Give Back Sundays – Dance & Yoga

We are a bunch of long-lost friends now re-connected and we’re inviting you to join us in our rediscovery.

Come join us at our Give Back Sundays: Dance & Yoga every Sunday, 9.30am-10.30am at Sazlan Dancers Studio at TTDI and other locations.

I hope you’ll make time to give back to you. I’d love for you to, and so will many underserved others as 25% of nett profits will support local social entrepreneurs. Not only will you have fun doing it, you’ll make new friends or re-connect with existing ones, and feel good afterward!

We invite those who are keen to be part of the Give Back Project to contact us.

This week’s menu: Zapin Funk (new!) + Zumba + Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga

Space is currently limited so PLEASE let us know if you’re coming. Book your space here!

Now BREATHE xox

 

Invest in YOU – Free Yoga

What have you done for YOU lately?

Here are 14 short and simple 10-minute sessions i believe will not only help you get started on your own fitness track (if you haven’t already) but also in arriving at that magical YOU time as you progress to explore a bigger, wholesome practice:

Day 1: Cardio Yoga for Fat Burning

Day 2: Core Strength Yoga Part 1

Day 3: Core Strength Yoga Part 2

Day 4: Calorie Burning Flow 

Day 5: Toned and Strong Arms

Day 6: Weight Loss Yoga

Day 7: Restorative Detox Yoga

Day 8: Calorie Burning Yoga

Day 9: Ultimate Cardio Yoga

Day 10: Total Body Shred

Day 11: Six Pack Yoga

Day 12: Full Body Yoga Cleanse

Day 13: Upper Body Transformation

Day 14: Check out Sadie’s Self-Sabotage Busting Power Hour Yoga here while you’re at it!)

Pick one practice that you’re comfortable with to begin, or mix-and-match for a longer practice.

I wish you all the best and hope to share with you on your stories and success soon! Or you can write me here to help inspire others – we thrive on that don’t we? 🙂

Sending you love xox

 

Morning routine

If you’ve been wanting (for so long) to want to start exercising, or moving (apart from eating and working), but have yet to be kicked in the ass to start you off, hit the snooze one last time.

Here’s a simple morning stretch sequence to get you started . For added bonus, click here for a video on how to Rock Your Morning with my teacher Sadie.

Me? i love to roll over and treat me to some deelish DownDogs, and on some days these will lead to some Planks, Updogs, Downdogs and teeny hops to get me off the mat (yyyyeah….i sleep on the mat, on the floor) and up to greet the dawn and my maker. But you don’t have to be all rad for now 🙂

So give this practice a try – and let me know how it goes! Love ya xox

15-Minute Yoga Shred plus HIIT (video)

(click on image to run video)

Cross-train your yoga practice – with activities you enjoy ie jogging, prana walk in the park, cycling, zumba, team games etc – to challenge your fitness and mostly to keep your fitness fire burning. And if you’re short of time – and hate to brave the traffic to the gym (like me) or a newbie working your way to developing a regular practice, give Yoga Shred a try. It’s short and sweet – and familiar – and you already know that if you need to back it off – you could always “get into Child’s pose” xox

theposeclub on Facebook

Im constantly jotting my thoughts down – be it on my practice or anything that is worth sharing – and they almost always get jotted down on theposeclub Facebook page. Blame it on the ease that technology has brought – in the form of a teeny little phone.

Why dont u scroll down and join me there and get the sharin goin a little more 🙂

And yes – Thank You Mark!!

xox

Mountain retreat

Mountain pose @ Tadasana :

that moment that i look forward to – when i find the ground that holds me strong – yet wants me to fly – that moment when we connect – and i start to feel: sthira and sukha – so supported yet so free – and i hear – my toes – the arches of my feet – my bones – my flesh – my heart – my head – and the spaces within my structure – and i ask: hey – how are we today? are we okay?

and then i knew i would be xox

 

Morning wake-up flow

have fun! 🙂 xox

If you spit (no – don’t!) like a maaayn

If you’re that guy who’ve always wanted – or love – to yoga – but just dont fancy taking your cues from one with a breathy, gooey voice in (nothing but) short shorts – here’s the Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga master dude to help you rock that first pose.

And whaddaya know – we also have some dude-coloured mats here to go with that practice – now which one of these would rock that shiny new ride of yours?

Where do i go from here?

It isnt about the pose –  it’s about Potential.

Is this it for me? Where can i go from here? Do i turn back?  Do i go further? Or do i need to spend some more time here? What is going on? If my body isn’t able to, can i offer my heart and spirit to someone who can?

Sometimes too much is focused on the fruits/goals of our labour, instead of on the labour itself. Goals may change, or even disappear. What we need is the grace and flexibility to REACT to the changes (in our expectations and old ideas) and the strength to focus on the quality of our actions to react. Sometimes an unreachable goal is the light that guides us to the ultimate one.

“Paying more attention to the spirit in which we act and looking less to the results that our actions may bring us – this is the meaning of Isvarapranidhana” – Desikachar

******

Variation: Move your gaze to the side and up for more balance challenge a.k.a more fun 🙂 – always!

How to: you tell me  🙂

Float forward

Many of us are in a “Hi!-Bye!” relationship wt this strong but beautiful posture.

Holding Chaturanga takes us over the edge to face our fears and insecurity. Can we hold it? Breathe it? Feel it? It teaches us to float above the ground, when everything else is holding us down.

Breathe. Discover. xox

 

Fye Fi Fo Food

Let’s admit – we love our food – what more being citizens of a nation that houses some of the best foods on the planet – although i wouldn’t add ‘healthy’ to that statement.  And it’s true that there are no bad foods; only bad eaters.

Unintelligent eating could, and will, lead to many health issues, with many resulting in fatalities if not managed in time. You are what you do after you eat, or before, it really doesn’t matter when. What matters is that you know your boundaries as a human being (who desires a well-lived life) before you sit yourself down to every meal. Make it a point to re-learn your numbers: your BMRs and BMIs – which should be up there with your grace, before you even plan to eat. A knowledge of simple math will take you a long way too; put in an extra 500 calories a day for 7 days (3,500 calories) will put on you an extra pound of weight (this is a general guide).

Make every eating moment count too; to your nourishment that is. Limiting yourself to a daily quota will not help much, if that quota gives you back little, or nothing at all in nutrition. A grande sized frappucino will fulfill 2/3 of your daily caloric needs, giving you only sugar and fats, compared to a grande sized nasi kandar of chicken and veggies, if you must, giving you back carbohydrates, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals instead. You have it in you to make that call.

This all may sound too petty or too much work at first, but if you put your mind to it (as all man can), and lots of practice, it’ll soon be as easy as breathing. Now that’s another story xox.

To contract or not to contract – The Psoas

Say hello to your new best friend – AFTER your breath – that is.

You’ll hear me refer this pair of muscles quite often in my classes – mostly because they are your most under- or overworked muscles that have brought you to my – or any yoga class  – in the first place.

While an overly flexible set of psoas could probably land you a juicy role at the Cirque de Soleil, if not as Ja Ja Binks in the next instalment of Star Wars, an underworked pair is likely to grant you chronic back pain, trouble sleeping on your back and discomfort when standing or walking upright. Here’s a look at what contributes to a shortened and tight psoas and its implications:

http://yogadork.com/2013/11/21/to-contract-or-not-to-contract-what-to-do-with-a-shortened-psoas/

Being at either end of the flexibility spectrum is almost always undesirable. Your yoga practice will help you bring that body back in harmonious balance with a trouble-free life you deserve. So go on – rock that Pigeon xox.

 

Use Your Body the Way It Was Designed

One NASA scientist acknowledges the fact that moving correctly is key to improving your health.

Here’s the story at-a-glance:

• Sitting for extended periods of time is an independent risk factor for poor health and premature death.
• An analysis of 18 studies found that people who sat for the longest periods of time were twice as likely to have diabetes or heart disease, compared to those who sat the least.
• Research by a former NASA scientist shows your body needs perpetual motion to function optimally. The good news is that there are virtually unlimited opportunities for movement throughout the day, from doing housework or gardening, to cooking and even just standing up every 10 to 15 minutes.
• Grounding, by walking barefoot outside, is another grossly neglected foundational practice for optimal health that you can easily correct.

Read the full article here: 

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/05/03/grounding-sitting-health-effects.aspx?e_cid=20130503_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130503

and get your alignment checked by a certified yoga teacher xox

Make time

Make some time for the most important person in your life.

YOU.

Replenish what you gave out. Re-light that fire.

Put in a practice. Make it the first order of the day.

And afterward, go do what you do best.

Give love to others. Like you always do.

xox

Closing in

It’s not – about (touching) the toes.

It’s about releasing, falling, letting go.

Breathe. Feel your burdens melt away. Forget the world for a moment.

Fierce-asana

Do u lose your head when things unnerve u?

How do u reach out to those who refuse to understand?

Chill.

From grace – comes strength.