Delighting in the Being of Consciousness
It was two years ago that I practice serious Yoga. Two years ago, my schedule started to get busy over the weekend, and it was hard for me to follow conscientiously the Saturday afternoon class, I quitted the class of Florence the Yogi. Occasionally I joined the yoga class in the gym. But it was hardly the same calm and still atmosphere that embraced every class of Florence.Mani is the teacher of Jessie. Every Tuesday she will leave the office on time with her lime green bag of Yoga gear tug neatly under her arm. I thought is time I pick up my serious Yoga in view of the increasing hectic schedule of airports hopping and irregular sleeping time.
The house where Yogi Mani teaches is a semi-D bungalow at Brickfield. There was a writing inscribed on a wooden panel on the door that says “House of Yoga”. The class has commenced when I arrived. Large size paintings of various Yoga pose adorned the wall. Jessie said her teacher teaches Yoga to other Yogi. He is lean and dressed in dark blue T-shirt and pants and yet you could sense steely calmness from his tone and the gaze in his eyes.
The rhythms are slow and yet focused. Contrary to what most people belief, slow and calm not necessarily means relax. Yoga has the same effect as Tai Chi. As Yogi Mani recites the count, he instructed us to feel the weight of our body on the floor. “Only when you feel the weight of your body on the floor”, said him, “you are in a state of mindfulness, completely aware of your body and your surrounding”.
I smiled at this very enlightening advice of his. How many times in our day-to-day life have we allowed ourselves to feel completely without judgement, just like we allow ourselves to feel the weight of our body on the floor? The feeling of my weight on the floor was very real and fulfilling.
On the way driving back home, I allowed myself to feel my weight in the seat of the car, how the car suspension shook when I drove over the bumps and how the left car stereo seemed to be louder than the right one. There is a joy in this feeling, that I can feel my surroundings, myself - the joy that I am like someone coming alive again from hibernation, recognizing again myself.
2 Comments:
I have read a feature aricle on Sin Jew jit Poh concerning this Yoga coach Mani.I wish I have the chance to be his student. My lady coach teaches only the posture and breathing, and very little on the meditation of yoga. Wendy should not miss the chance of learning under Mani.
JJ
Yeh, I love my once a week yoga session! One of my colleagues whom is a yoga teacher herself holds a class at work each week. It is great! To be so aware of one's body, postures and to totally let go is a great feeling!
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