Mindset Turmoil

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Sep 062016
 

Aside from the unique stress caused by our current life situation, I also have inner turmoil (a bit dramatic of a word?) regarding my change in lifestyle.

Yesterday I wrote about my recent dabblings into the world of networking and the dreaded ‘housewife’ world. These are just a glimpse of the many ways in which my mindset is being required to shift each day.

For example, I cannot quite decide if it is okay to relax on some days when I feel less motivated to do anything (like today) or if I should continue to push through to keep to a schedule that is almost as if I am working full-time. Or, should I start to adjust my regular schedule so that I can stay awake later to accommodate clients that are going to want evening classes and yet still wake up early to go to the gym with M and start my day as usual. Talk about first-world problems, eh? 😛

Mostly, I worry about finding myself busy at the expense of my sleep and health. Although I want to be able to meet the schedules of clients who probably will have full-time jobs and/or be more night people than I am, I also want to maintain what works for me, which involves getting at least 8 hours of sleep and having enough time to do my writing, house cleaning, exercising and other daily activities. I mean, if I wanted to work ‘hard’ I would have kept my full-time job, right?! 😐

Therefore, I have mulled over how to adjust my mindset a bit more. First, it might be that I have to force myself to make 10pm my bedtime instead of 9pm. This will give me an extra hour at night to allow for clients who might want a yoga session 7-8pm or something like this. Also, I want to continue to wake up with my husband to go to the gym, etc. Thus, this means that likely I will need to block off some time in the middle of the day for me to have a wee nap to ensure that I have the energy that I need for both the mornings and evenings. It reminds me of my schedule when I first arrived here…. 🙂

Now, all I have to really consider is how to deal with days like today when I could have easily put on my sweatpants and hung around the house all day. The only real reason I did not is because there is no Internet or TV in the house to keep me there along with my inner voice telling me I have some things to get done today at least. Still, the other voice inside me says, what’s the point of being free if I cannot allow myself to decide in the morning to sit by the pool all day if that is how I feel?

Ultimately, I think it is just going to take me a little bit of time to get out of the mindset of a full-time worker. Probably once we have some normalcy in the rest of our lives then I can allow myself to relax and settle into this new mysterious world of the self-employed housewife! 😛

~T 😀

Housewife Networking

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Sep 052016
 

Networking is one of my most dreaded activities. Having to participate in and encourage small talk causes sweat to form on my brow. 

However, I need clients and I need social interaction or else my husband will despise coming home to two whiny cats and a desperate housewife. 😛

For the past couple of weeks I have attended the Yas Mall Ladies’ Monday events where they alternate between mall walking and yoga. Yep, that’s right, this chica is mall walking! Ahahha!!!! 😀

Last week I had coffee afterwards with a new friend who also does not enjoy small talk. This week we agreed to make an effort to join the other group of ladies who also get coffee. It was a good thing too. 

So, here I am getting myself out there. I’ve now got Monday mornings for mall walking or yoga. I will hopefully be joining a beginners golf group at the end of the month and a book club. Then, I have lined up to join the International Women’s Business group here as well. 

Before you know it, I’ll be a networking pro! 😉

~T 😀

 Posted by at 15:48

Drafting: Yoga Fitness vs Yoga Therapy

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Sep 042016
 

I am mulling around an idea for a post on my business blog and thought I would draft it here to see how it reads. Plus, I can add my editorial comments here before making it more neutrally professional. 😛

Obviously, with the launch of my business website – The OSH Network – I am having to explain why I do not want to simply organize a few private group sessions for people to come do yoga. Last night, M said that he finally got why I call it yoga therapy and how it differs from a yoga class. I had been working with him for a back/bum pain that he’s had for a couple of weeks since starting to go to the gym regularly. This was the second time that we worked on this area. The first time, he had a lot of relief from the pain. This time, when we finished, he felt some relief and said “You could charge a lot more for this kind of yoga…” Um…yes darling. 😉 Now, he’s starting to understand the difference between yoga for fitness and yoga therapy.

Based on this conversation, I decided that perhaps I need to spend some time explaining the difference between what I want to do and why I do not just go to a studio to work for/with.

There are many yoga instructors these days as the trend spreads like wildfire with more and more aspirants going to India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bali, etc to get their one-month 200-hr teacher training certification. One month and trained – done and dusted, right?! This reminds me of people who would do something similar to get their English teacher training certificates as well…. Still do not agree or like it! However, for yoga, this is probably enough and okay if the aspirant wants to be able to put together a sequence of yoga poses and ‘entertain’ people enough to lead a yoga class for a group. I see no issue with this at the end of the day – just as I came to accept it for an English instructor. 😛

The flip side, though, is what I am doing now. Over the course of the past year I have been doing a 300-hr teacher training certification and plan to do a six-month 200-hr certification starting in January to prepare me for a 500-hr certification to eventually become a trainer myself. More on that bit later, but the point is that I am spending nearly a year to learn about the poses in depth and how each pose affects the body. I study anatomy and the effects of moving in particular ways on the body for overall health and physical benefits.

If someone enters a yoga fitness class with a back pain, they may tell an instructor who will likely tell the student to avoid certain poses or to modify a pose so as not to increase pain. In some cases, the instructor may even be able to adjust that student if the class is small enough or there is time. However, what that student will not get is an assessment of why there is pain in the first place, targeted attention to relieve the back pain and strategies to be aware of how to avoid the back pain altogether. THIS is what we call yoga therapy.

As part of my business mission, I am working to help people feel better about themselves and their bodies physically, mentally and emotionally. Doing yoga therapy targets the sources of tension and pain to relieve and provides ways to prevent them later allowing a person to live a fuller, healthier and happier life. Integrating that with coaching and mindfulness strategies makes the whole person even better. THIS is what I want to do.

Although I enjoy a yoga fitness class for myself and if I break a sweat, that’s fine, this is not what I want to do for a business. Yoga fitness will improve health for sure, but yoga therapy will create long-term habits to improve health overall.

So, this is the gist of what I want to say. It is not refined in this post, but now that the ideas are out there and my voice is heard, I can re-draft. 😛 Thanks for reading to help me get it out!! 🙂

~T 😀

_Light on Yoga:  Yoga Dipika_ by B. K. S. Iyengar

 Literary Escapes  No Responses »
Sep 032016
 


_Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika_ by B. K. S. Iyengar

Beware that the next few book write ups will be yoga related. We had quite a few that have been required for my yoga teacher training and even though not all have been assigned specifically, being a reader makes me want to get through them all. 😛

Also, I had quite a bit of time this summer…. So, with my handy organizing skills, I broke down how many pages per day were required to complete a book in a set number of days. 

This book is quite popular amongst yogis as Iyengar explains very succinctly but thoroughly how each pose should be performed as well as the benefits. He further levels the poses so that beginners can understand how to modify or know that perhaps it is not yet a pose for them. 😉

It was very interesting to read and I still refer back to certain poses frequently to see how it should look (pics help!) and also to explain their benefits for clients. Or, if my stomach or something is not feeling quite right I can index it to see which poses will help alleviate discomfort. Usually, I feel better shortly after doing a set of relevant poses. 

Thus, anyone who is serious about yoga must have this book. There really is no way around it unless you have a teacher who can just recite the information in the book freely… 😛

~T 😀

Never-ending perm

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Sep 022016
 

Over the years I have tried different hair styles, always looking for the one that made me less “Asian” looking and avoiding the ones that were particularly stereotypical. 

Whilst living in Japan it was nearly impossible to get my hair done without being turned into another Japanese girl keeping up with the latest trend. They obviously did not know me. 

I have had short short hair and long straight hair. I tried a perm before but they rarely lasted. 

So almost a year ago I went to my favorite salon and said I wanted to grow my hair out. To this, the stylist said, “Well, then you have to stop coming to see me so often.” As I was going every six weeks for a trim to keep my hair heathy, I was surprised that he said this. Of course it made sense. He was maintaining the short length. 

Not quite willing to give up my visits and also wanting to go for something different again, I asked about a perm. My stylist seemed both unsure my hair would take and yet convinced he could give me some curl for at least a few months. 😐

That was last October! 😀 This might be the longest-lasting perm I have had – ever – even with my first one in 8th grade. Then, I am sure that I went in again to have it touched up or perhaps my mom did it but I know it was more than one session.

I do wonder if I have permanently altered the chemical make up of my hair as it is fuller with the perm and though it has grown quite a bit it feels thick even with the new growth at the top of my head….

Since this perm has lasted so long I also have not been back to have my hair trimmed. Aside from getting some highlights elsewhere for my wedding I have not been in to my stylist for almost a year. I bet even he would be surprised at how long this perm has lasted! 😉

Now I am toying with the idea of making it straight again! Haha – such a fickle woman I am! Still, who knew this would be a never-ending perm?! Makes the meaning of perm actually true! 😛

~T 😀

Still Anti-Vegan?

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Sep 012016
 

So, back in June, I wrote about how veganism is not for me. Remember then I said that I had issues about it as a diet?

Well, recently a vegan friend of mine finally posted on FB how being vegan is not about the diet, but simply about protecting animals. Instead of preaching about health benefits, she is sticking with her passion in ‘protesting’ against animal cruelty and is actively offering tasty, healthy and reasonable alternatives to eating meat. This much I can accept. 😀

The other day whilst in the car, M was speaking to D and he complained I was trying to turn him into a vegetarian. This is not really true, but by the sheer fact that it is a bit difficult to cook much meaty food, we do eat more veggies than we used to. She then asked if I am still anti-vegan, to which he replied, yes. 🙁

Therefore, I write to clarify this a bit. It is not a matter of being anti-, it is a matter of being pro-. I am pro-health and pro-smart choices. As my friend stated, veganism is not a diet, but a belief system like any philosophy. Unfortunately, it is not a philosophy I am willing to buy into at the expense of health and smart choices.

What I would be interested in hearing are more stories about how being vegan has led to better health and longer-life. Instead what I have read and heard are stories of people who have developed incurable autoimmune diseases or damaged their organs so much from a lack of proper nutrients because of being vegan. Why on earth would anyone want to do this to themselves? Again, how is killing yourself going to actively help the animals from cruelty? I would rather see someone get injured from an actual protest against farm factories or riots in inhumane butcheries. At least then I could see how the injury to the body might actually have an effect. However, merely choosing not to buy something in the supermarket (which is already there!) and damaging the body just seems … well, stupid. Sorry if that offends, but honestly, how can causing the body to slowly deteriorate actually help the animals in need of protecting???

So, my challenge to those vegans out there who do read this blog, send me actual articles from a health standpoint that shows long-term benefits of being vegan OVER being vegetarian or eating whole natural foods. In other words, prove how veganism is better for the health than just eating in moderation or less meat and more veggies. Please leave the animal activist argument out of it and prove to me that this philosophy and belief system is actually worth the sacrifice of your body. I will happily read the evidence and re-consider whether or not I could actually become pro-vegan. However, at the moment, the arguments I see are no different than choosing to be Paleo or deciding to eat whole natural/raw food over processed food.

If we are simply talking about choice of food for the sake of animals, well, then we have nothing to discuss. It is like Muslims not eating pork or requiring halal food due to their beliefs. I respect these decisions to believe as one likes; however, it is best not to preach it as if it is a healthier, better-than-thou life-choice, because that is when indeed I am ANTI-anything. 😛

Still, do not get me wrong – I respect everyone’s personal choices and love them even if I do not agree. We can agree to disagree. 😉

~T 😀

More Snapchat Fun

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Aug 312016
 

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I have decided that I only like my voice for vlogging on Snapchat if there is a funny voiceover. Although the face isn’t great, I can live with it. 😛

M is probably right that I’m just a little bored playing with this, but it’s also a case of getting myself used to the new world of videoing more as I imagine I’ll need to do some for my business or something. 

Although I follow some people whom I think are entertaining and like to see the new Instagram storylines, I am still not convinced that I can be as entertaining or creative. So, I do this kind of thing to make light and create a sense of comfort for what may come. 😉

Hope it entertains you!

~T 😀

Money Turns Green or Mean

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Aug 302016
 

Some topics are generally shied away from – politics, religion, sex, and money.

Mostly I touch on these subjects freely, but lightly, even though I do not really know the breadth of my audience since this space is primarily for my own entertainment. Still, with the Internet the way it is and knowing that my digital footprint is rather huge, I try not to offend or be too obvious about my personal life. I even generally only use initials for names rather than reveal full identities of those in my life – though if you know me or see me regularly, you would probably know whom I refer to in my posts.

So, I hesitate a bit to write this knowing that there is a chance someone will read it fully aware of all the details. This is a chance I shall take as I feel the need to write, but will also attempt to stay as vague as possible on certain aspects. 🙂

As may or may not have been clear from my posts over the past few months, we have struggled financially. This is something that I knew about fully going into my relationship with M. It was also an area of concern in early conversations with my friends about the future with M. However, love can conquer all and it can be fairly easy to ignore to such things when there is a steady income to allow for life to proceed superficially as normal. 😛

Once I quit my job we knew that life would be a bit of a struggle for us initially, but needing to learn a lesson in trust and letting go, we went ahead with the decision to give it a go so that I could be happier and pursue my business. I do not regret this decision by any means as I listen to my friends talk about their return to work. 😛

Still, it has not been an easy road and we have had to borrow a large sum of money from a very generous friend. We have also been blessed by the generosity of our other friends who have kindly covered meals for us, offered their homes and laundry facilities, or just laughed with us through the surreality of our situation at the moment.

To be a little bit fair to us, if a few circumstances, such as getting our visas sooner or not having my bank account frozen with my money in it, had gone another way we would be in a much better place right now. However, that is not the case, thus we are where we are.

As I said, our friends have indeed been more on the green side – meaning that they have just been above and beyond in their generosity. I can only hope that we will be able to adequately repay them or at least express our gratitude to them once we find a return to ‘normal’. Still, some can be mean or have a limit to their green generosity.

While I have learned to let go of my ego throughout all of this – there’s just no way to have anything other than humility when money is tight or non-existent -, it is still not an easy thing to ask for money or to even allow others to pay for things. Therefore, the last thing that I want to receive is a lecture or expressions of judgment regarding our financial decisions. Perhaps once we are through the sh*t, I can sit back to laugh and discuss the stupidity of what has led us to our current situation; but now is definitely NOT the time. Instead of being willing to listen or push beyond the limits of my humility, I feel as if the other party is just being mean in a time when all I really need is love and support…. I do not deny that a lecture is probably needed or that a re-evaluation of how we are going to move forward financially is required; however, what is important at the moment is that we get ourselves to the point where such a conversation will have full effect rather than forcing a wall to go up and even challenge the value of a friendship….

To avoid sounding ungrateful or rude, I reiterate that indeed we are very thankful and blessed to have such friends in our lives who have been more green than mean. I hope to be able to write again soon that we are rolling with the homies in the monies!!! 😛

~T 😀

Just Call Me “Ms Bradshaw”

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Aug 292016
 

A couple of months ago a friend told me that I should be writing now that I have the time. I was a bit hesitant making some excuses about this and that. However, in the end I realized she was right. 

I also began to look for some freelance work on Upwork where I had previously gotten work writing briefs of stories and thought that I would try it again. However, it was slow going and so I decided to leave my profile as is letting the universe take control of whether or not jobs would come. 

As I let go of active searching I also thought how lovely it would be to find something for Asian women. I have often lamented how growing up I struggled to find role models or information that was relevant to me as a non-Asian Asian. Knowing that I didn’t have enough in me to start such a thing, I wondered why someone else hadn’t yet done something. 

A mere few weeks later I was contacted by the editor of an upcoming online magazine that would target Asian women – natives to expats to dis/misplaced. The universe definitely heard my ponderings! 😛

Thus, I agreed to write an initial piece for April Magazine, which has now been published. You can read the article here.  

I’m happy with how the piece turned out and quite excited to become a regular contributor. It’s a nice challenge to write for a more public and neutral audience than just my blog(s) or academic ones. 

M is pleased that now he can make the SATC dream come alive and he can be “Big”. 😉

~T 😀

Solitude In Unity 

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Aug 282016
 

As part of my yoga teacher training it has been extremely important to build my own practice at home to ensure that I do poses and breathing as I learn in training. However, sometimes I lack motivation on my own or I find it challenging to set aside enough time each day to practice at home.

For some reason, I have no problem setting aside time to go to a yoga class at the Bodytree Studio throughout the week. What I find interesting about this is that often I hear people mention how difficult they find it to start attending a yoga class for the first time because people are not usually very social in a yoga class. Thus, new attendees may feel intimidated, especially if they think their level of yoga is “not that good”.

This is interesting on many levels. First, yes, it is indeed true that most yogis tend to keep to themselves in a yoga class. Not because they are unfriendly, but because by the very nature and philosophy of yoga, it is an introspective activity. The whole point of doing yoga is to lose the ego and sense of self. When we hold poses, we are about pushing ourselves to new limits, not really about comparing ourselves to others in the class – though this does happen. So, it is easy to see how it might look intimidating to someone just starting or trying to make friends through a studio class.

Also, let me highlight again that yoga is not about comparing our ability to do poses with others. However, inevitably, a new attendee or even beginner to yoga will feel self-conscious about his/her skill at holding particular poses. In a mixed level class it can often feel as if no one is actually a beginner, but the truth is that everyone is always a beginner no matter how long one has been practicing yoga. It is a practice and each day is a new day. Therefore, there should be no comparisons that someone seems more flexible or more advanced than someone else. It is our egos that get in the way of this and create a sense of isolation in a class.

Finally, I would like to remind us of the meaning of yoga. It is union. Union with others humans, union with the world around us from the animals, plants, earth, universe and union within ourselves from our bodies and our minds. It is for this reason that I prefer to do yoga in a class than at home. It is a feeling of union with others. Although we may create a sense of solitude in our yoga practice – even in a class – there is unity in the flow of practice that we do together as one human race spreading peace and love to the world.

~Namaste

~T 😀

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