A Few Words

So, what's been going on?

Let's see: for starters, I've finished my yoga teacher training. So, yes, I am officially a yoga teacher!!!

I'm still finishing my practicum requirements with Yoga Philippines, the studio where I had my training. I still lack two (2) classes to assist and six (6) led classes. Hopefully I can finish the former next week, whilst the latter is already scheduled for the months of May and June.

What I need is more discipline for self-practice. The summer heat isn't helping! It's not an excuse, I know. I love practicing, but lately I haven't been enjoying it as much as I used to. I need to always remember: non-attachment. Do not think about the fruits of the actions, but rather just do the actions themselves. Do it because it is pleasing to the Lord. Do it because you have to, nothing more.

I'll be attending two (2) classes later - both are led by my co-teachers. The first class is to get an idea on how other co-teachers handle their "Intro to Ashtanga" classes, which is our practicum. The second class is just to really practice, share the energy with my fellow students, and feel good!

I am also thinking of migrating my blog (yes, yet again) to another platform. But let's see.

That's all for now. Gotta get ready for my classes.


Namaste

Leap of faith

After months of hesitation, I finally did it. I launched my crowdfunding campaign:

Help Me Teach Yoga

Why now? Or rather, why just now? To be honest, I was scared. When I quit my job last year, I thought that everything would flow smoothly: I would pitch the idea to my family and friends, get enough funds to pay for my training, and voila! I'm a yoga teacher.

However, things did not turn out as planned. I was caught by surprise when I heard the reaction of some of my family members. I got hurt real bad. So much that, I began to doubt a lot of things. Including this whole yoga teacher training thing.

So, what happened? What changed? I guess it's just myself. I got so attached to the idea of becoming a yoga teacher that it consumed me. I forgot one of the main tenets of yoga: vairāgya, or non-attachment. This, coupled with abhyasa or practice, is very important (click here for more information). I should just have kept on practicing, meditating. This whole experience made me realize two things: one, that I am only human, and two, that I still have much to learn about yoga.

Gratitude Journal - Hiatus

I have an announcement: effective yesterday, 04 November 2013, I will not be posting mt gratitude journal on a daily basis.

Don't get me wrong. I think it is in my nature to be grateful. I would still practice acts of gratitude on a daily basis.I may not write it down here, but it doesn't mean I won't do it.

The thing is, I feel that I have been using this journal as a crutch, a too, an excuse. An excuse to make me feel that I am actually doing something and not just waiting. I have been in a rut for the past several months, it is hard to really get my gears into action. As far as planning is concerned, of thinking of the bigger picture, of the next steps, I got it down pat. It is in the doing part in which I need a lot of help. Yoga teacher training, finding means of earning money, helping out others in my chosen foundation - I need to act now.

I still have a cough, but I think I would be able to run (albeit at a slow pace) and practice gentle yoga. Wish me luck tonight!

It's not as if I haven't done anything. It's just that what I'm doing is not enough. Like what Edison said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." So I have to find another way. I keep telling my friends who come to me for advice: we have to acknowledge whatever it is we are feeling. Take a deep breath, acknowledge your <insert emotion here, e.g. anger, jealousy, resentment>, and let it go. So, I have acknowledged the emotion. As for letting it go, I would like to think I have indeed done that. However, if I have it only means that I am ready to move forward right? See, there's the rub - I am still in this lethargic state. I feel that I take one step forward, only to take two steps back. I guess I just have to stop thinking and start doing.

Sorry, I know I am rambling now, but I know you catch my drift. The year's not over yet, let's make it count!


Namaste,

Gratitude Journal - 03 November 2013

Today is a Sunday, which means the weekend is coming to a close. Working people got to experience a long weekend, thanks to November being a holiday, plus the barangay elections which took place on October 28. I can only imagine how terrible the traffic will be tomorrow once everyone gets back to work. Well, probably not as terrible as when all schools resume classes.

But anyway, allow me to post my gratitude list for today.

1. The Men Who Made Us Fat (episode 1) - my friend Claire suggested I should watch this, and I was fortunate enough to download the first episode. It's a 3-part documentary on BBC. The first one talked about how corn syrup (and sugar, in general) contributed to obesity. Apparently, in the US, 1 in 3 people are obese. Wow. After watching health-related docus for two days in a row, you would really begin to seriously think about changing your eating lifestyle.

2. Finished CPI book - this is a really great achievement for me. The Continuous Process Improvement book was given to us by the Logistics Manager of the operating unit I was supporting when I was in Shell. It should have been a full-length training, but given their limited availability, we had to make do with what we had. Fortunately, we were each given the whole kit, which included this book, plus three others and a workbook as well. Amazing! Hopefully, if the interview went well and I get the post, I would be referring to this book more often. Fingers crossed!

Gratitude Journal - 02 November 2013

Hi everyone! Here's my gratitude list for today.

1. Tapa - I marinated my own tapa using soy sauce, garlic, salt, pepper and muscovado. I let it marinade for over twelve hours, and then I boiled it first before adding a little oil for frying. Not too bad for my first attempt! I am thinking of experimenting by making variations of the marinade, and also by trying different types of meat (e.g. pork, meat, chicken, shredded meat for flakes type)

2. Jollibee dinner - Dad lent me his Happy Plus card, so I used that to buy dinner. Good thing the nearest Jollibee has a drive-through. I got the chicken mushroom pasta with 1-pc chicken. It was okay, but I think my body is asking for more natural and organic stuff. Hehehe

Gratitude Journal - 01 November 2013

Happy All Saints' Day everyone! For sure the traffic outside is not favorable, as we are located in between two big cemeteries. But no worries, looks like I would still be under house arrest for the whole day in order to rest and get better.

Here's my gratitude list for today:

1. New month, new possibilities - it's the first of November. 2013 is almost over. This hasn't been an easy year, I must admit. But facing these challenges and learning and growing from them are what makes us stronger. Also, the important thing to remember is this: the year's not over YET. Lots of things can still happen before the year ends. Which means more blessings, more gratitude!

2. Cooked pinakbet for the first time - I went to the supermarket yesterday, and I bought the vegetable ingredients for pinakbet! I realized that we still have some meat in the freezer, so I used that for my dish. I'm surprised how easy it is to cook pinakbet! At least I got one more dish I can whip up quickly.