Yoga_Journal_Singapore_FebruaryMarch_2017

21

february / march 2017

yogajournal.com.sg

and digest’ mode. We often remain in a ‘fight or
flight’ state, due to stress, emotional upheaval
or fatigue, which in turn can shut off digestion.

I’ve had an on-off relationship with
insomnia, an old foe that rears its ugly head
in my bed during difficult periods, and I now
understand why this is accompanied by an
upset tummy. The pieces of the puzzle were
starting to come together, and I was starting
to surrender to a slower pace, focusing on the
present, rather than letting my mind wander
into a list of to-dos. A friendly but no-nonsense
healer told it to me straight: “Girl, you’re in
your head too much, get out of there and you’ll
be fine!” A chakra-balancing session coupled
with abdominal massage to release trapped
emotions yielded powerful results.

So what can be done to instill a feeling of
calm in a busy city setting, far away from the
fully-staffed serene villa surrounding in Bali
complete with healing therapists on call? Work
with the breath. Our breathing workshop

allowed me to drop deep into a state of

relaxation I hadn’t felt in years. What helped

a lot to switch off at nights was also a “Daily

Gratitude Diary” to put things into perspective.

You can make your habits stick by making

them simple and quick—I now write three

bullet points, take ten deep breaths, and then

it’s lights out.

Yin Yoga is another powerful tool to

demarcate day and night, and to get yourself

ready for sleep. The yoga sessions were held

at sunset in the peaceful garden yoga shala,

with the crickets as background music. I began

to understand why I needed to incorporate this

type of practice into my routine. Yin is about

being present with where you are physically

and emotionally, as you ease your body

into comforting poses. There is something

so empowering about letting your neck and

shoulders release through a simple forward

bend over a bolster—the tension in your mind

tends to evaporate too.

We also did sessions in Ki Yoga—a

distinctly different practice and a fascinating

amalgamation of yogic principles, married

with Shiatsu and TCM pressure point touches

to stimulate the meridians. This beautifully

energizing class closed with guided partner

massage, an opportunity to practice

vulnerability and care for each other. This

paved the way for opening up off the yoga

mat too, and reminded me of the importance

of communing with your tribe—some

relationships are integral to our wellbeing.

Another key element of living well is to

feed your brain and soul with knowledge, try

new things and learn a skill—the sense of

accomplishment in itself is a wonderful feeling.

All of this occurred in abundance throughout

the week. Each day began with sun rise and

journaling before Ki Yoga in the garden shala.

This was physically painful as I am not a

morning person, and barely functional until my

second coffee, but became easier by the third