Emma The Yoga Bhani

I am blessed to have friends that come up with the best (and strangest) ways to have fun. Diva D and I was sitting around watching Step Up one Saturday afternoon when she sits up and says, "Oh! Let's go sign up for a yoga package!" And from my horizontal position on the couch I responded with a slouchy Getouttahere.

You see, I am not limber. Especially if there's nothing in it for me.

Being a person who has not been able to touch her toes without a great deal of stretch since, oh most probably her toddler days, I suffer from what I call exercise anxiety. Which loosely translated means, I would LIKE to exercise but I a) am busy b) am lazy c) would rather sleep. So of course I thought of Diva D's idea with some trepidation. Until I heard the good part. The part where she tells me Melee (a friend of ours) knows a yoga teacher called Vincent Tam. And that Vincent the Yogi is organising a yoga holiday package at The Chedi in Chiang Mai. The Chedi! Chiang Mai! I wonder if I could nicely ask the Concierge whether he could ask Vincent to move the 7am lessons to say, 10? Before I knew what hit me, completely agreeable to the thought of a swell girlie holiday, filled with bedtime gossip, pareos, massage oils and trashy novels, the Markets, the quirky places to eat, I yelled, "Let's GO!"

But yes, there is that bit about the yoga sessions in between the free laundry, cocktails, transfers, spa-ing, visiting the sites in Chiang Mai that I have to worry about. And I have 18 days to learn some yoga basics before Vincent makes me wear the Dunce hat in class because I giggle when he poses and says downward facing nn-doooog.

In a slight panic, I paid Danura a visit at Danurasana because she's done a swell job at making yoga a trendy way to stay healthy in Brunei, and then all yoga-ed up, I checked out the class schedules at Body Active. Last Saturday, fueled by the desire to not be a yoga fool, I went around the Nike section at the top floor of Hua Ho Yayasan, bought a pair of yoga pants (grey, v comfy, v good) and recoiled in horror at the price tag of a Nike yoga mat. B$75 for a rubber mat? You got to be joking.

Anyway, Bobby does yoga. Bobby subscribes to the motto of wearing the least possible when yoga-ing, and cannot fathom pricey yoga-inspired Christy Turlington-does-Puma Nuala shoes. That's why Bobby refuses to go to class. Bobby uses a B$25 yoga mat he bought at GL Extra (a store which sells mostly camping gear and Navy Seals Wannabe gadgets), so after Yayasan I headed over to Kiulap to get a green one, in case I decide to be Jungle Jane one of these days.

Happy with my cheap new yoga mat, I contemplated on going to a yoga class while testing out my yoga pants, but they were much too comfortable on a lazy Saturday afternoon that I slouched about at home. But Wednesday is a Brand New Day and I shall bring the yoga mat for a test drive at the 4.30pm Beginner's Class. And then after all that stretching, breathing and good ol' perspiration, all calm and at peace with the world, zoom back just in time to break my fast.

Namaste. I hope.

Comments

[kd]

i'm sure you'll enjoy yoga with danurasana. i admitt i was sceptical at first if yoga is gonna do me any good. but after a few sessions, i simply got addicted. my female friends have always been nagging me to try it out and when i finally, it was simply one of the best thing i've done for myself this year. i simply feel fresh - body and mind - after every session. the kinda feeling that makes you wanna go out and party! oh, it'll also help you sleep so soundly ;)

At first, its quite a challenge to focus on your breathing, keeping your mind free from daily personal issues and then keep your balance. but with a lil more focus, you'll be suprised of the poses that you can achieve.

have fun and all the best emmma ;)

[EmmaGoodEgg]

Hi ZT, thanks for the visit. I did have a good time yesterday, it's a pity the next class for beginners in in two weeks time, so I hope I won't lose the momentum! :) xx

[ZT]

Haha good post!

I used to be this mighty ambitious & dedicated yogini. Danura was a great instructor.. sexy tooo hehe. I even signed up for those packages they have. The first few weeks I was sooo rajinn.. then comes *ehem* the habit of minum2 after work (office shuts at 5.15).. then comes the habit of saying "malas".. there goes my yoga package... all down the drain.. on top of that, there's the love for shopping! Alamak habis those extra $$$ which was meant for gym/yoga, handbags & shoes are just too beautiful to resist.

But now I'm a regular visitor of Danurasana (Danura's site), and I've also been blog-hopping and reading that everyone's doing yoga.. I'm tempted again. Would you believe how fickle can one be?! So thank you to all those ladies who has allured me into that healthy lifestyle again - not that shopping is not healthy.

All to best to you Emma.. Yoga-na have a great time!