Great Start

As I park my car next to this electric blue car this morning, I did a double take and nearly messed up my parking. The man getting out of the blue car was the naked guy from the changing room. (Details from my earlier post). As luck would have it, we ended up sharing the lift up to the gym floor. Actually, the experience did not turn badly at all; in fact, all the irritation that was festering each morning vanished with our first ever verbal greeting. Somehow, having a conversation, however casual, does a lot in terms of tolerance and all that. I guess it's like being on the road when some car cuts you off. If it's a stranger, the incredible hulk in me would start to manifest itself. If I realised it's someone I know (particularly, my sister in law, whose driving always give me nightmares!), then I would just smile and note the occasion and tease her later.

Anyway, no nude scenes this morning. And so I started my practice with a calm state of mind. And had a nice practice, even though I was the only one practicing. No binding yet on Mari D. I've been going back to square one with the twisting asanas in an effort to rid my bad habit of shifting my knee toward the middle of my chest (as opposed to having it in line with my foot and hip) in trying to bind. Even In Mari C, I've been doing that. So, I've stopped reaching for a bind and now focused more on twisting so that I get more weight over the foot on the mat.

I hope going back to basics will pay dividends ...

Backbends

Along with the twists, asanas involving backbends takes a lot out of me. Which is why when one day someone mentioned that he found the Intermediate series very energising because of the backbends, I was amazed. Backbends have the opposite effect on me. I'm completely exhausted by my 3rd Urdhva Dhanurasana.

Here are some clips of my backbends taken early 2009 :



Lately, when I'm doing things like Upward Dog and Warrior 1, I put in extra effort to access a stretch in my hips. My hips are tight, though they have come a long way from before I started yoga. Here are a couple of clips of me dropping back to the wall, taken a few days ago.

The first one was when I decided to walk my hands down and got freaked out and came up immediately.

I then took a mental note to not panic the next time my hands walk down and to take a couple of breaths before coming up.


Slowly, slowly, I hope one day I'll walk my hands all the way down to the floor.

I Was Determined

to put in some practice this week. Due to Monday being a moonday, a planned trip to Foshan, China from Tuesday to Wednesday, and Friday, being a promised day for the kids to have friends over, it looked bleak for practice this week.

Not to be deterred, I packed my new travel yoga mat for my trip to China. Love the mat - it wouldn't fit into my suitcase, rolled up conventionally; but managed to pack it in, folded up like a blanket.


Got into the hotel in Foshan on Tuesday around 3pm. Colleagues planned on a walkabout before we are taken out for dinner at 6.30pm. So bent on getting some practice time, I muttered some lame excuse like needing some rest before dinner. Had a nice quick practice when I found an excellent spot in the room to practice. Happy to note that the mat laid out flat perfectly, even after being folded in four in a suitcase.


Had all the intentions to practice again the next morning. Heard the alarm, but the "bai jiu" (white wine) shots at dinner the night before did me in. Bai jiu is not really white wine; more like some kind of spirits with at least 40% alcohol content. Served in tiny shot glasses, I took a tiny sip for my first taste. Hosts laughed at my reaction to the burning sensation I felt in the lips. The way bai jiu is drunk is to drink it like a shot. Have to admit that it went down easier. So easy, it became hard to keep track of how many shots I had. The glasses are refilled mysteriously as soon as they're empty.

So, no practice on Wednesday. But was determined to put in a practice yesterday (Thursday) morning. No thinking when the alarm went off. Jumped out of bed, quick wash up and I was on the mat 15 minutes later. Had a nice leisurely practice; even managed to get some video clips of my attempts at dropping back to the wall.

Will post them up in my next post, along with some clips I took last year to compare.

Biggest Loser Asia

Last Tuesday saw the conclusion of the very first season of Biggest Loser Asia. I find it so amazing that so much weight could be lost in such a short time. Just goes to show that anything is possible.


The winner was this guy from Indonesia. Although he was the clear winner, there were lots of discussions on how haggard he looked and whether his win projected the right message to the public.


The runner up was this guy from the Philippines. Many said he should be the winner given how good and healthy he looked.

There was big contrast on how these 2 contestants lost their weight in the final months. The guy from the Philippines followed the conventional approach, working and exercising in his free time. He is a fine dining chef, by the way. The Indonesian took a couple of months off, and devoted all his time working out in the gym. Hence, the criticisms, I guess. Many pointed out his approach is not a sustainable one.

But, hey, this is a competition after all. Maybe the winner does look haggard. To be fair, though, people who lose a lot weight in a short time tend to look haggard, even though they are in fact fitter. I had my share of comments when I was doing a lot of rehabilitation exercises after the operation on my shoulder.

Whatever negative or positive message people will take from this result, at least the winner has proven that change is possible. Though extreme, I was in awe of his determination; and I hope his journey of health and fitness continues after this competition.

Changing Room Etiquette

Recently, every time I make my way to the Westin hotel for my morning practice, I drive with a feeling of pensive dread. I get to the changing room around the same time in the morning, and each time there is this same guy who is also finishing off his shower at that time. At first, I thought I was intruding. After all, he is probably there more often than me because he is ALWAYS there when I’m there. But he seems to like walking around in the nude as if he was in his home alone. Not that I mind. But the guy dishing out the locker keys always assign me to the locker next to his, even though there are only the two of us in that changing room. It makes changing a lot awkward, for a start.

I’m actually quite used to nudity in the showers. After all, in my younger days when I was playing football, we have communal showers. But this guy is nude for a long time! I suspect he is a strong believer in air-drying.

Why am I ranting now? When I walk in this morning, this guy had his towel wrapped around his waist. The moment I come in, he dropped his towel right in front of me and proceeded on to whatever he was doing - washing his face, having a shave, every other thing except putting on clothes. WTF?! I tried to change into my yoga gear as fast as I could. However the faster I tried to get ready, the more I fumbled. F’ing zip won’t work. Oh shit, he is coming behind me. Can’t get my legs through my shorts. What’s happening to my coordination? Damn, left my wallet on the bench, etc, etc.

So, by the time I got to the mat, I was already sweating before my first Sun Salutation. Mind was, of course, scattered. But, as the practice went on, I soon forgot about the changing room. Instead, my mind became preoccupied on how all the Chinese New Year feasts have played havoc with my flexibility.

However, I’m back on the mat and it’s good that I’m now less flustered with this morning’s images.