I’m kind of fascinated with how other people understand meditation.

I am able to see and imagine what each person may be feeling in a diverse yoga classroom when we end our last asana with a guided meditation. Some totally go to sleep. Others appear very peaceful. Still, a number of us have furrowed brows – probably how I look. I’ve never done yoga with Madoka, but she tells me that she has an awareness of her surroundings, but her mind goes blank. Again, I just imagine what a complete state of meditation might feel like, based on what I have heard about this practice.
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Last week, I went to yoga class on a different day, so I had a different instructor. Of course, there is always a feeling of unfamiliarity with a new instructor and new faces filling the class, but I’ve got to squeeze in yoga whenever possible.  The class was still the same level from the same yoga studio, so I thought to myself, “How different could it be?” (more…)

Stretch Your Body Not Your Budget
As previously mentioned, I’ve been doing a lot more yoga with my iPhone lately so I’ve decided to do a review of one of my favorite iPhone yoga apps.

“Yoga Trainer” by NexStudios has a great app that you can load onto your iPhone or iPod touch for only $0.99 – or you could try their ‘Lite’ version for free.

The only major difference between the two is that the Lite version has advertising. Aside from that, they both pack over 70+ poses and nine pre-defined yoga sequences, in addition to their quick introduction to yoga. (more…)

It’s been a long time since I posted my last blog, although it feels just like yesterday. I can’t seem to catch up with my daily life – it’s that fast how the days have been passing by.

Even though I have such a busy schedule, however, I sometimes play with Christina’s child. The other day he was in a “Yoga mood,” which started in the morning when he was teaching yoga to his baby-sitter. That evening, I decided to look for a yoga video on YouTube and started watching it with him. (more…)

The ten or 15 minutes of a guided meditation at the end of each yoga class is a contemplative thing for me. I think too much about the meditation itself, but I must admit that it’s time allotted for relaxation. So I take advantage of the fact that my time on a mat means a moment not to think about outside plans and tasks. However, I end up filling my mind with the words being spoken to me, telling me to imagine a light, or at other times think about “melting into the earth”.  I start wondering about the idea of a sparkling light traveling through different parts of my body and how that light is supposed to help a particular area.
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Last week, I went to a yoga class in the middle of the week. Normally, I wouldn’t have time to do that right after work, but I was able to squeeze in a session before dinner.
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In case anyone is wondering, I’m happy to report that I can now stand on one leg. I’ll have to get back to you on the walking on a wire part – just kidding. It actually is quite simple to do. Understanding what not to do is the best way to get off on the right foot (pun intended).
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I am able to pretty much twist myself into a pretzel. I know you probably don’t believe me, but I’m quite flexible. I can kiss my knees if I want to! But the thing I have trouble with is balancing. I feel like I am not doing yoga fully because I cannot achieve the one-leg balancing part, which probably means I have a lack of awareness of my body. Taking one breath is fine, but when I have to hold a tree pose through five Ujjayi breaths – forget it. I feel like a human seesaw. (more…)

Has anyone tried Nintendo Wii Fit? I was always curious about the computer game since it was the biggest sale item last Christmas. But I never expected to try it out during the Japan trip for my grandmother’s funeral.

After the funeral and seven-day ceremony for my grandmother, my brother and sister-in-law invited me to stay over at their place. Since I always talked about yoga, he told me that he had a Wii Fit and I should try Yoga on it. How exciting it was! (more…)

When I arrived in Japan for my grandmother’s funeral, I went at around 10 pm to the funeral hall where my grandmother was kept. As her closest family members, we stayed at a tatami room in the funeral hall with my grandma, preparing to stay up all night because we had to keep the incense sticks burning over the next few days until she was cremated. (more…)