***

:D i am blogging!! :D

a friend of mine told me recently that i should blog more about my sickness wtf so that i can cope better. well.. that friend of mine din’t know i have a blog. :/

so anyway…………

i am good. :) i am eating my meds diligently wtf and i am going for alternative meds (chinese bitter concoctions hurrah). i am also on a very sad diet (die with a T :() now which basically is very depressing because the smell of coffee and nasi lemak every morning from my fellow friends and colleagues are killing me. I keep telling myself to be patience and after 2-3 months.. i will be okay and i can eat all my favourite food in the world again. yes. wasabi included! :) so yeah.. what i need now ……. is to be really strict with myself and say NO.

on the other note… i have missed my adv yoga class for 3 weeks now O_O
i gave myself time to recover my right leg and yesterday @ the gym… i tried doing a split and my right leg just isnt that strong yet/anymore. :( hmm
i also tried doing a milder version (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) or Extended Hand-To-Big-Toe Pose but yet again, my right leg can just be lifted 90 degrees of the floor. Although it was straight, i can feel the strain at the muscles and the mild pain still. I used to be able to lift it at least 140 degrees close to my head but now.. i just cant do that anymore due to the pain. :( bleh.

i guess i must give my leg some time to heal.

on the bright side……… capoeira is FUNS! :) Challenging and scary but FUNS! :D
At least for the moment, Capoeira is my weekly sport and it is sufficient. I am going to start Advance Yoga again today so *cross fingers* i can still do my regular balancing poses with grace and not squint from my leg pain >.<

and if all’s good… hopefully i can run this sunday on KL Marathon! :)

i just got to keep in mind not to strain my legs so much now.

exciting week ahead! i will blog soon. :)

OLA~
-J

***

and so, if you haven’t already heard…. i was just discharged yesterday from a private hospital near my place…

long story short… it has nothing to do with my leg injury (which is ok now.. i am able to walk again and the short story is that i am diagnosed with a few complications. And what i have to do now, is to go on a crazy diet which i think includes just plain porridge and plain water for the next 2 weeks. i have to refrain from eating anything with coffee, alco, chocolate, milk, citrus related, spicy or tomato based, italian based , japanese, garlic, onion and mint.

AWESOME right? Basically about everything i love is forbidden. just plain awesome.

i also need to stay away from ciggy smokes and anything potentially harmful for now.

***

remember how i used to blog about the ironies in life…

well………….. fuck it.

i figured that if anything were to bring me down now… it aint this sickness..
so yeah…

positive thinking! supportive friends and family…

thanks all for the wishes.

i have to go on a diet now.

taking caring!

-Jen

the instructor’s right! all of us will gain weight after CNY and it will be super hard for us to achieve any advance poses! super scary! makes me wanna practise yoga everyday after binging on CNY goodies O_O

***
anyhoo…

nowadays, foo, my adv hatha class instructor have moved from headstand>scorpion to handstand>scorpion.

DAMN challenging!!! and actually… it is 10000x more challenging for me considering i just had a super sporty weekend (marathon, badminton and swimming wtf). my wrist was screaming for help and my thighs were shaking like mad!

but i still wanted to try out the handstand scorpion because im crazy wtf.

this week, we were to do the two variations of handstand over the wall (one facing wall and vice versa). once we manage to do a handstand facing the wall… we can actually arch our back to a handstand scorpion. sounds easy peasy i know but i couldnt do it. =.= i can only do a lousy handstand and then gave up because my arms were screaming. too much workout over the weekend and i cant even balance my body right. and right now while typing this entry.. my wrist hurts like hell. i am only merely moving my fingers as my wrist is in no position to move at all…..

bleh.

anyhoo… no reasons to slack though.. i know by mastering the handstand… all future adv poses will be a piece of cake. determination and focus is key (not forgetting.. super strong arms)

the amazing handstand scorpion. :)

***

i also found out why i failed today.

=.=

i giggled too much.

actually… i burst out into a laughing fit when foo help me to balance on the handstand. i felt it was ticklish so i kept laughing while i was on the handstand pose… too much laughing and i end up bending my stomache and came down from the handstand pose before even going to scorpion. =.=

damn. in my next class.. i must not laugh nor smile when foo crack a joke. =.= very hard but i guess i must try. :/

and here’s to end my yoga failure post…

a vid on headstand >scorpion and handstand>scorpion.. to show u how not easy it is.. T____________T

Namaste

-J

***

instead of the normal vrischikasana, which we do weekly, this week we try to spice thing up a little by doing the pincha mayurasana (feathered peacock pose)

Basically, start the pose by lying down on the belly.. then slowly lift your buttocks up and then to the locust pose and slowly kick your legs up.

sounds super easy but i think only 1/100 ppl i know can do it. i almost gave up but thanks to the instructor i manage to last for a mere.. 5 seconds =.=”. going up this way is much harder than achieving it from the normal headstand or handstand.

the pincha mayurasana is also known as the advance peacock/feathered peacock.

With practice, you may be able to try this variation on the Peacock. The pose does, however, call for a great deal of strength and agility, and must only be attempted by advanced yoga students. Such people may even find this variation of the Peacock easier than the ordinary Asana, as the legs are in balance with the body rather than hanging behind it. In this pose, you balance on your hands and chin, with your legs raised vertically behind you.

from this position..

to this one..

photo credits to YOGADJ

This video shows how she does it from elbow downward dog to feathered peacock.

what i did in class today was from chaturanga to locust and then to feathered peacock. so challenginggggg!!!!

kids, dont try it at home.

***

-J

the instructor teach all basic core poses and some of the regulars cant stand the basic class so they all left before we actually go deep into the practice.

altho the replacement instructor dint teach hardcore poses like kok… but his class is interesting nevertheless. his focus is more on opening up the chest and lengthening the spine. we had to get it really right like the pros as in 90degrees angles and such.

bleh i must search for his name cant continue typing without first finding out his name =.=

***

OKAY his name is felix.

Felix kept making me the example to the whole class.. T_______________T

first he commented that all the students did the downward dog wrong. and we were supposed to be like advance students so my guess was some got pissed off and walked away =.=”

then he commented that i did it right but in a way still wrong and ask me to demonstrate my dwdog to the whole class.. =.=

apparently my dwdog will be in a perfect form if i open up my chest more =.= and do not arch my back. it was kinda confusing actually but also a learning experience. i couldnt “open” my chest any more and all i could do is bend lower to the dog and in actualty.. that wasnt supose to be the way. the focus should be on opening up the chest more..

we continue to deepen our asanas by doing a series of crazy backbending, which again, focuses on opening up the chest.

first.. the standing backbend.

it’s crazy………. felix can do a standing backbend thats is so freaky i dont even know how to describe.

it was crazy painful to stay in this position. i was screaming for help =.= then felix commented that it will be a little tough for me coz i have round shoulders. (T__T yea its sad.. hunchback family trait)

then we move on with some basic core poses like the warrior poses but on the advance variation. the trick to a good warrior pose is not to arch your back but to tuck your tailbone in and again, to open up the chest.

finally we came to the highlight of the class.. more backbends.

we did one round of Urdhva Dhanurasana so that felix can check the way how we normally do it. =.=
then he commented that i do it beautifully because i’m flexible and made me demonstrate to the class again. T.T then comes the part where we move on with variations. everyone was so used to doing the wheel pose with the knees wide apart but when we were to place our knees in between a block and keep it there for as long as we can.

it was torturous. T.T

our back hurts like hell after that.. T___T

then the highlight of the class was Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana(Upward Facing Two-Foot Staff Pose) which looks like this

T_____________T

the key to mastering yoga… is to always master the basics and core first. the core meaning your abs.
flexibility comes in second. and frankly speaking.. i suck at core. T___________T i hate abs workout cause it makes me breathless.. T.T

to end the night.. felix told the class that it’s normal that yoga practitioners gets drifted from the basics once they get used to some poses. and being flexible is actually not a good thing. it actually meant that you’re actually ill =.=” wtf

that got me so worried i raised up my hand and ask what sickness.. =.=”

apparently people who are flexible are mostly bones =.=” wtf. and so, all the twisting and flexing comes from the bones and not the core muscles. so eventually one fine day.. we will crash from working our bones too much and that’s nt good. the most important thing is to work up our core muscles so that the muscles support our poses and not our bones.

:D i’ve learnt new things and yes.. it’s enlightening. :)

***

my back hurts like hell now. although it’s a crazy class but i enjoy every bit of it. namaste felix.

now all i wish is a good night sleep.

Lokah samastha sukhino bhavanthu.
(May this world be established with a sense of well-being and happiness.)

love. peace. harmony.

-J

anyhoo…

ohm shanti. How’s all yoga practitioners out there? Been practising religiously? :)

I hope you all have a wonderful yoga experience with every class you attend because that is what i always have in my mind at the start of each of my class.

Everytime before class, even if i’m late, i tell myself that for today’s lesson, i will leave all my doubts, fears and troubles, problems, worries , friends, work, colleagues, everything at all outside the class in a black bag. I’d place the bag at the corner and walk in lighter. I’d close my eyes and imagine positive air flowing around me. And i breathe in only goodness.

Goodness from my fellow yoga practitioners.

Goodness from my teacher.

Goodnes from my body.

:)

I plant a smile on my face and start my practices.

***

Yesterday i had a very weird class tho.

It’s usual that in an intermediate class the instructor (Kok) would ask us to the the bridge pose but yesterday.. somehow perhaps we were all regulars, we went to really crazy poses. which i really like because i missed my advanced class on monday. :D

My fav yoga pose all time is definately the bridge aka Dhanurasana.

I believe with patience and practices.. everyone can achieve this pose. If you practise long enough.. you’d realize yogis have a heavier upper body and a super lean waist when achieving this pose. It looks kinda freaky like this.

Yes.. even guys can do it. :) The lungs and chest part are especially heavier as all the air is pushed out of the system. :) when i saw my wheel pics from the yoga session i had @ bali.. it looks like that and it kinda make me happy cause at least i know, i am doing it right. :)

But after the wheel… Kok made us do a variation to wheel which is the eka pada urdhva dhanurasana aka one legged wheel.

It looks like this. :)

nice huh. :)

this is one of my fav pose as well. kinda tiring and all but the sensation…. totally worth it.

Now you might think that’s all we did huh.

nonono… it did not just end there… I learnt new poses in yesterday’s class and it made my wrist hurt like hell but still.. i love the challenge!

:)

This is the eka pada viparita dandasana or shoulder one legged wheel. phew. looks easy but i kid you not………… its SUPER HARDDDDDD  T_________T

Next up?

Okay.. i dont think there’s a sanskrit term for the subsequent poses because i cant seem to google them or i’m dumb :( but the next pose, we did a ONE HAND one legged wheel. OMG?

It’s like trying to lift your leg and hand in a wheel position.. SUPER HARD!!! and kok demonstrate it to us like… damn easy =.=” phew.

And that’s not about it.

to rep all the backbends…

guess what

a DHANURASANA PUSH UP!!!

oh mi gawd.

5 x wheel pushup.

Altho i manage to finish the 5 rep… my wrist hurt like hell after that. but it is my first time doing a wheel push up and it’s so … awesome and crazy and torturous!

My next round..i aim to do 6! :P hehe.

When i saw my reflextion on the glass mirrors while doing the push up.. i have this crazy idea running in my head. Like.. how can i actually do it omg. =.=”

anyhoo…

i shall rest for at least 2-3 days before my next class but i am having an urge to go for a simple class today. :D hehe. we’ll see. :)

***

till then. namaste and enjoy this song. :)

off the lights. close your eyes and lie down.  just listen to the song. :)

***

by the end of my classes.. i just leave that black bag wherever it belong and walk away with a lighter mind, body and soul. :)

ohm shanti.

jen

*credits to whoever the pics belongs to*

i pray for 

i ) healthy family and friends

ii) smooth sailing career in this bad economy

iii) humbleness and enlightenment during my meditation practices

iv) a safe trip back home and last but not least…

v) smarter human mankind 

***

anyhoo..

GIRLS,

Only 4k limit for participants.. so register quick! pst.. the goodie bag is quite good yo~ :P

More info HERE : http://www.shape.com.my/index_shape_run09.asp

Boys,

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OR

SHORTCUT..

Just go and register online here : http://www.hooha.asia/index.php?option=com_chronocontact&Itemid=124

Registration : RM30 (For all category)

Online Registration : RM2

***

-J

Maybe because i’m…  becoming a yoga addict and vegan(1/2).  I start feeling extremely guilty  if i miss ANY of my classes and i try to go to gym whenever i can or even when my muscles are killing me. i still go and push myself a little harder. I buy 100% fruit + vegetable juices and i eat (haha) farely a great amount of sandwhiches and not meat. (dont kill animals pls. T_T )

I dont know whether its a good thing or bad but in a way i felt better, more determined; focus wise, and a great sense of achievement when my mind defies gravity and such. I guess taking care of ourselves is vital. :D Its not a matter of being a choosy person (ie not eating this and that like some female friends i know; they dont eat this and that and blablabla is like damn fussy and bitchy like that yuck.) but more of a … i eat carrots because of its high beta-carotene content which is maily responsible for improving my vision (im blind).  And i love my lettuces because it has a high content of fiber and Vit A. ge3k speak is so S3Xy wtf  O_o

Anyways…

this is my Fav yoga pose at the mo..

 
Dolphin Plank Pose
Stay in this position with your body straight like a plank for at least 20 slow breaths. :)
very strong and focused mind . hohoho 

oh..

and i must say thanks to TiC cause i won an Adidas Photo competition and got 2k of sweet adidas products. lalala. 

***

Fashion Inspiration Friday!! 

and and and and..

my fav item of the MONTH……..

BEANIE BABY!!!!!

oklah. 

scooottttt~

-J

 TEH BLENDER!

doing it, diaz style!

for my vege blends, fruits blends, ice blendeds, etc :P

i cant wait to go home for it! :P

-J

i guess the best thing about mirrors in room is that they let me look at myself , perhaps naked sometimes and then have thoughts about how out of shape i am in my head and then proceed with further imagination of myself looking perhaps half my size and then immediately shake the thought off that im overweight the second i think of breakfast.

phew.

I guess what’s more surprising is people around are never supportive of other people’s decision with what they wanna do or try to do and often throw in some negative remarks in hope of reverse psychology perhaps?

i dont know. but the last time i mentioned that i wanted to do capoeira… people stare at me and then say ” U SURE?”

what the hell. the least i expected from everyone was a smile and then a pat on the back and say ” YEAH.. GO FOR IT!”

But in actualty the very fact that i only found 2 studios offering capoeira in KL which is the E havana studio in TTDI on Sundays and bantus Capoeira in Changkat BB on Mondays. Both timing for classes were imposible for me to travel because of a) jam during the particular class hours and b) parking issues (which are never ending) and perhaps c) of the negative remarks i receive which actually DID play a role in my decision making to try out for the class.

BAH.

And food.

It amazes me when i tell people that i like celery.. or tomato juice or… grapefruits.. majority of people will tell me that they dont take it or hate it or will never eat it because its just too icky or yucky or raw or whatever comments that have the slightest hint that they hate the fact that it tastes so … tasteless compared to their fried chicken or burger or nasi lemak etc

I respect what other ppl like to put in their mouth, so i expect the same for others. to respect what i like to put in mine. 

I can tell you flashback 10 years ago, i HATE vegetables. Hate steamed food. Hate anything that has anything to do with healthy living but right now.. i am the complete opposite. I dont go overboard about being a health freak like my brother or my mum (=.=) but i like the fact that i am in complete control of what i choose to eat and what i dont. And while i sometimes indulge in heavenly food.. i still try to be picky with my food and slowly phase out junk food in my dictionary. Yes, im not ashamed to say that i really like junk food and cant live without it but it’s been awhile now ever since my junk food days and totally controled my eating habits and say no to unhealthy, fried, msg laden food.

In fact, a few months back while i was reading some yoga practitioners blog.. i suddenly have an urge to become vegetarian. O_o

I dont know how other people would react to this but the only person i can tell who will be 100% happy if i really convert to be a vegetarian would be my mum. She have been telling me to be one since…….. donkey years.

But then again.. i just cant imagine life without the taste of CHEEKEN yet.. so i guess being a vegetarian can wait. :D hahaha

Anyhoo. I kinda sorta wanted to get back to YOGA asap. kinda lost track of the best feeling in the world and i want it back now. YZ is kinda fucked up already. The only place i can think of right now are gyms. so.. HERE I GO. You guys should totally support me and negative comments will be deleted. weehoo.

<3

-J