Ninie Ahmad: Off her yoga mat.

Her daily AFFIRMATIONS of staying optimistic especially when she's (upside) down.

Archive for the ‘Ashtanga Yoga’ Category

“If I can’t get out of bed in the morning to practice - I can’t very well ask my students to do the same.” ~DAVID ROBSON

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And so I am beyond honoured and thrilled to be hosting THE David Robson (CANADA | KPJAYI 2) from Learn To Float fame at my humble little Upward this coming October.

He will be leading a Led Practice and conducting three workshops at Upward.
Details and RSVP / payment instructions HERE.

AND.. we are going to Pangkor Laut Resort for luxury Ashtanga Yoga retreat!
It is also the first retreat that Upward & I organize on our own so I am beyond excited!

Anyhow, my bad.. There are only THREE DAYS LEFT to join us and David under the sun in an island where there is only one resort. (Registration is now closed)

We have participants joining us from all around the globe and there are only a couple of spots left so if you’d love to join us for days filled with Ashtanga enlightenment and floating wisdom, RSVP your spot now HERE. We appreciate full payment by September 1st to secure your spot with us for this exclusive retreat.

(Kindly do not RSVP at both event pages without payment confirmation e-mail from us.)

I have been to Pangkor Laut Resort (PLR) four times now

2011

2012

2013

..it is still and definitely my favourite vacation in Malaysia and well.. it is afterall, voted ‘Number One In The World’ by Conde Nast Traveller, UK and only Luciano Pavarotti’s favourite place on earth..

For Upward’s debut retreat and with an Ashtanga teacher I highly look up to,
it is too obvious why I’ve dreamt about this with only PLR in mind.

I have enough time in 24 hours a day to take perfect care of my family and my body.

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And so a couple of weeks ago, I have resumed my Ashtanga practice since I left it when I found I got pregnant last year.

It might not be a full blown six-days-a-week 90 minutes Full Primary or Intermediate Series practice but for now, I take whatever I get to make me feel energized, refreshed and strong again without being unfair to PJ.

I understand that many Stay-At-Home-Moms (SAHM) would call me either lucky or crazy as most of them can’t even seem to find time to eat or shower let alone exercise with a (or two or many!) constant attention-and-affection seeker(s) at home.

I always find myself wasting less precious minutes and a little bit more motivated to squeeze in my practice in between taking care of PJ (I do not have a babysitter / nanny / stay-in helper), making my home, preparing fresh meals for all of us and doing some Upward’s work on the computer if I am ALREADY READY in my yoga pants and breastfeeding-friendly yoga tanks when I first get up in the morning.

See if that works for you too?

So whenever and anytime PJ seems settled or dozes off,
if I’m already ‘dressed’ up (or down?),
I can quickly do my yoga pick-me-up

even if 15-minutes is all I got.

(Never underestimate the entertaining power a pink balloon has.)

For other SAHMs, let’s try our very best not find more excuses to let our health slide down the hill when we have an additional blessing in our home, heart and life.

I love yoga for it does not have to be  for an hour, it does not have to only happen at a designated studio, it does not need shoes, it does not require weights or machines and that it reminds me that simply breathing in and out can make us feel good and at peace even if it’s just for that couple of minutes before our bundle of joy expresses their needs of our presence and warmth again.

To take care of others,
we have to take better care of ourselves first.

Let’s be the change and idea of health we wish to see in our children.

I am not weak, thin and skinny. I am strong, fit and healthy!

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You know how I always say people always say,
muscle is heavier than fat?

Not that I was that muscular before :roll:
but I have proof that if you (used to) have relatively more muscle mass percentage = less body fat percentage, you can somehow not gain as much unnecessary weight when you are pregnant!

P & I have this weighing machine at home that gives an estimation of our body fat percentage and how much calorie intake we should consume a day.

Obverse this (and my belly)..

At 2-weeks pregnant (and didn’t know it),
I was 41.2kg with 15.3% body fat.

At 4-weeks pregnant (and trying hard to conceal it),
I was 40.5kg with 16.8% body fat.

At 8-weeks pregnant (a day before leaving to NYC),
I was 39.7kg with 18.2% body fat.

At 10-weeks pregnant
(at Toronto, too nauseous to pose during 9th week in NYC),
no weighing machine present.

At 11-weeks pregnant,
40.2kg with 19.3% body fat.

At 12-weeks pregnant,
40.4kg with 20.1% body fat.

At 13-weeks pregnant last week
(and after I resumed teaching 15 classes a week at Upward),
41.1kg with 19.2% body fat.

For a pretty tiny girl,
I am really huge for 13-weeks pregnant right?

I am not too worried about my losing weight since

  • I know for a fact I’ve lost quite a bit of muscle mass since I am on a hiatus from daily Ashtanga practice
  • my belly is growing significantly and my appetite is really healthy despite my morning sickness.

I also remember my mom when she was last pregnant,
during her heaviest at 9-month pregnant, she was only 47kg.

Wanna take a guess with us
if I’m having a boy or a girl?
Or.. a boy AND a girl? :shock:

Guess we’ll find out next week ;)

Written by Ninie

July 16th, 2012 at 9:45 pm

Workshop: IDIOT’S GUIDE TO START PRACTICING ASHTANGA YOGA

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Many of my friends, students and readers told me that they are inspired by the Ashtanga YouTubes I have been sharing here but felt that they are not strong and flexible enough to even start practicing Ashtanga and yoga.

You know what makes you strong and flexible?

Yoga. Especially Ashtanga Yoga.

Ashtanga Yoga is deemed the fastest paced, most challenging and traditional form of yoga with pre-set sequence beginning with 8 to 10 Sun Salutation A & B and Ashtanga Standing Poses as warm-up followed by 40 poses of the Series you are practicing (with Primary / First Series being the ‘easiest’) and Ashtanga Closing Sequence.

Ashtanga Yoga is ideally learned Mysore style but led style Ashtanga classes are highly recommended to improve your practice and to get you familiarized with the poses.

You don’t have to be flexible nor strong to start Ashtanga! With regular practice, Ashtanga WILL give you the strength and flexibility you deserve.

You will also not want to lift weights anymore after only a couple of sessions of a led Ashtanga class after you discover that you can lift the organic weight of your own body like, a hundred times with the healthiest alignment in one single session of Ashtanga. No arrogant weights and fancy cushioned shoes required.

If you live within Klang Valley (Malaysia),
I might just have the perfect workshop for you to start somewhere..

IDIOT’S GUIDE TO START PRACTICING ASHTANGA YOGA
Click HERE for more details and to RSVP.
(Half of the spots for the first workshop was filled up
within 6 hours of me announcing it on Upward’s FB Page,
you don’t want to miss out on this one as we have limited mat space!)

If you HAVE been practicing Ashtanga
(I can tell you, most ‘Ashtanga’ classes offered at your gym are NOT Ashtanga..)
and wishing to be more graceful in your practice and to be able stand upside down,
this next one is for you!

ASHTANGA PRIMARY SERIES: HOW-TO VINYASA, JUMPBACK / JUMPTHROUGH & HEADSTAND
Click HERE for more details and to RSVP.

The Idiot (if you don’t bother clicking the FB event link) is actually me as as I have been practicing Ashtanga for the first 3 years without knowing the ‘DON’T’s of practicing Ashtanga Yoga and its impact of my practice, technique and safety AND without knowing I have variety of fun options for Vinyasa in transition for poses in Primary Series.

“Anyone can practice Ashtanga Yoga.
Old people, young people. Sick people, healthy people.
Except LAZY people.”

~SHRI K. PATTHABI JOIS (1915 - 2009)

See you in traiyodosha days!

This is how I thank my teacher and our female Ashtanga warrior - the mighty Kino MacGregor.

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I didn’t know how to even begin thanking Kino MacGregor.

Although I have never met her before last week,
I have been practicing Ashtanga Yoga with her DVDs almost everyday for the past 4 years,
I have been replacing my TV time with repeating her YouTubes preaching about yoga and life,
I have been improving my strength with her generous and genius practice techniques,
I have been trying to teach and heal by paraphrasing wisdom of her words and inspiration.

Kino MacGregor is the biggest rockstar in this world for me.

So when I finally got to meet her last week,
I held back my tears of unbelieving that there she was, standing in front of me,
with a welcoming smile, warmly asking my name and telling me to take the most front position and begin my Mysore practice.

The first day of Mysore with Kino,
I practiced ‘only’ First / Primary Series as my lower back has not been feeling happy :( since I returned from Bali.

The persona of a great teacher,
all of my pain, fear and insecurities seemed to disappear,
all my attempts to float in my Surya Namaskar, jump backs and jump throughs were successful that day as it I was granted superpower.

The power of a great teacher,
she recognizes the true potential in you.
At the end of my Day 1 Mysore with Kino,
she told me “Tomorrow, you practice Second (Series). Do you memorize the sequence?”

I hesitated before I answered because although I memorize every pose in Second / Intermediate Series,
my Second Series practice is embarrassing nothing to be proud of, as I have been avoiding Dwi Pada Sirsasana like a plague and usually skim through the leg-behind-the-head-poses and rush to arms balancing with the likes of (and my favourite!) Mayurasana, Pincha Mayurasana and the seven Headstands.

So I nodded a shy ‘Yes’ and came up with my excuse “But I injured my back while posing for a photo a month ago. Should I still practice Second?”

“Yes but with correct techniques. Whenever we get injured, don’t skip the practice, don’t avoid the poses but heal by keeping bandhas and correct techniques. I will help you tomorrow.”

And help she did.
I feel healed alright.

Now how do I thank her?

You know how they say,
give like how you like to receive?

I love making, giving and getting greeting cards.

My husband and I have this ritual of giving each other cards on every 11th of the month after we got married (we got married on 11th December). When I feel at my most creative, I’d personally handmake the cards.

And so I gave Kino my cards for every day I practiced Mysore and did workshop with her.

Day 1

Day 3

Day 4

My time in making the cards and money spent for the four days in Singapore
(God help me, Singapore hotels are crazy expensive!)
were nothing compared to THIS smile I got from Kino upon receiving my card again..

But words are easy and cards are just papers.

I felt the need and responsibility to do something more
as she has genuinely shared so much more with the world by sharing beautifully-edited DVDs and thoughtfully-made YouTubes.

What more can I do?

I stick to my best.

Pens and papers. And scrapbook goodness goodies my Canadian mother-in-law and sisters-in-law have been stocking me with.

I decided to start a scrapbook on Kino’s teachings on Ashtanga, yoga and life (my husband said I’m a Kino stalker groupie..) :roll:

Preview of a couple of pages:

And lucky me, Kino already signed her blessings on the first page!

I promised Kino

  • to show her the completed scrapbook the next time I see her, be it on other part of this world.
  • and to keep sharing, teaching and practicing, practicing and practicing. The rest is coming.

Thank you Kino,

for everything you are,
for everything I am
and for everything I will be.

I bow to the Lotus feet of Kino MacGregor.

Written by Ninie

May 3rd, 2012 at 4:41 pm

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