I'm a Certified NLP Practitioner!

I had some fabulous news this week - I've passed my final assessment workbook and I am now officially a Certified NLP Practitioner! 

My journey with Neuro Linguistic Programming (or NLP) started in 2008, when I was forced onto a course at work that, at the time, felt a bit like some sort of witchcraft. I was there with one other girl and a bunch of guys, we were all part of the same team but had totally different jobs. They were supervisors of 15-20 people each, I supervised two people and 250 pieces of technology. I wasn't sure why I'd been sent on this course when I only managed mobile computers that didn't talk back...well, not too often.

The course covered NLP, Neuro Semantics (NS), coaching and leadership skills and a few other things. Turns out it was a fantastic way to spend three days - I'm still using precision questioning to this day! We didn't get certified, so when I found out that you could get certified in NLP, I was a little more interested. Anything with a final outcome involving a qualification to me is something worth pursuing - or at least it was when I was rolling in the corporate world.

Fast forward five years and I was trawling Groupon Malaysia one night in May this year, looking for deals for my adventure holiday, when I spotted the certification course I've just completed. I checked it out, it seemed good - online, study when you want, download the material to your iPod, very thorough, etc. I looked at comparable qualifications in Australia, they involved a lot of money and taking days off work that I didn't have available due to my upcoming Malaysian trip. My adventure had to come first, so I decided to spend the couple of hundred Malaysian Ringgit and buy the coupon to enrol in the course.

I enrolled in mid-May, got stuck in, took a break while on holiday and when I came back I slowly plugged away at the hours and hours of audio and the assessment workbook. I used the techniques to sort out a few things I had personally needed to resolve. I used them with other people. I tried to use them with the cat when she was all stressed out and scared of the sound of my keys, but got a curious range of stares in return. Come to think of it, perhaps they were they famous covert "you're an imbecile" looks that Siamese cats do so well!

I've used the NLP techniques to cure my heights and flying phobias, to set goals, to overcome my final issues with food and to get rid of a bunch of negative home movies I had stored in my head that were "doing my own head in".  I feel better able to communicate with people, I don't dwell on stuff like I used to and I feel more in control of my mind and my life. If there's something holding you back, let me know and if I can help you, I will.

Tai Chi and Chai Tea

In between finishing my NLP studies and my Law of Attraction studies over the past few weeks, I found a few minutes to jump on eBay and purchase a Tai Chi DVD, which is now on my iPad. Yep, Tai Chi. It's not just for elderly Chinese folk - it's actually very challenging, according to one of my Personal Trainer staff!

I figured I'd give Tai Chi (or Qi Gong) a go, as I've heard it's very good for the mind, body and soul. I'm not sure when I'll fit it in but I'll re-jig the weekly routine and fit in in somewhere.  Tai Chi apparently has a range of benefits - I just want to enjoy something new that may (or may not) compliment my yoga practice and help with my balance. You can practice it practically anywhere and it's actually a Chinese Martial Art, without the violence. Nice!

I'd like to build up to doing Tai Chi and yoga everyday. New goal!

I've also started drinking chai tea (from bags) at home without sugar. This in itself is pretty major - the last bastion of sugar consumption has fallen at last. I bought a bottle of chai mix with hardly any sugar in it (8g per serve), to have at night instead of hot chocolate (which has nearly three times the sugar in it!). I'm reading labels even more than before and comparing products based on sugar levels. 

You may be asking, is paying even more attention to food labels actually possible when I go over everything with a fine-tooth comb (or three) ? Even though I'm FODMAP intolerant and need to check that whatever I'd like to consume isn't going to mess with me, yes it is possible to pay more attention to what goes in my mouth. 

I need about 140-160g of carbs a day on exercise days to keep my blood glucose levels stable as I'm diabetic and I exercise a lot - basically seven days a week. I may not be smashing out HIIT training every day, but yoga and walking drop my blood glucose levels, whereas cardio and instructing Zumba classes push the levels back up. It's a bit of a delicate balance. I know when I'm low because I get ratty and a little aggressive-sounding. My staff tell me go eat! When I'm high, I get thirsty and want to take a nap. My body would rather sleep it off.

So why all this talk of sugar ditching? Well, aside from the obvious facts that it's not really all that good for you as an added substance to what seems like every food I like (and that I'm diabetic), it feels like poison. Yes, I said it. It feels like poison. I don't like what it does to me. I don't like the fact that just about everything contains extra sugar these days and I sweat far more after consuming sweet stuff. 

The sugar sweats are particularly noticeable during yoga. If I've had a little bit of sweet stuff that day (for a night class) or the day before (for a morning class), I'm playing twister on a sweaty water slide in class. Thank goodness for special thin microfibre towels designed for Hot Yoga - I need one for any kind of yoga it would seem! I don't have sweet stuff very often - I'm off chocolate pretty much entirely and haven't had a boost bar in weeks - but even coconut water seems to do it to me. 

It's good to get all the toxins out, but better to not let them invade or give them the keys to the temple in the first place. 

Ignorance is bliss

Ignorance is bliss. I don't do TV anymore. I don't read newspapers anymore either. I don't feel the need to view news sites on my phone or iPad. I read the occasional magazine but not those trashy gossip ones. Do I feel the need to relish in other's misfortunes? HELL NO!

While in Malaysia on holiday, I had only one night of TV. I was in Johor Bahru, the night before I went to Legoland and I was a bit bored. Instead of reading a book on my iPad, I turned on the TV, which came with my hotel room package.  What was on? 2012, the movie. A disturbing waste of a few hours of my life which I'll never get back.

A couple of weeks ago you'll remmber that I cut off Foxtel and therefore I cut off TV in general. I didn't enjoy waking up and having the beauty of a brand new day ruined with an overload of negativity (news and weather channels). No TV and no newspapers has been fantastic and it's awesome not being caught up in all the negativity and horror and violence that is plastered across newspapers and the news. 

It doesn't mean I don't care about the people suffering in the world, because I do. I just prefer to wake up and be genuinely grateful for all the blessings I have in my life. 

I suspect I was watching around 15-20 hours of TV each week. I'm now using that time to learn stuff, do stuff and generally chill out. I've discovered the wonderfully frustrating game of Mah Jong. I've completed two courses which lead to two pretty awesome qualifications (Basic Law of Attraction Practitioner and Certified NLP Practitioner) and I should have the final tick in the box for the NLP one early this week. 

I've been reading books, researching stuff on the internet, cooking more and generally having a more peaceful and interesting life. I've discovered activities, places and new fun things to do that I need to explore. I'm going to the Hare Krishna-run Gopal's restaurant for dinner one day. I'll go to one of their Kirtan evenings and chant and sing and dance. Heck, I may even follow them down Swanston Street one Friday night (like I used to do in Auckland on my way to the Ferry). I'll try new places with Char Siu Bao. 

I'm going to make a far more determined and conscious effort now to focus on doing one new thing and one fun thing each week. I'm not having enough fun and that needs to change, STAT!

In terms of mind-body-spirit connectivity, I've got the yoga three times a week thing down pat, so I'm going to add in a Saturday morning class - yes, a fourth class - and I'm considering attending the Monday night women's health class by candlelight as well. It doesn't cost any extra as I have a membership at the studio. I may add in Wednesday night down the track too.  Then I can do six days a week and it's six days in a row. Maybe I'll try it one week and see what happens?

Tomorrow heralds a new day and the start of a brand new week, so it's time to try a new morning schedule. I'm thinking:

6am - continuously hit the snooze button

6.30am - Meditate, Dharma Practice

7am - Yoga (Vinyasa sequence)

7.30am - coffee, green tea, first breakfast, journalling

8am - 21 day transformation tasks (I'm doing a mind, body, spirit transformation)

8.30am - walk to the gym

8.45am - one hour of cardio

9.45am - shower, second breakfast, coffee, green tea, chill out time

10.30am - start work

7pm - finish work, head home for dinner and study, or to yoga, or whatever

Better get to bed soon - 6am alarm beckons!

Mountaintop retreats and free-range children

It's been a bit of a topsy-turvy week exercise-wise. I had a tiring and dramatic week (see the previous post), so I gave myself permission to take it a little bit easier mentally and more gentle physically this past week with my body, so that I could work on sorting out my mind and that situation. I didn't let the exercise go - it was just a matter of shorter sessions and an impromptu rest day. 

I definitely made up for it by doing an active retreat day yesterday. I have been wanting to head back out to the Dandenong Ranges for quite a while and yesterday's weather forecast was amazing, so I figured it was time to act. I wanted to get out of the little seaside town, so my intention was to visit Belgrave, maybe Olinda and Sassafrass, head up Mt Dandenong, do a bit of a hike in the bush and find some Char Siu Bao on the way home. 

I spent two hours in each direction travelling to the Dandys (as I like to call them), but it was so worth it! I went up the summit of Mt Dandenong, had a picnic morning tea, took lots of photos, did a forest walk and just "was" for an hour and a half. Too many screaming, running and yelling free-range children challenged my patience and sadly my phone died randomly while I was taking photos of the gardens, so I couldn't drown them out with headphones and music. Hmph.

Next stop was the gorgeous mountain town of Olinda, where I oohed and aahed at gorgeous shops filled with Turkish trinkets, soy candles, crystals, Nepalese clothes and all manner of new age supplies. I'll be back, Olinda, with cash this time! Turns out Eftpos ain't too popular in them there parts of the bush.

In one shop in Olinda I met Jennifer Bailey, a Homeopath, Naturopath, Meditation Teacher and Healer with 26 years of vast experience. I bought a copy of her book "New Healing Secrets of Angels and Herbs", which she kindly autographed and dedicated. We had a great chat about astrology, Angels, herbs, healing, coaching and a million other things. 

The lady that runs the shop and I had a yarn about astrology too. She picked that I had Gemini in my sign due to my friendly and outgoing nature, which according to Tibetan Astrology (which I had a look at this morning and is based on the Tibetan Calendar) is my sign, although Western Astrology says I'm Cancer based on the Gregorian Calendar! Fascinating stuff - I'll be back to see these two gorgeous ladies again soon.

After Olinda, I caught the bus to Upper Ferntree Gully and after a quick look at the market, I took the train to Box Hill for some Char Siu Bao (steam pork buns) and a quick trip to Woolworths for supplies. I love the fact that Char Siu Bao were just $1.80 and all steamy and fluffy and delicious. I need to find a place on this side of town that has them also; the supermarket ones are gross and I'd rather go somewhere to get them fresh. Mmm...BBQ Pork in a fluffy bun. Magic!

Next stop was Doncaster as my phone needed a trip to the Apple Hospital. It turns out the battery is cactus (helpful tip: iPhone batteries are only good for 400 charging cycles. Be prepared to fork out $90 or so for a new battery after that) having been used past its use by date and needs to be replaced, which was why it turned itself off mid-photo at 46% battery charge. I'm not keen on the need to throw $89 at a piece of technology instead of spending it on study or yoga or a holiday, but if it stops my mind becoming more disturbed by this battery situation and gives me less stress and more peace of mind, then I suppose it is worth it. 

I really enjoyed my day out in the bush, even with the cactus phone and the side trip to a mall that really wasn't necessary. I've decided that I will be making this a monthly event now (except for the mall trip and the cactus phone bits, of course). 

I may live by the sea, but sometimes you just need to go bush, go walkabout, go up a mountain; in fact, sometimes you need to just go and just be. 

Unresourceful Drama and the Law of Attraction

This past week has been one of the most challenging since returning from Malaysia. There have been some pretty darn challenging times over the past 8 weeks - mega stress, death threats, abusive people, way too much drama and unnecessary amounts of other people's self-cherishing impacting my life - but this past week saw a particularly unpleasant situation that has been almost a mainstay of daily life for the past three months, finally require resolution.

I'm not going into details as it's done with now, but let's just say that the other person involved really does need to take a good, hard look at their actions, speech, thoughts and life - and then make some fast and positive changes. They simply will never be happy if they do not change. I hope they get over themselves and take action to find some inner peace and strength to stop behaving in an unresourceful way.

I regret nothing - life is too short. I have forgiven myself for my part in the situation and I have forgiven them for their part in it also. I have no issue with getting over myself, or taking action when I need to because I'm heading down the wrong path at the fork in the road. Life is not about regretting the things you've done, the decisions you've made or the actions you've taken along the path. Life is about pulling your little socks up and getting on with living.

But - always, always, always trust your intuition - if it tells you something or someone isn't quite right for you, please listen to it and act accordingly. That's called trusting and backing yourself. Never be afraid to ask for help. Never think you have to cope on your own and never question your intuition. 

As some clever person once said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. I've learned lessons from this situation, so it is time they did too. They need to move on with their life and I wish them happiness, kindness and a happy life moving forward.

On the subject of onward and upward, I submitted both my NLP Practitioner Assessment Workbook and my Basic Law of Attraction Practitioner exam and essay this past week for final consideration and grading. Yesterday morning I received the awesome news that I have passed the Basic Law of Attraction Practitioner course and am now a fully-fledge Basic Law of Attraction Practitioner! Woohoo!  I hope to have confirmation of passing the NLP Practitioner course early next week.

Amazing things happen when you disconnect the idiot's lantern (aka the TV) and focus on reading, learning and personal growth and development. I challenge you to spend one less night each week watching TV and instead, pick up a book, find an online course, learn something new - just do something other than being a brainwashed turnip on a sofa! TV is like evil pond scum - it lurks under the surface, ready to suck you in and mess with your mind. Less than ideal conditions for inner peace and outer strength, don't you think?

I've found a fantastic site called Daily OM where you can purchase a variety of awesome courses on all kinds of topics at very affordable prices. There's Ayurveda, Feng Shui, 21 day life detoxes, meditation, Buddhism and lots more. I've enrolled in a few to keep my mind busy on the nights when I don't have yoga and so that I can keep on learning new skills!

I believe in lifelong learning, CAN-I (constant and never-ending improvement), developing my mind, embracing my spirit and improving my body. If you do too, please do something small right now to get off your butt and on the road to a better life, filled with goals and dreams and purring kittens and fluffy bunnies. Or whatever.

Namaste.

Creating a peaceful sanctuary with space to live

I spent most of yesterday re-arranging and de-cluttering the living room at home. I had a hair appointment in the middle of the afternoon, but I'm happy to say that after picking up a few groceries I came home and kept working on it. I am totally stoked with the finished product. 

I've been thinking about doing this for about two weeks - pretty much continuously since the decision to cut off Foxtel, as the TV had to be in a certain spot to reach the aerial cables and all that jazz. Having cruised through the week with no Foxtel or TV, I was finally able to unplug and re-jig. 

It feels good to come home and not feel obligated to plonk in front of the idiot box. I can now honestly say "I don't watch TV". I didn't miss it while I was in Malaysia and I'm not missing it now. If I need information, I can get it from the internet. I don't feel the need to be constantly bombarded with information, advertisements and be hypnotised with suggestions to go and buy the latest whatever!

I had a few criteria for the "new" space, which are:

• I wanted as much free space as possible in the centre of the room so that energy can flow freely
• I must have a peaceful sanctuary on one side of the room
• A reading and lounging area where I don't have my back to the doors and windows (feels like someone is going to sneak up on me, which is bad Feng Shui)
• A dedicated space for my yoga mat where I can practice at home and don't have to roll it up when I'm finished using it. 
• A high space for my shrine, with enough room to get everything I want on it. I also wanted to get the new photo of His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama and offering bowls on it too. 
• Space at shoulder height for my Tibetan Singing Bowl and Tingshas for meditation
• Room for my meditation stool and space to meditate without having to rearrange the room and room for my oil burner so I can have my soy melts burning in the background
• Space to pop out an airbed for any visitors who may wish to stay over, without having to rearrange the whole room

Here's the finished product:

Since I don't watch TV anymore, I was able to move my recliner against a wall and still have a little wall space available to use for shoulder stands, until I have the strength and skill to enter them from my mat. I'm thinking that I could use the grey ottoman now for support instead of the wall as I work my way up from the mat. We'll see. 

The whole house has a totally different vibe and Qi flow about it now. It feels less stuffy, less cluttered, less stagnant and less stifling. I got rid of some furniture and have a massive empty floor space now. I could picnic on the floor if I feel like it, but I won't throw a wok burner on the carpet and cook my veggies on the floor like the last guy living in here did two years ago!

I had already pimped out the space with red accessories, as the boring beige/yellow paint throughout the house really does my head in. There's lots of green (earth energy) on the shrine to balance out the fire energy of the red, just so things don't get too energetic!

They say change is as good as a holiday, and it's nice to walk in the front door and see this first thing. 

Practising Kindness - being nice to myself for a change

I've been implementing a few more changes recently. Some are because of my stress levels, some are because I feel gross and some are to help me keep my mind as peaceful as possible. But all of the changes have one thing in common, which is that they are all to do with my quest to de-clutter my mind, body, spirit, soul and environment. 

I'm exercising before work now and I go to yoga three times a week. I aim to do five mornings of cardio before work and this week I think I need to add two strength sessions on a Monday and Wednesday also. I don't want to do more than 75 mins each morning, so that I have enough time to shower, have breakfast and grab a coffee before I start work. 

The morning thing means that I get three evenings to myself so that I can study, I can bunk off at 5pm on Friday when the gym closes guilt-free, I don't have to deal with stressful situations in the evenings and I get the exercise out of the way so that I can come home earlier. Of course when daylight savings kicks in, I will go for a walk down the beach in the evening and when summer finally arrives, I can go for a swim after work too. Nice. 

I'm using organic vegan skincare, using less chemicals in the house for cleaning, having more chill time and getting more sleep. Last night I was in bed at 9.30pm - on a Friday night! I woke up at 6am today ready to attack the day with enthusiasm. Just as well, it's nearly daylight savings and I'll have to get up an hour earlier soon anyway. 

I'm eating more fruit, more natural products and less processed food. If something has more than four to five ingredients, I don't think I'm interested. I'm having home pamper sessions with foot spas, face masks and relaxing music. I'm drinking more water and green tea. I'm eating more vegetarian meals and less meat. I'm consuming less sugar, eating better in general and trying to nourish my body in order to undo all the years of constant food abuse it suffered. 

I still have the occasional treat, but the days of poisoning myself every meal, day in and day out are well and truly over. 

I've been making smoothies in the morning with Spinach, mint, fresh fruit and occasionally a bit of yogurt. I've been eating not burgers, veggie schnitzels, facon (that's fake bacon), making my own pumpkin soup and eating far more meat-free meals. 

Two weeks ago I made the mistake of having a bottle of soft drink on a Saturday night (i.e the night before yoga on Sunday morning). I've never sweated so much in a yoga class before. It was totally vile. I may as well just have been sweating sugary water out of my pores and onto the yoga mat. Gross!

One thing I truly appreciate about Australia is that we don't cook everything in Palm Oil. It's so gross! I hate to think what Malaysians' cholesterol levels are like and what their arteries resemble. It's vile to think of all the palm oil I would have consumed while away. Like, totally grossing me out dude. Oh yeah, we also don't add high fructose corn syrup to everything here either, which is great seeing as how I'm fructose intolerant and all!

Last night I steeped lemon slices and mint leaves in boiling water which I have been drinking in my green tea today. Another raging night at my house. LOL. 

I've ordered a Wellbeing journal from Kikki-K, which should arrive this week. I have some pretty awesome goals for my wellbeing, so this will be fun to use. 

Do you have goals for your wellbeing? Why not get in touch and tell me all about it?!

For goodness sake, I've got the hippie hippie shake

I made a few important decisions recently and have taken some action to follow through. I am no longer prepared to accept the levels of negativity that have been creeping into my life and that I have been allowing to disturb my mind. I'm simplifying my life, focusing on developing wisdom, compassion, kindness, happiness and balance. 

I'm turning into a bit of a hippie. A tree-hugging, sandal wearing, yoga-going, recycling, crystal-wearing, aura-cleansing-spray misting, happiness-journalling, eco-yoga-mat-toting, meditating, chanting, ujayyi breathing, Feng Shui studying, Dharma reading, soy melt loving, candle and dried sage burning, Nepalese wool wearing, semi-vegetarian, Tibetan Buddhist hippie with a penchant for de-cluttering my home, mind, body and soul. 

Here's how.

What I want:

I'm not going to obsess over every minor detail in life anymore, I refuse to have excess clutter and stuff around me (either physically or mentally), I need some peace, calm, focus and more gratitude in my life.  

I need to learn and grow and appreciate and smile and laugh and sing and dance and love and give and do more yoga. I need to drink more green tea, consume less sugar, get more sleep, nourish my body, be more mindful, cultivate an awareness of my environment and surroundings, read more books, learn more things, play more and have more FUN!

I'll focus on a new thing every few days so that I don't overwhelm myself with change, but here are the updates so far. 

Step 1: Be more mindful of the environment

Since returning from Malaysia, I'm recycling pretty much everything now. I saw so many plastic bottles and flotsam in the waters of the Langkawi Archipelago islands that it broke my heart. The last bastion of recycling now for me is soft plastics, which apparently the local supermarket has a recycling bin for. I must go check out what can go in it, as although it will be a pain in the posterior to lug stuff down there, it's better than it ending up in landfill or on the beach. 

I'm down to about one physical trash bag a week now, which means I can put my bin out fortnightly if I choose to. If I had a garden, I'd love a compost bin, but green things and I are not good friends and there's no space for a garden here. Maybe some window boxes...hmmm...there's an idea! A few houseplants won't go astray either, so I guess I'm off to Bunnings soon. 

I was lucky to acquire a Manduka super light travel mat before I went to Malaysia so I could take it with me, which I did. It didn't get nearly enough airtime while I was away, thanks in part to my choice of tiny little hotel rooms with no free space. It's fantastic for being really, really light. It's also fantastic for being super eco-friendly. "Manduka’s eKO Series yoga mats are produced sustainably from harvested tree rubber. Unlike other rubber yoga mats, no toxic foaming agents are used in their manufacture and no toxic chemicals are used to soften the rubber. eKO Mats are 100% biodegradable and leave behind no toxic residue. Manduka have also chosen to use a natural cotton and recycled silk reinforcing centre instead of a synthetic polyester."  

I'm showering at work five days a week after exercising in the morning before I start work. That's cutting down on my energy and water consumption at home. From 1st October the only item that needs to stay on 24/7 at home is the fridge (goodbye Foxtel box, see previous post). I've been switching stuff off routinely for over a year, a habit born out of necessity from last year when I was made redundant and went to a 30 hour casual contract job and then wasn't working after my shoulder surgery. No point paying to run stuff when you're not home to use it. 

I'm thinking of doing a challenge involving using only three hours of electricity per day (mobile phone charger excluded, but that only runs overnight anyway). I can use 2hrs 45mins at night, then save 15 mins for the morning to make my coffee and green tea!  

On yoga nights sticking to three hours of electricity will be relatively easy, as I leave for work at 8.45am and don't get home until 9pm. This means that I can ration out my 21 hours of electricity per week and maybe, just maybe, survive on three hours per day on weekends too! My laptop has a great battery, as does my iPad and my modem. I have books and movies on my iPad, real books in the house and it's almost daylight savings, so this may well force me to get outdoors, get reading, get writing and get creative. Love it. 

I'll do some more research and figure out what else I can do to be more eco-friendly. There must be a way to up the eco stakes at work too. I just need to think of it!

Green tea - the last hippie bastion has finally fallen

Hell has finally frozen over. I'm drinking green tea and I am enjoying it. 

In my search to re-create moments from my amazing Malaysian adventure, I've been seeking out Lemongrass and Ginger tea, in the vain hope that I can find one that tastes like the amazing one that I had at Alun-Alun spa in Langkawi. So far, no good.

I bought a box of Lemongrass and Ginger tea in Tesco in KL but that doesn't taste like Alun-Alun's tea which I'm sure was black tea. Apparently the one I bought was green tea. Slight fail.

Green tea always tasted like crap before. Well, maybe not crap exactly. Perhaps more like rancid soy milk with stalks of gosh-only-knows-what steeped in it. Regardless, no good. Until now.

I bought a box of green tea with Lemon and Lemongrass in it one day at Safeway here in Melbourne and thought "well, stuff your ginger then". This tea also does not taste like Alun-Alun's tea, but guess what? I'm loving it.

As I'm sitting here typing this anecdote with a glass of green tea on the desk next to me, I'm feeling rather pleased with myself. Green tea is not the evil pond scum juice I remember it being years ago. Sure, it's not coconut water or Malaysian iced coffee, but it's pretty good. And it's not coffee. It's hydrating, relaxing and good for me. It's full of antioxidants and health benefits. It will help me flush out toxins. And so on and so forth.

What has this got to do with life coaching? Well, remember my quest to just say yes, have more fun, try new stuff, get over myself and have more adventures? Yes? Good! This was a bit of an adventure and I'm glad I got over myself, just said yes, tried something new and I am now enjoying green tea.

Baby steps eventually lead to a marathon. That is all.

I can see savasana by the UV lights...

I've had a bit of quantum shift since returning from Malaysia.

The first three weeks back were filled with chaos, stress, drama and more nonsense than you can shake a stick at. I was struggling to cope with the jet lag and time difference, let alone the climatic issues of going from 34 degrees celsius to 8 degrees celsius.

I came back from my trip realising that I was tired, tired and yet more tired. Emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually tired. Actually, not just tired - freaking exhausted, in all senses of the word.

I was tired of stress and drama and other people's issues with themselves being projected at me in the form of nasty little missiles. Tired of letting my mind run off on wild tangents. Tired of being tired, stressed and exhausted. Tired of not having enough time for myself and always shunting myself and my needs into second fiddle playing position. Tired of taking on other people's crap. And finally, I was tired of letting my mind be disturbed by all kinds of external influences in addition to the internal ones!

To cut a long story short, I turned to yoga in a big way to get over myself, get away from the stress, get out of my comfort zone and get into a nice peaceful sanctuary that is mine, all mine, mwah ha ha ha!

Why yoga? Well, in the past when I've been totally stressed and over everything, I've turned to yoga and meditation. I've used yoga as a tool previously to deal with stress, manage my relaxation and generally chill the heck out after crazy weeks at a hideously stressful past job. I need discipline and structure and coaching with my yoga practice, which I've found at the local yoga school.

The local yoga school is about eight minutes walk from work and about 12 minutes walk from home. It's my sanctuary away from my home sanctuary, a place that I have just for me, where I can go and do asanas and breathe and hiss and bend and stretch and generally turn inward to focus on my breathing and on being present for about 75 minutes three to four times a week.

We do Vinyasa, which I love as it's flowing and structured and logical - which suits my need for structure (certainty); but at the same time we don't do the same things each class and I have two different teachers for the three classes I do each week - which suits my need for variety (uncertainty).

I attended my first "glow yoga" class the week I returned from Malaysia as a way to help me get over my jet lag. It was awesome - yoga in neon clothing to funky beats under UV lights. It was heavenly, peaceful, funky, fun and sedate all at once. I wore a neon yellow top that I bought in KL for about $3 AUD which has little silver metal studs all over it. Apparently it looks like a nuclear explosion under the UV lights. Oh dear.

A few days later I did a savasana workshop, which was transformative, enlightening and kicked off a journey down a yoga path I've never walked before. Savasana is that final part of every yoga class that I have lovingly referred to as "blankie time" in the past, where you loll about on the floor on your mat, for relaxation time. In the workshop, we spent a great deal of the 2.5 hours in savasana (corpse pose), getting comfortable and familiar with savasana.

At some point during the workshop, we did Yoga Nidra, which is a guided relaxation. During Yoga Nidra, the room went still, quiet and black. It was like an out of body experience. It was awesome. I have Yoga Nidra in my iTunes collection, so I'll be whacking it into a playlist if I haven't do so already.

Since then, I've been going to classes very consistently for several weeks. I started with twice a week and now I go three times a week with two evening classes and one Sunday morning class. I may look at adding in a fourth class on a Saturday morning, when time permits. I do like to have one day on the weekend to run around like a crazy woman and do stuff like shopping and laundry and hair appointments. We'll see.

This fourth week back from my adventure has been less stressful, less challenging and less taxing mentally. I've started making leaving on time for yoga a non-negotiable item on my to-do list. It's a very important medical appointment that I cannot cancel. I'm finally back on Aussie time and over the time difference and the jet lag. Yes there has been a lot of drama in my day job recently, but I believe the worst is over now.

Well, until the next full moon anyway.