mOmentOm yOga. . . steady, cOmfy, happy, yOga. . .

3Click on timetable image for an enlarged view.

Instructors:

C: Master Chua Kah Joo
K: Dr Kajal Pandit
SF: Chee Sau Fen
M: Michele Thompson





FUNdamentals (1 hour): for newbie yogis
. . .yoga basics for people who are entire new to yoga & beginners
-introduction to the practices of yoga pranayama, asana, relaxation techniques

MOMentum (1hour 30 minutes): for regular yogis
. . .regular yoga classes for those who are already familiar with basic poses, techniques
-development of basic skills. Introduction to variations of practice, eg. yoga flows.-help to develop basis for a home practice-introduciton to meditation

INtensity (1hour 30 minutes): for seasoned yogis
. . .to develop deeper understanding of individual and the yoga practices, pranayama, asana, etc.
-emphasis on meditative approach, eg. Yin Yoga, as a foundation for meditation practice.

PRANayama/DHYANa (1 hour): for all yogis
. . .breathing techniques for engergisation and relaxation leading to meditative techniques for mental strength and health

Notes:
. . . No classes on public holidays
. . . yOga+gOngfu classes are on Sundays 10am-12pm

Click on timetable image for an enlarged view.

Instructors:

C: Master Chua Kah Joo

K: Dr Kajal Pandit

SF: Chee Sau Fen

M: Michele Thompson

.

.

FUNdamentals (1 hour): for newbie yogis

. . .yoga basics for people who are entire new to yoga & beginners-introduction to the practices of yoga pranayama, asana, relaxation techniques

MOMentum (1hour 30 minutes): for regular yogis

. . .regular yoga classes for those who are already familiar with basic poses, techniques-development of basic skills. Introduction to variations of practice, eg. yoga flows.-help to develop basis for a home practice-introduciton to meditation

INtensity (1hour 30 minutes): for seasoned yogis

. . .to develop deeper understanding of individual and the yoga practices, pranayama, asana, etc.-emphasis on meditative approach, eg. Yin Yoga, as a foundation for meditation practice.

PRANayama/DHYANa (1 hour): for all yogis

. . .breathing techniques for engergisation and relaxation leading to meditative techniques for mental strength and health

Notes:

. . . No classes on public holidays

. . . yOga+gOngfu classes are on Sundays 10am-12pm

Gentle reminder here that Dr. Kajal's conducting a new yoga class at 7:00-8:30pm Wednesdays starting tomorrow.

Yogis can use their existing mOmentOm yOga class package cards to attend this class. (Yogis transferred from Rejuvoir, you can use your transferred yoga classes to try out Dr Kajal's class until 30 June 2006.)


— When you come down for class this week, also don't forget to register for the Pran Vidya (breathing techniques) workshop on Sunday 2 July 2006.


Profile of Dr Kajal Pandit:

International Yoga expert and award winner, Dr Kajal Kumar Pandit began studying yoga at the age of 10, under the careful guidance of his guru, Swami Tushar Kanti (Disciple of Swami Shibananda Swaraswati). Born in West Bengal, India, Dr Kajal spent his youth studying yoga, music, art and environmental science. Through many years of single-minded dedicated practice and with the encouragement of his elder sister, Annapurna Pandit, herself a great yogi and spiritualist, his perseverance ultimately led him to an academic career in the field of educational yoga. He has received numerous degrees from prestigious universities.

His illustrious study and teaching of yoga has earned him recognition in both India and abroad including the ‘Proud Son of India’ gold medal (1999) and the ‘Great Son of India' gold medal (1998), awarded to him by the International Human Council for his contributions to yoga education. Dr Kajal has an impressive portfolio, having been an advisor to a host of organizations including India’s Institute of Ecology & Environment, and personal trainer to Indian ministers including the Late Minister Raj Mangal Pandey (H.R.D. Minister of India) and P.N. Sinha (Minister of Science & Technology, Bihar). He was also physical education/yoga instructor at the Mother’s International School in New Delhi, India for thirteen years.

With an educational specialization in the treatment of Chronic Illnesses Dr Kajal emphasizes the therapeutic potential of yoga through proper breathing techniques and correct body alignment to prevent injuries. He treats yoga as an art form, and believes yoga should be performed gracefully and in a mindful manner. While his methodology focuses on improved physical balance, flexibility, and coordination of the body, his calm and insightful teaching mannerisms create a healing environment of relaxation and body renewal for his students.

Dr Kajal holds a PhD in Yoga Education from Moscow, Russia; a DSc in Yoga with emphasis on Alternative Complimentary Medicine from the Netherlands; and a MS degree in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from India.

This is an update of a previously posted news.
Please note that the date of the breathing workshop is now Sunday 2 July 2006.

PRAN VIDYA WORKSHOP

mOmentOm yOga will be conducting a pranayama (breathing techniques) workshop by yoga master Dr Kajal Pandit. "Pran" refers to "pranayama" which is the mastery of your body's energy (or 'qi') and "vidya" means "knowledge". Most of us have a superficial understanding of what it takes to energise ourselves and no knowledge of how to exercise our energy body. So do yourself a great favour and make sure you arrange your schedule so that you can attend this workshop because this a not-to-be missed opportunity to learn not just pranayama techniques but also to practice together with this master of the techniques.

Learn how to manage your body's energy through breathing techniques which either energise or relax you. Breathing well is the basis for physical, emotional and mental health - it ensures that you are at the peak of your performance in whatever you choose to do whether it's running a marathon or striking a business deal. Once and for all, learn how to manage the stress in your daily life. In this comprehensive workshop you can directly experience the benefits of practice and learn how to apply the practice to your daily lives. And with regular practice, you can enjoy long terms benefits in health & happiness.

Remember: while we can't change what happens to us in life, we can always change how we respond to these happenings. . . by breathing well we develop a steady and ready frame of mind come what may.

Date for workshop: Sunday 2 July at 8:00-10:00am.

Investment: $48 for mOmentOm yOgis, $58 for public

Venue: mOmentOm yOga, 241B Victoria St, Bugis Village (opposite Bugis Junction). See map.
As our mOmentOm yOgis would know, the space is limited in our humble studio.
So reservation of places is absolutely necessary. Reservation is upon payment of the workshop fees. First-come-first served. . . (workshop fees are non-refundable - you can get someone to replace you in the event you can't make it after you've reserved your place)

Preparation:
Please do not consume a heavy breakfast before coming for the workshop. (Light snack is ok.)
Wear clothes that enable you to sit comfortably on the floor.
Workshop is suitable for adults, with or without prior yoga experience.

--------------------------------

** Special Bonus **

Since you've already got your self up early on a Sunday, why not make the most of your trip down to mOmentOm yOga on 2 July?

Following the Pran Vidya Workshop, you can attend the yOga+gOngfu class at 10am-12pm in same venue for only $15 per person.
AND for mOmentOm yOgis with valid class packages, if you attend the Pran Vidya Workshop, you simply have to pay an additional $10 for the yOga+gOngfu trial.

So make good use of your new found energies after the energising session of Pran Vidya and put it into learning some new martial arts moves and gentle yoga stretches!

mOmentOm yOga is happy to introduce Dr Kajal Pandit to our yogis.
"Doctor", as he is affectionately addressed by his students, is an experienced yoga teacher with more than 30 years behind him in the field of yoga. He teaches a dynamic hatha yoga practice which is invigorating for all aspects of your body, heart, mind and spirit.

We will be steadily adding more new classes by Dr Kajal. The first weekly yoga classes to at mOmentOm yOga conducted by Dr will be:

Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30pm (starting 21 June 2006)
Saturdays, 8:00-9:30am (starting 17 June 2006)

Existing mOmentOm yOgis can use their valid class cards' credits to attend these classes.
Yogis transferred from Rejuvoir need to purchase a mOmentOm yOga class package to attend these classes.

Please let us know if you would like to come down for these classes: tel 63344100

Our new brochure and the online timetable will be updated soon as we are finalising details with Dr K. Please bear with us.

Yoga is not a religion.
Yoga is not an idea.
Yoga is not an exercise programme.
Yoga is not something that makes you feel good.
Yoga is not an option.
Yoga is not a hobby.
Yoga is not an indulgence.
Yoga is not a luxury.
Yoga is not a distraction.
Yoga is not an obsession.
Yoga is not a challenge.
Yoga is not a competition.


Yoga is life. All life is yoga.


If we live but anything less than in yoga, we live beneath our potential, we live in denial of the immense promise of life. To live in yoga means to live united in body, heart, mind, spirit. The fact that we have different words for body, heart, mind, spirit shows how divided we are within ourselves. The purpose of the yoga teachings is to teach us how to exist with the inner coherence that makes us great men and women. There is a joy from this completeness that surpasses all other joys: it is the feeling that wherever you are, whatever you do, you are not ever alone. You are always taking care of the whole. Your selfish concerns and fears have diminished to zero. You move with courage, with urgency, because what is important concerns the welfare of all. There is no more disappointment because all your efforts have already been channeled towards the highest goals for the larger good without expectations of any returns for your ego. When we live in this way, how can we believe that we can be anything less than divine.

This is the meaning of the practice. Yoga is not that which happens in the classroom for 1.5 hours, it is what we choose to do the rest of the time too. The classroom gives us a chance to learn some skills, "the rest of the time" is the arena for practice. . . this "practice" here is not a rehearsal, it is the application to real life and it has real consequences. Our yogis often come excitedly to me and report with some surprise that they tried some yoga practices in their daily lives and "it works"! Of course it works. 4,000 years of trial and error has been spent on these techniques and teachings. It is like this in the beginning. But when we realise that some practice "works" for us, making us happier, healthier, then we should grow in confidence for the effectiveness of the practice AND be committed to practice, becoming mindfully aware of yoga in all aspects of our lives. Give ourselves the chance to live in a better way. Come on, if you know something works and can make your life happier, healthier, aren't you shortchanging yourself by not actively putting it into practice. How is it that we can continue to allow ourselves to be deprived in this way? How is it that we do not recognise the urgency of the task since our lives are so fleetingly short? We live as though we will always have a second chance tomorrow, but there will come a day when there is no tomorrow. . . that day could be today.

Today, it is time, to ask yourself how serious you are about yoga. You can continue to exist as you have, an unresolved, discontented individual full of inner conflict, subject to the unrelenting uncertainties of the randomness of feelings, desires, thoughts, living apart from the world isolated by the narrowmindedness of your ego-centric perspective. Or you can rise above all this and find union within your being and come home to your place and purpose in the grand scheme of things, never be apart from the joy of knowing who you are again.

Practise for life. Our life is our practice.

Just who do you think you are?

I have talked about 2 of the 3 universal characteristics of all things: anicca (change or impermanence) and dukkha (unsatisfactoriness). I took a long time with the last of these characteristics because it is hard to explain and harder to accept for me. Usually anatta is translated as “non self” (I can hear the collective “huh?!” from all of you) which does little to clarify anything. I was frustrated with this but then I learned that this goes to show the limits we have so frequently with language. The problem is not the language per se. The limitations of our language is a reflection of how we are so stuck in a certain way of viewing the world. We have not the proper words for reality because we have a habit of forcing reality into categories which do not exist except in our own minds. It is meaningful that it was through poetry where I first had an inkling of anatta, in particular, zen poems which breaks down the ordinary uses of language and words, and so breaks down ordinary thought patterns.

The concept of anatta or non-self is the hardest for me to understand, the most difficult to live with in daily life. We instinctively think, “if there is no me. . . then how?!” We feel we have reached the end of our universe as we know us. . . and beyond the confines of who we normally think we are, we think there is nothing. And boy, do we not want to go there and drop over that abyss! This all goes to show how strongly attached we are to our self-image. It shows how much this self-image tries to protect itself to perpetuate what turns out to be a lie, delusion, mirage.

There is nothing essentially wrong with us. What is wrong is how we perceive the world. What is wrong is the habitual ways with which we view the world - ourselves included. This kind of view is flawed because it creates problems when it clashes head on with reality. We weave a story where we are the hero and everything happens to this hero. If something bad happens to this hero, it’s a tragedy. If something great happens, it’s an epic tale. The slings and arrows of outrages fortune hit us hard and we suffer for it because we think about ourselves in this way – there is someone, a target, to suffer the shots of slings and arrows. We think we are stuck in a fragile “self” that suffers good things and bad. This is an illusion and we suffer greatly for it because we are trying hard all the time to protect this illusion from harm. Yet, this also means: if there is no fragile self to protect and sustain, there can be no suffering.

I went through a dark, dark period trying to figure this out before meeting the right teachers who pointed out to me that there is no figuring out to be done, and asked me to sit in silent meditation. For it is in silence, when habitual methods of thinking ceases that we exist as something that is other than our self-centred self -- and we start to realise that vast spacious joy of existing beyond our narrow-minded, selfish, intellect-created self. We experience that there is only phenonena and the consciousness of phenomena, there is no real observer to mediate that experience, there is no permanent entity that interacts with phenomena and is conscious of it. There is only a constant stream of consciousness about changing phenomena. It is an illusion to identify with some parts of these streams of consciousness as "myself" because there is no permanent distinctive quality in these streams that is stable, that is graspable, that is independent of other causes.

When we finally experience anatta in the phenomena around us, it seems as basic as the air we breathe. I do not think we can remain unchanged once we truly experience this. We become generous, equanimous, larger than we can ever imagined because our former "personal boundaries" are abandoned, boundaries which used to separate "me" from "them", boundaries that used to be the boundaries of our personal protection, boundaries of the limits of our love and concern. All greed dies, all anger evaporates, and we become one with the miracle that is simply being. It is like a BIG BIG sigh of relief, a release of all tension you have felt in living life, guarding your precious little hide. In yoga, we call this. . . well, we call it “yoga” or “union”. It is a union of your small ego self with the larger self called the universe or all there is in existence. We dissolve into the larger self and cannot see ourselves nor our fate as separate from the larger existance any more. We will never feel like we are apart from the world anymore, we no longer feel alone for we are no longer trapped in the confines of our limited self consciousness which defines our separateness.

In a world where we are not the centre, we still exist and we exist fully. There is just no more separation of “me” versus “others”. Then we see how very deluded we were, fighting all the time over “mine” versus “yours”. It is no longer feasible to be angry because there is no other person for you to be angry at. When the mind is lax and starts to follow its habitual self-serving thoughts again, I like to do this exercise to keep me from losing sight of the larger self: When someone does something annoying to my ego-self, I just think, “that’s me over there doing that irritating thing – that’s me here who is still in delusion about who I am”. It is also not possible to be discompassionate nor emotionally callous because “that’s me over there who is suffering – that’s me over here who is still in delusion about who I am”. Try this, find union and wake up to who you really are today.

. . .

A human being is part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

-- Albert Enstein

One of our yogis commented last week that I seem to read a lot. I do. And I read it for you. . .for everyone. I think we read too little. And out of the little that we read, we learn even less. And out of the less, we put into practice practically nothing! This thought keeps me reading. And more, it motivates me to practice what I preach: the keys to our own happiness and freedom is already in us. . . however we need to walk the the darn door and turn the key and walk through ourselves! We read and learn and practice what the wise ones have taught -- we can do nothing less than miracles in making the world a better place. We can become a positive force for change if we but put one ounce of learning from the great teachers into serious practice. I wonder how we can allow ourselves to do anything less.

Perhaps it is because we love intellectual stimulation for it's own sake. It is like a drug - we get high on ideas and feel momentarily free from the troubles of daily life. Sometimes reading something inspiring feels as good as solving our problems. "Yeh! That is a great idea! It could work! I can finally be happy! There is hope after all!" We feel that our intellect has been nicely and thoroughly massaged and we feel that we are above our problems and faults because it seems so clearly resolved in our thinking minds. We forget that there's a vast chasm between our thinking and doing. When the feeling of mental europhoria inevitably fades, we find ourselves right back where we were in the same mess because with our inaction, nothing has really changed. Then we plough through our bookstore or library shelves for the next book to get us the next high. We are, many of us, book junkies. I was like this. Until yoga happened for me - I learnt the importantce of creating a momentum for change through a personal commitment to practice - and I read Mahatma Gandhi's biography and I tried to live by his example.

As Mahatma Gandhi says: "The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems".

I learned from this great man that life is not an idea, nor a series of random catastrophes that happen to us which we try to cope with, it is one great opportunity to accomplish individual fulfillment by developing our potentials thoroughly and be an asset to humanity. Through his practice of what he believes in his daily life, he has inspired millions and changed the destiny of many.

Here are some of the books I live by:
[Libraries and bookshops (try Kinokuniya) should have these books in stock: if these are not in stock, demand that they bring the titles in! People need to have access to them!]

Non-fiction:
Stillness Speaks. . . by Eckhart Tolle
The Wisdom of Insecurity. . . by Alan Watts(many other titles by this author is worth exploring)
The Book. . . by Alan Watts IF THERE'S ONLY ONE BOOK YOU CAN READ, MAKE IT THIS ONE!
There is Nothing Wrong with You. . . by Cheri Huber
Meditation. . . by Eknath Easwaran (many other titles by this author too)
God Makes the Rivers to Flow. . . edited by Eknath Easwaran
How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life. . . by The Dalai Lama (many other titles)
many titles by Mahatma Gandhi who was a prolific writer
Beat Spirit. . . by Mel Ash
Bring out the Magic in your Mind. . . by Al Koran
Who Ordered this Truckload of Dung? (earlier published as "Opening the Door of Your Heart") by Ajahn Brahmavamso
many titles on the teachings of Ajahn Chah
many titles by Alain de Botton
A Year to Live: How to Live This Year as If It Were Your Last. . . by Stephen Levine
Cave in the Snow. . . by Vicki MacKenzie

Classics:
Upanishads (various published versions try the one edited with commentary provided by Eknath Easwaran)
Bhagavad Gita (various published versions, also try the Eknath Easwaran one)
Dhammapada (various published versions, also try the Eknath Easwaran one)

Fiction:
Veronika Decides to Die. . . by Paulo Coelho
The Baron in the Trees. . . by Italo Calvino
Silk. . . by Alessandro Baricco
The Egony and the Ecstacy. . . by Irving Stone
The Lord of the Rings. . . by J.R.R. Tolkien

Read some, learn much, practice more. . .

and so, I too, am writing a book about what I have learnt through my practice.

. . .

However many holy words you read,
However many you speak,
What good will they do you
If you do not act upon them?

Read as few words as you like
And speak fewer.
But act upon the law.


-- Dhammapada

Good news!

Master Chua (who co-conducts our Sunday gOngfu+yOga classes) and I are in discussion to organise a joint retreat for his disciples and our yogis.

For those of you who missed out on our Yoga Escape! to Loola, Bintan last year. . . don't miss it this time! See pictures of the fun we had here.

The plan this time, for Master Chua and I, is to jointly conduct the programme at the retreat. Master Chua is not just an expert of Wing Chun (Yong Chun) Gongfu but he is also an instructor of Qi Gong and other methods. This means that participants would have the opportunity to practice these techniques in the outdoors, in nature -- as our Loola participants found, practicing with nature was an exhilarating feeling -- bringing about a sense of oneness with the universe.

We are in the process of developing the programme, the location and prices are not confirmed yet. But similar to the Loola retreat, the programme would not be jam-packed with too many things to do. We want to quiet down our mental noise not create more noise! You can look at the previous programme for an idea of how things were done.

In the meantime, Master and I would like to find out the level of interest out there for such a retreat if we were to conduct this on the following dates: 9-12 August (Wednesday to Saturday) the National Day weekend. Participants can have the option of staying one more day on their own on Sunday. Please drop us an email, mOmentOmyOga@gmail.com and let us know if you're interested. Participation is open to all yogis and their friends. Prior experience in yoga and gongfu not required.