Monthly Archives: December 2011

on my grown-up christmas list…

Posted on by

jeff (my fiancé – yes i’m engaged!) & i went to christmas mass earlier today at his church, st. john the baptist. the parish pastor, father ritchie played a short film during his homily that brought tears to a majority of the congregation – even mine. beyond the coca-cola product marketing, the short clip speaks volumes.

film from: adobo nation

i don’t know much about OFWs (overseas filipino workers), but i do know what it feels like to miss family and how happy i am just being around my them. i can’t even imagine how much these people – who are few among millions, have to sacrifice in order to provide their families with a better way of life. their christmas wish is simple: to be home with family. truly, so many of us have so much to be grateful for!

my grown-up christmas wish: that everyone was able to spend time with their families this holiday season: in person, on the phone, face time, any time! the time we spend together is such a blessing!

photo courtesy of mychocolatehart.blogspot.com

merry christmas to all and to all a good night!

NAMA-f’in-STE.

Posted on by

i had a student in one of my classes the other day say immediately after namaste: “was that really power because it felt more like vinyasa.” ouch. first of all, does this person even know what “namaste” means?!?! i’m not by any means a expert, but i understand it as the divinity in me bows to the dinivity in you…the truest part of myself acknowledges and respects the truest part of yourself …you better check yourself before you wreck yourself!

nuff said (photo courtesy of cafepress.com)

i tried to not let that comment kill my confidence, but it’s hard to not take things like that to heart, especially when what i bring to the mat as a teacher comes from a place of love, care, and sincerity. … plus i’d like to think i kick ass in class!

going through all of the learning curves of teaching; figuring what works and what doesn’t, i realize that i’m bound to teach some not-so-kick-ass classes in the process. it’s part of the journey. plus, if i never taught the not-so-kick-ass classes, how will i know when i do? i can’t be amazing at teaching without growing pains, experiencing moments of frustration and failure, or times of self-doubt. all those times make all of the blood, sweat, and tears worthwhile when i finally experience a wow moment and can say to myself: YES! this is exactly why i love doing what i do!

anyway, in this particular instant – i wasn’t having one of those wow moments. i took a deep yogi breath to prepare myself and gave that person my spiel about what my personal opinion is regarding the difference between vinyasa and power.

[exhale]. let it go.

conditional awareness (photo courtesy of samcrumb.blogspot.com)

in my opinion, regardless of the “rigorousness” of a class (which is subjective to begin with), what you bring to your practice equals what you take away from it. plain and simple. regardless if you’re doing 15-20 chaturangas or ONE, it’s not in how many or even how advanced your poses are. a strong yoga practice embodies quality, awareness, mental peace, breath, and integrity that builds energy, and strength. i’ve found my practice to be just as challenging in a class that had a simple sequence (without any fancy asanas) as when i’m in a rigorous class; each are challenging in their own ways.

in the past when i’ve gotten off my mat dissatisfied with my practice, i look within myself: was i really 100% aware and dedicated to my practice or was my mind somewhere else? was i open to exploring another level of my practice and could i have gone deeper? was i really listening to the teacher and applying his/her instruction in my own body? was i more worried about what i looked like compared to others in the class? did i make it “easy” on myself because i’m not feeling 100% today or was i just being lazy? it’s hard to be honest with myself sometimes.

what i love about yoga is that it brings to the surface all of things that i repress deep down inside. it brings up fears and insecurities that i can either face and overcome or cower away from. it’s challenging and it takes time, but that’s the beauty of yoga and how a yoga practice not only transforms the physical self, but also the emotional and spiritual self as well. your yoga practice is what you make of it. i can take it to whatever level i want to or not – depending on how i feel.. but i know that whatever i bring to the mat is 100% of what i can give at that moment.

so, needless to say, i am grateful to that student who spoke up in class. thank you. without your comment, i wouldn’t be writing this post or contemplating this in my teaching or my own practice. in your honor, i’ll still add a couple more wow-asanas to my classes to amp it up!

~

“Anyone who practices can obtain success in yoga but not one who is lazy. Constant practice alone is the secret of success.” -Hatha Yoga Pradipika

photo courtesy of zenbeing.blogspot.com

my true meaning of christmas…

Posted on by

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

say hello to the holidays! like me, i’m sure you’re overwhelmed with the excitement of christmas: the chaos of christmas shopping and finishing up with decorations, planning holiday dinner parties – or just attending them; filling up on sweets & libations or dealing with the ba-humbug scrooges that drive like maniacs in parking lots scattered with families and children or push their way through a busy sidewalk.

christmas has really become a commercialized holiday; shopping, spending money on material things that most of us don’t even really need. it’s the COMPLETE opposite of what christmas is really about. ask yourself this: do you really even celebrate CHRISTMAS? tear away all of the gift-giving, the parties, getting dressed up to the nines… and this is what i see:

christmas is a celebration of the birth of our savior, jesus christ.

christmas is a time to spend with my friends and family.

christmas is a time to give to those in need.

christmas is a time to find peace and gratitude in my life.

in the 2 weeks i spent in the philippines – my first time going home in my life, i realized most of the stuff i have is pretty superficial and unnecessary. going home really humbled me. i mean, i’ve never been the type of person who looks to material possessions to make me happy, but being surrounded by people who didn’t own much and were still happy & grateful, really got me thinking about why we are so consumed with having so much s%#& (expensive labels, fancy cars, what have you)!

we had 3 balikbayan boxes sent to my grandma’s house in the barrio to give away to our relatives. they were packed full with simple everyday items: bath towels, soap (they love irish spring back home for some reason), peanut butter, chocolate, crest toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet paper, and spam – for them, a luxury to have. i felt a wave of foolishness come over me at the sight of their faces lighting up with joy after receiving these simple gifts. so much i take for granted!

at that moment in my heart i made a promise to myself that this christmas i wouldn’t buy into the commercialism of christmas. the real meaning of christmas isn’t in giving presents, but in giving something meaningful: sharing your love with someone; letting someone you care about actually know that you care about them, especially if you don’t tell them everyday. donating to a local charity, your church or organization to help those less fortunate in your community have a happy christmas.

if you haven’t tried any of the above before – do it! trust me, it makes me feel warm & fuzzy inside! :) it’s a good feeling to have and it spreads like wildfire.

christmas giving tree (photo courtesy of eseton.org)

what is your true meaning of christmas?

happy hanukkah. merry christmas. happy kwanzaa.