The Anatomy of Yoga

A weekend of intense body engagement and awareness topped with heavy duty applied anatomy and physiology is the way to go sometimes. Refreshing and certainly interactive. Set in the woody environs of KLPAC, it was as organic as it gets in the heart of KL and well suited for the three-day Functional Anatomy & Yoga Physiology Workshop organised jointly by Yoga in Asia (Singapore) & Yogasana (Hong Kong).Whilst yoga practice and theory were being conducted in Studio 5 over the weekend, this performing arts center transformed to a hive of activity as young people rehearsed musicals, drama, song and dance with the familiar figures of Joe Hasham and Faridah Merican spending long hours providing mentorship to their young proteges. What is yogic practice? Who am I? These are the questions Yogi Michel Besnard asks at the beginning of the workshop. A Frenchman, originating from Normandy, but has since travelled far afield learning and teaching Astanga Vinyasa Yoga, now resides in Hong Kong and is the founder of Yogasana.

The practice is more about the what and the how rather than the why. The need for goal-setting is essential, as in all things important in life, from asanas to pranayama or yoga breathing.

Physiotherapist, Michelle Lam of Hong Kong, gave a thorough review of human skeletal anatomy and its physiology with the aid of 'John', and participants became active models in the learning of how poses affect the body and vice versa. For example, trikonasana or triangle pose , is abduction and internal and external rotation at the each of the hip joints, lateral flexion of trunk, abduction of arms at shoulder joints and rotation of neck. This translates to precise positioning, identification of joints and muscles involved, identification of limitations and recommendations for improvement.

Comparative skeletal markings highlight the body's asymmetry in common conditions like scoliosis and joint dysfunction. Note the imbalance in hips and buttocks and spine of scapula in the adho mukha svanasana or downward facing dog pose above. The use of blocks and backward traction of the hips further engages the muscles of the legs which corrects the misalignment.

Hanumanasana or split), is demonstrated here without (above) the use of props namely blocks, blankets, straps, bolsters etc which are used to improve alignment of varying body structures and help to prevent injury.

Victor Ch'ng, the founder of Yoga in Asia (Singapore), finds improved alignment with the use of blocks.

Sacro-Iliac Joint dysfucntion is a painful, chronic condition that limits movement. Michelle demonstrates how over-working a pose or poorly informed intructors can cause or worsen this condition.

More technical jargon like the Q angle, that ranges from 10 to 20 degrees, indicates hip flexibility. The downside of this is, the more flexible the hips the more proned to injuries.

Urdhva dhanurasana or upward bow pose is an important part of back bends. Although the three can get into the pose, they exhibit 3 different postures due to indivudual problems of compression, tension, proportion or strength.

A sound yoga teacher is one who understand the students' limitations and can facilitate better attainment of the pose. In this case, eka padaparivitta upavisthasanan or seated twist can aggrevate a SI joint dysfunction. Rather than twist at the shoulders which will damage the SI joint, a lifting action of the side of the chest and opening of the sternum will better achieve the goal.

The hips are a major joint with potential problems. Michel demonstrates the range of hip flexion which can improve with time and correct practice.

Inversions are an important part of yoga practice,yielding many benefits to the body and organs. Sarvangasana or shoulder stand, stimulates and rejuvenates the entire body, massages the thyroid, strengthens the shoulder, back and leg muscles. This pose can be done with the support of a wall if strength is an issue. Keeping knees bent is another option. A strap can be used to keep elbows drawn inwards and improves stability and strength.

If balance is an issue, wall support can be used to an advantage.

An energised and better informed group of new found friends at the end of the workshop with their teachers.

Koh Samui Delights

Eat Sense at Chaweng Beach

Sixth Senses Hideaway

The crooked bridge

Koh Tao turquoise waters

Koh Tao coral reefs

Koh Tao view point Local talent.....& bare-faced Mona lisa.... Koh Samui Ink
Hammock and its shadow Coconuts and the Gulf of Siam

Landing in Koh Samui . . .

The Firefly flight from Subang Airport to Koh Samui was a pleasant surprise. The 72-seater prop plane was a smooth ride although the landing got a bit hairy when the plane seemed to be careening in a wavy path in an attempt to stop!

Less impressive was Subang Airport and its new facilities. Food outlets located at the far-end were easily missed as many shop lots were unoccupied. Avoid the kopitiam like the plague! Service is non-existent mainly because they haven't got a clue what they are doing. Irate customers waiting for their orders were frantic about missing their flight. A better bet would be the mamak shop and their predictable quick service.

Airport personnel had a less than attentive demeanour. One could even read the boarding pass up-side down. A travel pack asam boi (preserved tamarind seeds) garnered some interest from the carry-on luggage scanner.

The daily flight to Koh Samui is quite scenic, capturing aerial views of the Malaysian main range and the coastline of the Gulf of Siam.The Isle of Samui, one of many in the Samui Archipelago, welcomed visitors with a resort-like Airport complete with native thatched roofs and luscious greenery.Deluged by transport operators, the Marriott Group won hands down with their offer of free hotel transportation if one agreed to spend 90 minutes listening to their Luxury Villa Timeshare proposal and even threw in a couple of free games of golf. Some golfers I know were extremely happy to receive this bonus.
Reminiscent of sleepy Langkawi, Koh Samui is refreshingly less commercial than Phuket or Pataya. However this is also reflected in the efficiency and service, or rather the lack thereof, of hotel staff; understated and lackadaisical? Best take on the local pace to reduce stress levels.

The Gulf of Siam under the scorching sun, invites to gleaming sandy beaches and transparent turquoise seas. It is pointless to resist.

Just a little bit closer...USM!

At last an utterance from Tan Sri VC of USM . . . on the issue of the erroneous acceptance list of 4574 students on May 30th.

Just a little bit closer, but not quite there yet . . . The response from the CEO in NST today, June 30th, was that although they had finished investigations, USM is 'not going to hang them immediately because they had also contributed a lot to the university'.

What on earth does that mean? Hang them? I should hope not!

It still goes back to taking responsibility of the ship . . . the Captain should lead the sailors to safety first, and then if unavoidable, go down with the ship. . .

Developing the right brain...

These days when one has time to ponder, I wonder if we have got it all wrong?

We beat ourselves up silly through 12 years of schooling, 4 to 10 years of tertiary education, work our butt off for organisations who do not really care and then retire and come to the realisation that we had only been using half our brains for more than half of our lives. A blissfully ignorant majority remain happy with their achievements or under achievements, as the case maybe.

Conventional education only focuses on left brain development; from the logical, objective, rational and analytical. It looks at parts rather than the whole. The right brain involves higher functions of intuition, holistic synthesizing and the subjective. Throw in creativity, imagination and feeling, you get the softer side of the human being.

From a medical view point, I can add that at least the medics did try to get it right with problem-solving approaches to learning, synthesising diagnosis and treatment from holistic good medical practice and sharpening intuitive skills along with creative ones. The only critique would be; how true is the implementation in doctor factories of today.

How many times have we come across people in our lives who are overtly unimaginative, insensitive, lack compassion and regularly prove inability to problem-solve.

We are governed by Peters who have no principles and do not have a creative bone in their body. Too harsh?

Perhaps it takes a whole life time to realise certain simple facts about life.

Try this. Its not as easy as it looks . . .


Right brain development requires exercise just like any part of the body.

Some have the gift, which recognised early and further developed can lead to great works.

But to get from here . . .

. . . to here will take practice.

The National Art Gallery in Jalan Termeloh, KL is doing a good job of addressing this niche area, painstakingly nutured by a local artist. Too bad only the expatriate community is taking advantage of it.

Bali Dreams II

Breaking from the holiday mode, the intrepid travellers, now joined by another adventurous pair, the only difference being they are still in the child-raring phase, decided to check out the Bali real estate market - villa viewing! Encouraged by the drastic drop in real estate everywhere, this fact had to be verified by this team. Imagine waking up every morning to this organic view beside padi fields in a quiet part of Bali. . . . and this facing you in your king-sized four poster bed in the en suite master bedroom.

Escape Villa complex surrounded by padi fields and blue skies.

A last longing look at the environs of this dream villa.
The next few properties had something missing; either great bedroom views but bad structural design or bad views and even worse construction quality. Even with a soft property market the prices were not inviting.

Moving on, we are told that this house belongs to an 80's pop star who is in the red! The house is rustic with a lived-in feel sitting on a generous-sized land area . . .
. . . surrounded by padi fields. What is most impressive is the high level of maintenance that is evident in the better villas. Luscious well-groomed garden, Balinese veranda and open-air bathroom.

Just Googling 'Bali villas for sale' you get 13,800,000 hits and our agent, Ian (resident in Bali since 1997) from the UK tells us that there are 64 real estate agents in Bali fighting over the same turf.

Finally the creme de la creme of super villas - Layar, or so goes the marketing blurb. The interior design of clean lines and woody finish are contemporary and impeccable in taste. The variety of outdoor bathrooms have been a feast for the eyes - all Conde Nast stuff.

The journey ends with thoughts of a second visit to view more villas in the near future. Major issues to consider in buying property in Bali or anywhere in Indonesia is that the property would have to be bought under the name of an Indonesian nominee (whatever that means?). The agents flick this off when questioned as 'its normal', 'done all the time by expat buyers' and the 'lawyers know what to do'. The later statement itself is enough for the more discerning Asian buyer to view this some amount of apprehension.

All said and done, the fun was in the chase . . .