Click on water to feed fish

Saturday, September 28, 2013

A Sense of Balance and Some Letting Go

Finally having time to sit down and write, talk about NOT balancing my time out. 

The Koh Samui retreat, needless to say, was fantastic (even though the trip is nothing but a distant memory now) and I've learnt the very basics of the Ashtanga self practice, which is basically meditation/ pranayamas, Surya Namaskara (sun salutation) A and B of the Primary Series. This is a surprisingly effective routine to warm up the body and gets me sweating within minutes. However, to progress further down the Series really requires a lot of hard work and pushes the physical body (and mind) to the limit.

So, upon my return, I decided to clear out a corner of my room (who would have imagined I'd accumulated so much rubbish over the years, including an Easter Egg from a friend, like, five years ago) and made it my own practice space ... have to say I haven't yet used it (though I have already set up the mat space, incense and stereo), not even for meditation yet. This weekend, for instance, I will have to work on both days (luckily I can squeeze in a power class on Sunday morning). Have so far been only using the space for doing handstands :o)




Friday, September 6, 2013

A Sense of Anticipation & Excitment

I'm not big on travelling or going abroad but I'm quite looking forward to tomorrow's yoga retreat @ Samahita in Koh Samui. This is a longer retreat than the one I had a couple of years ago in Bali, lasting almost 10 days, and I'm going there alone, which is rather nice. My friends are quite surprised I've never been to Thailand before, consider it's quite close to Hong Kong and not an expensive holiday destination.

I normally plunge into these "holidays" straight from work (like working right up to the last minute before boarding the plane) but today, I've decided to take a day off to, well, prepare (like checking out flight times, shopping for things to wear on the beach ~ yeah ~ and buying things like insect repellent...) Have to say I really hate shopping but at least I got that over and done with in a couple of hours. Bought so many environmentally friendly stuff cos the retreat is totally eco-friendly. 

I don't have any expectations at all ... titled "Stress Management", I actually don't think I'm stressed out at all (other than the travel and flying itself) ... but it's just a good excuse to take a break and just totally relax (have already booked a number of massage sessions) and unwind. Am wondering if I'll want to return to, like, civilisation after a week there!