Yoga Journey

One weekend at Sonic Yoga. This space feels like home.
(Image courtesy of Lisa Diebold Smith)

When I started the 200-hour teacher training at Sonic Yoga three months ago, here in New York City, I honestly had no desire or intention to teach. I simply was after the discipline and structure that would result from having a schedule to follow for the duration of the training: alternating full weekends from nine a.m. to six p.m.; weekly Monday night conference calls; and weekly Thursday evening classes. As the training unfolded, I would find out that I also had to complete "non-contact" hours on my own, which included practice teaching, papers, observations, and more.

I felt lethargic that first weekend, although I did take plenty of notes. Fast-forward to today, three months after, my classmates and I have just completed our written and practical exams, and spent one fantastic, heartwarming, and fabulous final weekend together! Just a few more assignments and classes away, I can request for my certificate of completion and apply for the 200-hr RYT at Yoga Alliance. I can't wait! (RYT stands for "registered yoga teacher"; and yes, I've just Googled that!)

My light bulb moment? Midway through the training, it clicked: I wanted to teach yoga. It could have been the educational anatomy weekend, learning about Ayurveda, the peace, love, joy, and camaraderie among my co-teachers-in-training, the humor and talent of our teachers, or the accessibility and heart-centeredness of this 5,000-year-old practice... Somewhere along the way, my desire to teach manifested itself, so that's where I am now.

It's an ongoing journey, I've come to learn. Many of us will continue to study and be part of the community: There's the Mentorship Program, 300-hour training, working as a Karmi at the studio... or even as simple—yet profound—as creating a steady and consistent home practice.

Where do I go from here? I will be doing at least one of the above as soon as I finish the rest of my requirements. It truly is an unbelievable journey filled with love for one's self and others. By tapping into the physical aspect of poses, here is a practice that can open up the heart and mind and lead one into a more spiritual, kind, and loving place.

Hooray!

Vania Romoff!

From Vania Romoff's Spring/Summer 2012 collection.

Her super adorable, sophisticated, and girly pieces made me want to Pin and blog!

While checking out this new website called Kristn.com from back home, I read a piece written by one of my good friends, Ana Kalaw, who is a columnist for the site. In "7 Designers That Shone in 2012," she showcases some of young designer Vania Romoff's creations. If I were still the event-going person that I used to be (magazine editor days), I would definitely make a beeline for her atelier. Well, on our next trip to Manila, I plan on dropping by anyway!

Loove... Oh where to wear this lovely dress?

I know it's alread Fall/Winter out here, but it's never too late to find a pretty summer—or all-weather!—
dress and designer!

Images courtesy of Kristn.com and Vania Romoff (opens to her Tumblr page)

Yoga Minutes

Almost a month into my yoga teacher training (for the 200-hour certification), I'm happy to see that I'm embodying the lessons—albeit at a slow pace, which should be fine in the yoga world.

 Case in point: Last night, as my husband was getting to bed, in my half-asleep state, I turned to him and said, "Twisting is good for digestion."

"What [are you talking about]?" he said.

"Oh, in yoga. The twists..."

And then off I went back to sleep :)

In class last night, we learned about some seated poses and twists: When you move your torso/upper body/shoulder in one direction, keeping your base grounded, that's supposed to engage your core and build "fire" to help with digestion. It's also not too different from wringing a wet towel to "freshen" it up.

Something About Aerin

I saw this last night…

…and immediately thought of my D.I.Y. Design post from August of last year!

What a lovely coincidence, right? Beauty mogul Aerin Lauder and I have something in common, hahaha! At least when it comes to that nice azure hue on one's walls. (These were from my old apartment, by the way.)

Oh, and Aerin's new beauty line is quite adorbs too. I read about it in Glamour mag's October issue and I'm quite curious about her Lipstick in Pout, which, by the way, is sold out on Esteelauder.com.

Inspiration Snippet

At my previous job, I kept a daily "progress list" document—a simple Wordpad file listing received artwork waiting to be proofed, ongoing items, approved, and so forth. At the bottom I kept a quote written by inspirational author and speaker Dr. Wayne Dyer. It read:

SUCCESS IS AN INSIDE JOB. 
Being relaxed, at peace with yourself, confident, emotionally neutral, loose, and free-floating—these are the keys to successful performance in almost everything you do.

This is something nice to keep in mind, especially now that I've moved on to the next phase of my career here in New York—that stage where everything is new once again and there is much to be learned.

Thinking of printing it or putting it on a Post-it as a daily reminder!