steps to do this pose. Unwind yourself!!!

Calm Potential - Toaists use the term pu , meaning ' uncarved wood ' , as a metaphor for simplicity and purity - for wood that has not yet been carved has no set form and thus infinite potential. Live each moment in a similar spirit fo receptivity , sensing possibility everywhere. Let a deep sense of potential fulfillment bring you a deep sense of calm

Yoga is back to JIS

Get over with H1N1 , Yoga is back to school again!-Jerudong International School , will start next Monday for the last semester of the year !