Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

First yoga class in Bali went well.  After not practising for close to 4 months, I feel a bit stiff.  Actually very stiff.

My initial intention was to stay at the back of the class and "blend", but somehow I mistook the front for the back and ended up not just in front, but close to the centre.  Well done, Kit.  I say "blend" in quotation marks because it's really hard to blend when you're part of the handful of Asians in a sea of angmohs despite being in SE Asia. 

There was some chanting and initially that freaked me out a bit, until I realised that I didn't have to chant.  There is a fundamental difference when you're brought up Asian --We're taught to conform.  Sticking out and doing your own thing is conter-intuitive, that probably explains why so many people in Singapore look the same.  But I digress. 

Standing in front, I was surrounded by nubile young things who could stretch circles around me.  I felt very self-conscious and very stiff despite probably being younger than most of them there.  The instructor was very hot.  She was indian-looking and had very nice abs and thighs.  And great curly-hair.  It's all very sexy and I can imagine if I was a guy in that class, I'd have problems concentrating.

Practice here is different from in the CCs back home.  It's much more spiritual: she even started the class by offering incense to Ganesh.  Then, there was some Oms and she talked about listening to sounds and breathing and more listening, to the blood under our skin, to our breathing, to our (insert body part) opening up, and all I heard was the mosquito buzzing beside my ear.  It was very Sophie Kinsella and I was trying not to laugh.  I suppose everyone else was taking it very seriously. 

Apparently today is also Moon-Day and we did moon salutations and appealed to the feminine, sexual (her word) side of our body.  She used the word sexual so many times that the immature side of me couldn't help thinking about sex.  It was very distracting! 

Despite my skepticism, I am looking forward to more sessions.  Not so much for the spiritual aspects, I think that part of me is a bit dead, but for the exercise.  I feel very relaxed after yoga and I hope I'll turn into one of those skinny, nubile young women too.  :-D