I sometimes hear my students say,"I hate myself for not being able to do this today!". 

Sometimes I would jokingly congratulate them. Because they have just found things they can work on for the next few days/months/years. 

Yoga is a life long practice.  

Everyday is different. Your mood, body, thoughts and body feels different every day!

The practice of self-study (Svadiyaya) will make you understand how to listen to your body and control your body more over time. 

That, to me is the practice of yoga.  It is a practice to learn about yourself, your body and you!

Namasté,

Trev Neo

"I'm too old for yoga!"

I always tell my students, "Start moving before you can't move anymore. You don't want to be a burden to your children or other people as you age".

The practice of yoga teaches us to take care of ourselves before others. 

By keeping yourself active, you are able to lead a more fulfilling life!

Yoga posture (asana) practice would be slightly more challenging in the beginning especially if you have more years of habits to break away from, but it is still better to start NOW than never.

Start moving, live a fulfilling life!

That, to me is the practice of yoga.  It is a practice to learn about yourself, your body and you!

Namasté,

Trev Neo

A Hindu saint who was visiting river Ganges to take bath found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his disciples smiled 'n asked.

'Why do people shout in anger shout at each other?'

Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout.'

'But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.' asked the saint

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the other disciples.
Finally the saint explained, .

'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.

What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small...'

The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper 'n they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other 'n that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'

He looked at his disciples and said.

'So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant, Do not say words that distance each other more, Or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.'

A little conversation with my friend, Mark today struck me with an interesting thought. 

"I would like to know how yoga asanas(Postures) relate to philosophy and teachings.", he said.

The first posture that came to my mind was Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend).

How does this relate to philosophy?

There are many reasons why we bow.  Remember how you used to bow to your teachers in school and greet, "Good Morning, Teacher?" (Yes, We do that in Singapore)

To bow, we have to let go of our ego, lower ourselves and allow a display of humility and respect.

When we bow, we also display signs of respect, need, submission, gratitude, apology, acknowledgement.

It is also very interesting to know that all religions that I know practices bowing in their prayers.

To me, the practice of Uttanasana and many other forward bends carries the spirit of acknowledgement and honouring, to let go of our ego and feeling ever so ready and comfortable to bow down whenever necessary.



The art of human expression is so amusing and scientific to me. 

Forward bending has a calming effect on the mind and backward bending stimulates the nervous system. 

Although staying clam might sound good, we have to be careful not to get too comfortable and lose the drive to become better in life. (Yin)
Stimulating the nervous system too much would also cause much discomfort and unnecessary stress. (Yang)
Hence the practice of finding the balance is also very important!  

Ommmmmmmmmm...



One of the aims of yoga asanas (Yoga postures) is for us to listen to our bodies as we get into different postures, experience the sensations and translate those experiences into what we face in our daily lives.




What do you think?



Om Shanti,
Trev Neo