What is DIET

Diet. Yes diet. What is the real meaning of DIET? Watch what you eat? Starve yourself? Watch your weight? Cut down the food intake? Which one?

There are many different types of diets available but the million $ question is, does it works? And many superstars; local, Hollywood or Bollywood, all swore by either Atkins diet, South Beach Diet, Cambridge diet, Blood type diet, G.I.Diet, Gluten Free Diet and etc. And somehow, we tend to follow what these superstars do or say; they get paid to ‘endorse’ each product and we buy the products just to look and be like them! Take good looks around us……..

The food that we eat supposedly provides raw materials and energy to power our extremely complex internal workings and the constant growth, repair and regeneration of our cells. But not anymore…..most people eat for comfort, yes ‘comfort food’.

I do not believe in living a life of total denial. I don’t feel guilty if I take a bite out of a Ramly burger; I don’t reprimand myself if I eat a bowl of bubur cha-cha; I haven’t vowed that a pack of RM2 nasi lemak will never pass my lips. Yet I do believe that eating any of these things excessively or regularly can be harmful to my body. My theory is that if I leave out the ‘very bad foods’, occasionally eat the ‘questionable foods’, and try to concentrate on eating the ‘healthy foods’, I’ll be ahead of the game by far. The secret – the key – is moderation and balance.

Eat to live and not live to eat.

Vegans? Vegetarians? Flexitarians?

Who are Vegans? Vegans are individual who eat no animal products whatsoever; eat strictly plant based food only. No to eggs and dairy products, as well as processed foods containing these or other animal derived ingredients such as gelatin. Most vegans also avoid the use of all products tested on animals, as well as animal-derived non food products, such as leather, fur and wool, whenever possible.

How about Vegetarians? Vegetarians, on the other hand eat no meat but take animal products such as eggs and dairy products.

Flexitarians? Flexitarians are semi-vegetarians, eating mainly vegetarians food, but do not entirely eliminate non-vegetarians food (such as meat/fish/seafood) from their diets.

Most of us are not aware that according to yogi diet, mushrooms are not in the menu, whereas the Chinese substitute mushrooms for garlic and onions. The reason being mushrooms do not received direct, primary energy from the sun, they grow in the shadow of others.

Most people think that a person must be a vegetarian/vegan to practice yoga, well the answer is no. But most yoga practitioners are either vegetarians or vegans or flexitarians. Why? Because we observe Ahimsa. What is Ahimsa?

Ahmisa basically means do no harm. Do No harm to ourselves. Do No harm to others. Mentally and Physically. Thoughts and Intentions. Words and Actions.

We can make a choice, and yes, we can make a difference.

Reflection of the Sun

A must visit to Cambodia is Angkor Wat, which structures represent one of humankind's most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements; more than 100 stone temples in all, are the surviving remains of a grand religious, social and administrative metropolis whose other buildings - palaces, public buildings, and houses - were built of wood and are long since decayed and gone.

I’m sure for everyone that has visited Angkor Wat will not miss the spectacular view of the sunrise and sunset. Remember the walk up, narrow and tall steps leading to the tower, all for the magic of the sun!

Most captured this….. the panoramic view of sunset...yes, its beautiful.

But how many captured this….the reflection, the magic, the secret ..... In everyday life, we, are sometimes too focusing on just one thing that we’ve forgotten to turn around and look at others.

The importance of yoga practice is beyond the body, it's about uniting the mind, body and spirit as one pillar, only then we can unlock and learn the secrets of Yoga.

Surya Namaskara/Sun Salutation

An excellent general warm up exercise, consisting of 12 different positions; full-body warm-ups that build heat and set the pace, breathing rhythms and flow of your yoga practice. They bring your focus further inward and ignite the healing heat inside.

Surya Namaskara mobilise the musculature of the body, get the heart pumping, boost circulation and prepare the body for the entire practice by taking each joint thorough its full range of motion.

Very often the first 10 minutes of Surya Namaskara will be filled with resistance. They may feel hard and uncomfortable but if you keep moving through the poses and breathing in a conscious way, something will suddenly shift and you will enter a flow, a zone! At certain times you just don’t feel ‘into it’, but if you do it anyway, the energy shift. You move to a new place and space, and suddenly you forget all the reasons why it was so hard at first and just start flowing.

If you get an attack of doubt, just remember : You don’t have to like it right in this moment, you just need to it. Yoga practice is not always easy, but it is always necessary.

My Organic (?) Breakfast

Vegetables juice starts my day. This morning - Green Pepper + Tomato + Bitter Gourd + Green Apple + Celery +Carrot + Cabbage; and it’s delicious!

No rule on how to juice, depending on what’s available in my fridge. But I always prefer vegetables than fruits because of less acid and sugar, use green apple or pear just to improve on the taste! I am not able to choose the air I breathe but at least I can make a choice on what I put into my body.

Green Pepper – boost immune system, provide energy, help deal with stress, lower risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer

Tomato – thin the blood, lower the risk of heart disease, cataracts and stroke, reduce the risk of cancer, particularly prostate cancer, improve digestive system, strengthen immune system, reduce liver inflammation.

Bitter Gourd – contains vitamins A, B1, B2, C, minerals like calcium, phosphorous, iron, copper and potassium, helps purify blood tissue, enhances digestion and stimulate the liver.

Green Apple – reduce cholesterol, cleanse the digestive system, provide many vitamins and minerals, notably beta-carotene, vitamin C, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iodine, phosphorus, potassium.

Celery – reduce high blood pressure, calmness effect, clears uric acid (especially painful joints in arthritis and rheumatic problems), antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and zero calorie.

Carrot – may lower risk of cancer, boosts the immune system, soothe respiratory and digestive problems, help to heal ulcers, strengthen teeth, hair and bones, benefit lactating women, improves skin, detoxify the liver, promote healthy blood cells, heart and circulation.

Cabbage – has anti cancer properties, boosts the immune system, fights bacteria, improves skin, tones liver and digestive system, improves digestive function, heals stomach ulcers.

Happy Deepavali

Pleased be informed that Studio will be closed on Deepavali Day, Monday @ October 27th 2008 and resume back as usual on October 29th, 2008.

Happy Deepavali to all our Hindu practitioners.

Promise Yourself

Read this somewhere "Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind,
Talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet,
Make all your friends feel that there is something in them,

Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true,

Think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best,
Be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own,
Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future,
Wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile,
Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others,
Be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble,
Think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words but in great deeds, Live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best in you."

Are we living life to the fullest?

Sensible is Best

It’s this time of the year again, holiday and makan time! And most of the practitioners will be complaining of too much food and too little yoga……..

I consider my body my most valuable possession – a machine, if you will and thus the food I put into it has to be the best of all possible fuels and nutrients. I choose to give my body nourishing food (of course with only an occasional sinful dish) rather than pollute it with what I consider to be ‘poisons’. After all, what’s the point of practicing yoga daily, making it look and feel the best it can, if I then ruin it with unhealthy food?

The food I digest affects my health, my energy, my temperament, my outlook on life. It also affects my body – how it looks, how it works, how it feels and how long it is going to be around.

We really are what we eat, in more ways than one. The choice, after all, is ours.