Satya Yoga

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• Can Strength & Conditioning and Yoga Complement Each Other?

  By Satya Yoga | March 29th, 2011

  Yoga has become a very popular means of improving flexibility, strength, breathing efficiency, mental calmness and reducing stress, in no small part because of its low impact nature – meaning almost anyone can take part.

  All of the yoga routines require the ability to hold poses in positions that require core strength and the ability to hold one’s bodyweight. By being able to achieve this, only then can the full benefits of yoga be reaped. Some of us already have sufficient core strength and can hold ourselves up with relative ease. There are however, some who are not capable of doing so. This is where strength and conditioning can help.

  With strength and conditioning, muscle strength, core strength and overall body functionality can be improved so that yoga is not only more enjoyable, but the benefits can be achieved faster.

  Strength and conditioning involves resistance training with dumbbells and other free weight equipments. This should not be confused with bodybuilding because the goals of the two are worlds apart. Bodybuilding is focused on developing large amounts of muscles and definition, while strength and conditioning is focused on developing overall body functionality pertaining a particular activity or specific sporting discipline.

  This works vice versa as well with the benefits of improved flexibility, balance and coordination. Many studies have shown that improved flexibility and balance can lead to greater strength gains, while coordination and balance help to keep our cognitive function in check. As we age, our strength, balance and coordination start diminishing. With yoga and/or resistance training, we can slow down the rate at which these abilities diminish. By doing so, we can greatly reduce the risk and incidence of falls and age-related diseases like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

  From this we can see that strength and conditioning and yoga can complement each other to reap gains that could be greater than those achieved by just one mode of exercise.

  Scott Vanderput
  Strength and Conditioning Coach
  scott_vanderput@hotmail.com

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• I.M.Perfect Getaway

  By Satya Yoga | March 15th, 2011

  

  I.M.Perfect Getaway : renew | recharge | rediscover

  Spend 4 days / 3 nights immersed in the beauty of Siem Reap and in the temples of Angkor Wat.

  Treat yourself to yoga, pilates, nature, healthy vegetarian food and karma yoga with Bloom Cambodia.

  The I.M.Perfect Getaway to relax, unwind and tune into yourself.

  
  Getaway details*

  Day 1 – 19 May, Thursday
  Arrival & pick up from airport
  Check into Bloom Garden Guest House & Rest
  Ice Breaker & Games
  Evening Yoga
  Welcome Dinner

  Day 2 – 20 May, Friday
  Sunrise Yoga
  Breakfast
  Visit to Bloom Cambodia
  Lunch & Free Time
  Sunset Yoga
  Dinner
  Games & Interaction
  Discussion : Let’s talk about food

  Day 3 – 21 May, Saturday
  Outdoor Yoga
  Breakfast
  Tour to Angkor Wat
  Lunch & Free Time
  Discussion & demonstration : Social & individual disciplines | What’s in Yoga Sutra?
  Power Pilates
  Cello Performance by Dr. Beat “Beatocello” Richner at Hospital Jayavarman VII
  Night Market (optional)

  Day 4 – 22 May, Sunday
  Yogalates
  Breakfast
  Free Time
  Check out & depart for airport

  *Itinerary may be subject to changes due to unforeseen circumstances.

  Early bird price S$650 (payment by 1 April)
  Regular price S$750 (payment from 2nd April onwards)
  Registeration will close on 20 April or when the maximum capacity of 20 persons has been fulfilled, whichever is earlier.

  Cost Includes:
  4 days/3 nights accommodation based on twin sharing
  Vegetarian meals – 3 breakfast, 2 lunch, 3 dinner
  Yoga & Pilates sessions
  Day Tour to Angkor Wat
  Pick-up from airport
  Wifi internet access (see full facilities for accomodation here)

  Cost Excludes:
  Airfares, travel insurance, airport taxes (USD25 upon departure), visa tax* (USD20 on arrival, if applicable), tips for driver & guide, room service, international phone calls, additional meals/drinks and other personal expenses.
  * Passport holders from Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore are permitted to enter Cambodia without visa.

  Flight options (not inclusive in the cost):
  Jetstar Airway, SilkAir & Singapore Airlines

  Refund Policy:
  Full refund for cancellation before 18 April 2011.
  NO REFUND THEREAFTER.

  We look forward to seeing you in Siem Reap!

  Love, peace & gratitude,
  Adeline & Shirly

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• The Journey Inward

  By Satya Yoga | March 7th, 2011

  Saturday mornings always feel like the best part of the week, and that is where I have been going for my weekly yoga practice at Satya Yoga since 2009. It was 2003 when I attempted my first yoga pose, and while I joined ad-hoc yoga classes in between the years, it was only in 2009 that I truly came to appreciate and feel the physical benefits as well as the transformational effects of yoga.

  Yoga, which derives its name from the word, “yoke” – to bring together, is an ancient practice that helps create a sense of union in body, mind and spirit. With the stretching of body and forming of different poses, I felt my body growing more flexible and stronger as I move from one asana – pose – to the other. The practice is also a lesson for both physical and mental endurance when we launch into poses that are not in our usual comfort zone. It encourages positive thoughts to challenge my limits, and it is always an exhilarating moment whenever I can push myself to a new level of flexibility and strength.

  Yoga focuses on slow, deep and controlled breathing while we hold our poses. This attention to breathe is calming as it dissolves tension and anxiety, quiets the mind and thereby, gaining a sense of peace and tranquility. The clearing of the mind also tunes me to turn inward and build an increased awareness of my own body and feelings. I am often called upon to make small, subtle movements to improve my alignment and physical posture. And most amazingly, I am also gaining an uncanny sense of sensitivity of an impending health disorder or infection, which in turns enables me to take pre-emptive corrective action (a husky breathing sounds alarm for an impeding lung infection, which is often an indication that I am over-exhausting my body).

  With the increased harmony and awareness of the body and mind, yoga also becomes essentially part of my spiritual life. Yoga teaches “right” living in how we deal with ourselves and others. As I work with a difficult pose, I learn patience, forgiveness and the value of gentleness. As I begin to know myself at peace, I put aside my self-consciousness and pride, to gain self-acceptance and love for myself. During the practice, I realize that though my body is not perfect, I am at least born healthy and with fully-abled limbs. And for this, I give my gratitude to my parents, as well as to Shirly – my ever kind but firm yoga instructor who challenges me but does not push – for opening me up to the values of well-being and happy living.

  Namaste!
  Helen Tay

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• Yoga Sutra 1.14

  By Shirly Oh | February 27th, 2011

  sah tu dirgha kala nairantaira satkara asevitah dridha bhumih

  When that practice is done for a long time, without a break, and with sincere devotion, then the practice becomes a firmly rooted, stable and solid foundation.

  Student: How often should we practise yoga?
  Teacher: Everyday!
  Student: Huh? But I don’t have time to do yoga everyday!
  Teacher: Make time. You make time to eat, shower, go shopping etc. Why not make time to take care of your wellbeing (now)?

  Some people think that you need a lot of time to practise yoga (or any form of exercise). The truth is you don’t. Even 5 minutes a day is a good start. Even if you only have time for one pose that is good enough. You can slowly work your way towards a longer practise.

  Everybody has different priorities and commitments (work, family etc) so we really need to be honest and understand why we practice yoga everyday. We brush our teeth everyday because we know daily brushing keeps our teeth healthy. Similarly, practising yoga daily makes our body healthy and stronger! So make time and make it a priority.

  There is simply no shortcut to taking care of our health. It is a lifetime commitment. Be patient. When you fall off the track, just keep coming back. When you keep doing it everyday, you will form a new habit, a good new habit that will be beneficial for you in the long run!

  99% practise, 1 % theory – Sri K Pattabhi Jois

  Quick Tips:
  - Wake up early (sleep early)
  - Set aside a specific time for practise
  - Set a reminder on your phone
  - Do it just before your lunch (chair yoga!)
  - Get buddy support!
  - Choose a variety of poses everyday / week
  - Be realistic and plan according to your daily schedule
  - Keep trying and never quit!

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• Yoga Sutra 2.36

  By Adeline Lum | February 27th, 2011

  Satyapratisthayam kriyaphalasrayatvam
  
  One who shows a high degree of right communication, will not fail in his actions.

  “Satya” means “truthful” in Sanskrit, a value for self-study that we encourage. Whether to being truthful to others or to ourselves, we should observe this teaching at all times.

  What is the difference between a successful man and someone who is not? His words. The communication with himself and with others is based on truth. On the other hand, one who does things untruthfully starts off with the habit of lying to themselves and towards others.

  When we establish untruthfulness, our words and acts pull us away from who we are. Our life is rooted in lies.
  When we establish truth, words become potent, and it will become true.

  A successful life can happen to anyone of us, only if we want it.

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• Check Your Schedule!

  By Adeline Lum | February 27th, 2011

  An old phrase goes, “what you’re doing speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you’re saying.”

  Do you still have your resolution list that you’d sworn to achieve in 2011?

  There’s one simple way to find out if you’ll reach those goals by the end of the year – check your schedule book. We don’t need a fortune-teller to predict this, because our schedule never lies. It reflects bluntly the things that you are busy with each day; how you’ve prioritized your goals.

  We can tell many people that we want to do this and that; if none of these activities can be found in your schedule book, we’re not moving any closer to our goals. There can be no real success if our daily schedule is misaligned with our values. If there’s a gap between what we do and who we actually are, we are losing the grip of integrity.

  It’s always easy to say we want to be a better person; we all like to talk a good talk, good for socializing. But talk is cheap, open your schedule book and it’ll show you where your priorities are.

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• Vegetarianism

  By Shirly Oh | November 8th, 2010

  My stepbrother was a vegetarian 10 years ago. He gave up after two years as it was rather difficult to get ‘proper’ vegetarian food back then. Also many people were unable to ‘digest’ his diet choice.

  ‘No meat? What do you eat?’
  ‘Vegetables? So bland and boring!’
  ‘Where do you find energy to work?’

  Ten years later, I am a vegetarian myself (working towards a vegan diet after being confronted with an orange sized ovarian cyst due to overconsumption of dairy products).

  Similarly like my brother, I encountered a lot of friends still asking the same questions. However, nowadays vegetarianism is more widely accepted and people are more health conscious.

  Here are 1,000 reasons to go vegetarian (just kidding, only 8!)
  (Compliments from justlife lifestories special edition)

  1. No meat, no protein?
  This is one of the biggest myths about protein deficiency. Besides beans and legumes, broccoli, spinach, cabbage, eggplant, petai and seaweeds provide more than sufficient protein when consumed adequately. Instead animal protein is higher in fats and calories. A 6-ounce broiled steak provides 38g of protein but delivers 44g of fats!

  2. God’s will to be meat eater?
  Our physiological structures are a lot more closer to herbivores than carnivores. E.g. our intestinal tract is 10-12 times our body length and it is designed for a high fiber diet, available only from plant food. Meat DOES NOT digest well in such environment, which contributes to constipation and colon cancer. We cannot tolerate the sound and cries of animals being killed and the mere sight of blood is disturbing to us.

  3. Choosing meat over veggies to avoid pesticides?
  Researches revealed that the agricultural chemicals resides accumulated in livestock are 13 times higher than in conventional vegetables. Besides various drugs are used to treat the livestock – antibiotics (treat sickness and promote growth), steroids (build bulk and weight) and they are commonly fed with mixtures containing contaminated chemical residues.

  4. Mock meat healthy or harmful?
  Mock meat is unhealthy! A lot of artificial additives (e.g. MSG, colouring, flavouring and preservatives) are added to make them look and taste like real meat! In restaurants, the mock meat is usually fried in hydrogenated oil to enhance the taste, making it even unhealthier!

  5. White meat over red meat?
  Fish or chicken contains just as much saturated fats as red meat. Plus it is no longer safe to consume them due to toxic accumulation (polychlorinated biphenyles), which causes birth defects and cancers. To meet the growing demand, lots of chickens are raised on chemical feeds that can cause synthetic accumulation in our body leading to chronic diseases.

  6. Wasteful organic meat?
  A better option but not necessarily saving the world’s resources. It takes more feeds, land, water, energy etc to produce each pound of organic meat. The best alternative, eat more vegetables!

  7. Milk – myth or must?
  Another popular myth. Drink milk to increase calcium intake. Are you ready? Extensive studies have proven that excessive cow’s milk (which is high in calcium) can actually cause body acidity due to its high protein content. In fact, our body will ‘borrow’ calcium (which is an alkaline mineral from our bones) to balance the acidic condition. An over acidic body condition will lead to reduced bone mass and osteoporosis in the long term!

  8. Make no bones about eggs!
  A hen normally lays about 20 eggs a year but the egg-laying hen is forced to lay 300 eggs a year! Modern day factory farming allocates the hens in barren battery cages with artificial lighting to increase egg production. These hens are restricted from nesting, perching, walking on solid ground! How can their eggs be healthy for consumption under these conditions? Further more, salmonella contamination can take place in both cage and cage-free production. In fact, egg is also one of the most common foods that cause allergy in infants and young children!

  It’s your body.

  It’s your choice.

  Eat wisely and live healthy.

  We are what we eat!

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• Yoga Sutra 2:46

  By Shirly Oh | November 8th, 2010

  sthira sukham asanam

  The posture of the body during the practise and at other times (as also the posture of the mind, or altitude to life) should be firm and pleasant.

  Unsteadiness of the body/limbs is an indication of the unsteadiness of the mind.

  Patanjali (the writer of Yoga Sutras) gave us three hints based on this sutra:

  1. Keep practise mild and steady.
  Do not overdo or give up practise too easily. Similarly in life, we tend to burn out ourselves with too many commitments, resulting in frustration or resignation. Instead, we should pace ourselves and learn to practise sincerely. The results will be more desirable and long lasting.

  2. Meditation
  Instead of thinking meditation as sitting down for long hours, think meditation as slowing down, increasing concentration, doing less and focusing in the things that we do (instead of multi tasking). Again this helps to increase steadiness in our postures.

  3. Connect the mind with the postures.
  When we connect with our mind, this mind gives us the strength to stay grounded and focus. When our attention is flowing in one direction, this gives us tremendous energy and power. We become less distracted and diverted in the things that we do. When we practise asanas, keep the mind steady to avoid restlessness.

  Think when you experience discomfort in practicing, balance may be challenging or the mind may be disturbed. Breathe and observe the internal activity. Keep practising. Gradually the pose becomes more pleasant and steady. Most importantly avoid working with the postures mechanically or with violence.

  We can interpret postures/asanas/practise with our relationship with people. When there is no conflict (disturbances, fluctuations), the relationship will be long lasting. But when unhappiness, it takes time to mend the relationship and build trust.

  Be firm and centered yourself –
  in practise/postures/relationships.

  So that even when there is conflict, you will find comfort and inner joy. When you are at peace with yourself, you wouldn’t be drawn into conflict or arguments. You will radiate peace and joy and inner happiness.

  Keep practicing.

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• Excuse me!

  By Adeline Lum | November 8th, 2010

  Whooosh! We are almost at the end of 2010.

  How many of your goals set at the beginning of 2010 have been fulfilled? It is always interesting that we like to set a long list of goals at the beginning of each year and realize towards the end that nothing much has been achieved.

  Yet, we set the same long list the following year.

  We probably have a list of creative excuses throughout the years. How many times have we allowed excuses to diminish the light of our goals?

  “I am too busy with this…I’ve no time for that…” In the end, we have done nothing much for our well-being. We are still as lost, as empty, as drained as the last few years.

  Let us do something different for the coming year. Instead of laying out too many goals, let’s just stick to ONE goal – to eliminate all the excuses we have been using over the past years.

  Let us say aloud to everyone, “I am going to take charge of my health and it starts RIGHT NOW!”

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• Cholesterol: Not only the big sized issues

  By Adeline Lum | November 8th, 2010

  We know that high cholesterol is bad for your health, but how much do we really know about it?

  There are many misperceptions that cholesterol problems are only for oversized people. This is definitely not the case.

  Recently, the welfare departments in companies started offering health check-ups for their workforce in Singapore.

  Many were caught by surprise! “I am not overweight, I exercise regularly, why is my cholesterol level so much higher than the rest?”

  So what has gone wrong?

  First, let us understand how cholesterol works.

  Cholesterol can be found in our body system as a form of waxy fat – like substance. It helps with the formation of cell membranes and manufacture of hormones. However, we only need a small amount of cholesterol for all these functions. Cholesterol does not dissolve in the blood stream; it is transported in and out by carriers.

  There are 2 carriers in our cholesterol.

  High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) or the good cholesterol
  HDL helps to transport excess cholesterol away from the arteries, to the liver and out of our body. With its high density, HDL is more mobile to fulfill its function.
  
  Food sources: nuts, soy, beans, vegetables…

  Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) or the bad cholesterol
  Having too much LDL causes the formation of plagues build up on the artery walls which usually is the cause of health issues. Due to its low density, LDL causes too much cholesterol being stored in the blood stream.

  Food sources: animal meats and fats, trans-fats, saturated fats, fried food, butter and margarines…

  Our bodies always carry some amount of HDL and LDL at any one time. So, when does cholesterol start giving problems?

  When the level of HDL < LDL
  When there is too little HDL to help transport cholesterol out of the blood stream, as LDL does not do most of the job, this results in clogging of the artery walls; or Atherosclerosis, Stroke, Heart Attack.

  If you are not overweight, do exercise regularly and still have bad cholesterol level, you may want to check out your diet and the type of food you eat. Many people misunderstand that if they exercise regularly, they will be able to indulge in any junk food they want. But they tend to forget that their body will absorb the bad nutrients into the small intestines and blood stream as well.

  If you are overweight, eat healthy but do not exercise regularly, you may want to start a good workout plan. One may make healthy food choices, but overeat them. This also causes excessive cholesterol to build up, and slows down the body system. Exercising helps the body to maintain its metabolism rate and keeps the body functions moving at a regular pace.

  If you are overweight and eat unhealthily, please relook into your health now!

  How yoga helps?

  Sun Salutation will heat up the body system, release sweat, expand the blood vessels and arteries, strengthen and reduce the plague layers on the walls. Backbends and twisting are excellent to revitalize a lazy body, a great massage for the liver and improves blood circulation.

  Pranayama (breathing techniques) helps to increase the stability of the mind and awareness of our health by helping us to make good choices in terms of diet. With practice, Pranayama increases the strength of our mind to overcome the cravings of bad eating habits. This is very essential, so that we can trust ourselves to make sound decisions outside yoga classes.

  See what you’re eating. Know what you’re doing.

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