Tuesday 27 December 2022

22/12/2022 Thursday 關於教課在英倫




20/12/2022星期二
來自Yoga studio 老闆送嘅聖誕禮物,可愛😘,尋晚完成今年教嘅最後兩堂,歲晚收爐啦~
稍後分享下英國教課體驗

22/12/2022 Thursday

該來就來 … part I
感謝一眾知我做記者出身後來轉教瑜伽嘅人善意建議
「呢幾年咁多香港人嚟咗,一定不愁學生啦!」
「社交媒體上咁多香港人group,po吓文招生好快開到班」
當然,我循例都有喺社交平台上亮下相,而正如上面提到,正正係做過記者呢個「包袱」令我諗多啲,特別在意寫啲嘢出嚟要帶到一啲訊息或者所謂營養,而唔單純只係hard sell同想招生意,於是那絕無僅有嘅po(一文兩用放咗係兩個英國香港人group),就用香港各界別專業資歷喺外國證情況同能否銜接重操故業呢個新聞話題入手分享自己資料搜集成果。
此舉只係拋磚引玉,所得反應亦在預計,有興趣者會觀望開班資訊,表示如果時間地點啱會考慮參與,亦有人對買保險貴唔貴或瑜伽師資認證等事留言或私訊傾吓交流意見,最好笑係(後來我知原來呢類人咁樣去踢館都真係唔少)擺出一副「佢先知態度,所以要點醒你」之人士,提提醒人哋BNO唔可以教體育,姿態比英國政府更高更權威。
對此我深存感激,因為咁激勵我去發掘真相,一定係我唔夠努力加英文差因此忽略咗呢個關鍵,我再搜英國政府網頁相關欄目搵線索,講BNO Visa holder不能作為職業運動員或體育教練工作(you cannot work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach,從語境到正常邏輯去理解,點都睇唔到上述果類高人之一鎚定音。
文法上,明明個語境就係指專業運動員及教練,專業呢個term不就直接就係包含埋運動員同教練咩。
另外,無知一問,點解俾香港人入嚟但就特別唔俾教體育或運動,我想知原因。
關鍵一定在professional sportperson or sports coach呢度!事實上,專業運動員及教練之定義清楚明確無需爭議係代表國家/地區的精英,英國政府(相信各國亦如是)係設有專門簽證申請程序International sportperson visa去處理吸納呢班精英。
我將之回覆自己個原po,呀先知再衝出來話佢就唔會喎。
係呀我不聽人好言相勸~
總言之,虛心受教,努力學習(無論係語言呀基本邏輯同常識等等各方面啦)好重要,共勉之。
講番我自己。
回想十多年喺香港教瑜伽,有喺大型瑜伽集團做全職教員、以自雇方式同瑜伽館或健身中心合作,亦曾經由招生租場收學費開班教一腳踢。嚟到新環境面,當然要了解一下本地市況。
我用一貫相信同實踐之「治學」方式,直接查第一手資料先,同埋請本地教業界人士了解行業實況,所以英國政府網頁,特別係BNO visa相關資訊,同埋喺facebook入面本地瑜伽老師群組進行密集式「爬文」同埋直接發問,從而發現到更多需要知道事項,例如資格認證、保險、是否要有DBS check(類似犯罪紀錄)、稅務等等資訊,但即使呢啲只係實際就業市場狀況之冰山一角,至少俾我了解喺呢度教瑜伽為業種種具參考價值資料,實在感謝佢哋無私分享,亦因為咁獲得依家任職之瑜伽館老闆邀我教課。
目前每星期教兩堂,教室最多可以容納十個同學一齊練習,彷如十幾年前我最初踏足瑜伽教席的日子。
事實上喺呢度瑜伽館(唔計有提供瑜伽班之連鎖鍵身中心)大多數係獨立小生意,唔似香港同亞洲地區果種做到企業化市場咁大嘅規模。
喺本地瑜伽老師群組爬文同瑜伽館同事傾計,得知身兼數職之瑜伽老師都有唔少,有啲係multi-career叻人,但亦有唔少坦言教課以外另有工作方能維持生計,又或跑幾家瑜伽館、租社區會堂/教堂自行招生辦課。
類似狀況喺香港亦有,回想當初身為新手瑜伽老師,所獲得教學機會未足以糊口,自然要原本個正職支持生計。
依家睇番呢十幾廿年嚟瑜伽喺香港發展,的確說明香港(唔係2019年打後呢個「香港」)著實係個有好多機會嘅大城市,付出嘅努力累積教學經驗收穫亦可成正比,全職教瑜伽大有人在,既可支持生活亦有餘裕繼續進修。另一方面,有啲人則一直將瑜伽視為工餘兼職,因為兩個事業都能帶俾佢滿足感,唔一定為多出的薪水。
近半年喺呢度教瑜伽係點呢?
課室不同於香港啲studio有多面全身鏡(當然喺印度學校入面亦都唔會鏡牆處處),授課語言亦同我喺香港時冇分別,都係用英文。回想自己教瑜伽生涯十幾年,從最初喺只得單一教室嘅小型瑜伽館到後來分館達十間之瑜伽企業任教,英文為主有時輔以廣東話雙語教學進行,正因為原本個香港真係國際化,此亦見諸於瑜伽課堂上,唔同國籍人士一齊上堂,呢個環境亦係個好好訓練場,所以即使嚟咗呢度教,喺我個人而言並無任何難適應問題,教課體驗自然順暢,只不過地點轉咗。
呀,仲有因應目前「後COVID時代」而出現網課呢樣新模式,依家每堂都係所謂hybrid class,即老師要兼顧親身嚟課室上堂同埋喺屋企睇zoom練習嘅同學,我相信全世界瑜伽課都咁運作。
待續
23/12/2022 17:05 Friday
My Christmas gift by yoga studio boss

24dec2022
該來就會來-part II
仲有幾日2022年就成為歷史,無論寫乜都會先記下年月日嘅我,喺踏入2023年初頭應該會好似細個果陣會寫錯年份,彷彿仲未意會到日子過得愈來愈快。
回想由2019年以嚟,呢幾年發生嘅事情,無論係關於個人定係社會大環境,三言兩語點理得清?可能需要經過頗長嘅一段時日沈澱,清晰度至會慢慢顯現。
感覺過咗去呢三年幾仍然如夢似幻,人事物變化超出想象,期望有轉機嘅一啲嘢卻硬係未見影......
前幾日有一晚我教完瑜伽喺寒風中等巴士,突然間腦內浮現類似收工畫面,係前年尾教完課係上環收工,果時我慣常會沿住文咸東街經皇后大道中落中環先搭地鐵站返屋企,由比較靜嘅上環行到仍然熱鬧嘅中環。
我自問自答:
今年初我點會諗到自己年尾可以教番瑜伽,
不過地點已經變咗喺千里之外一個溫帶島國?
上述呢番話註解:
疫情呢幾年瑜伽館能否開放變得好被動,而喺2021年低到今年初,係其中一個稍為放寛時期,果時我都仲係一星期教五晚,不過,喺政府令下包括瑜伽館在內所有健身中心喺7/1/2022(咁清楚係因為喺記事薄上我喺呢日寫住force shut down, again 🙄)又再次被勒命關門。
係,真實又好虛幻。
諗到呢度又暫時唔想寫,有點emotional
待續

24 November 2022 家務 house chore

24 November 2022



目前都幾enjoy 清潔洗碗廚房繕後嘅功夫,或曰煮食洗埋抹乾淨歸位還原。在從事這有清楚明確的目的事,頭腦純粹專注於執行,也正在這時,一些我枯且稱之爲「靈感」嘅東西,好似自有其自由意志咁不知從何處冒出,往往係正好對應某些身邊嘅事物或當前面對狀況指點迷津咁,這些關於各種各樣,固然有高層次嘅人生大哉問,更多純粹係好日常好世俗嘅瑣碎事情,點出更佳更善巧更適合更圓融、視野同層次更廣闊etc嘅高見,果真是為我個人成長而現身嘅醍醐灌頂!
好啦由我定義為與我常存嘅My Higher Self☀️
My Guardian Angel 👼
亮點係呢隻日本製嘅維多利亞餐具系列,經典哦!(茶杯早已碎,哭哭🥹

24/9/2022 Saturday

 24/9/2022 Saturday

教週六上午的課,
早上氣溫9°C,
八點前出門口行過對面馬路車站等巴士,
課九點半開始,車程15分鐘可達,
提早出發只因我不喜歡急趕,
而且巴士班次同路況都係變化難料,
但係,等車食風會令我不由自主發抖,
心想好彩我只係代課(仲有下週六早上),
當然我負責的黃昏晚課完成後,
都面對天黑巴士班次疏嘅狀況,
但係兩種等待相比,
返工vs放工心情唔同嘅~
無可否認,我比較怕凍,熱同流晒大汗我還可以啦😌(生於亞熱帶+早年完成高溫瑜伽teacher training course 嘅長時間訓練😆
圖片說明:上週,多謝好友代為挑選訂購嘅古董小缽(解憂頌缽)於日前送到,捧在手心的感覺和敲出的音色都喜歡,超開心!
我現有的頌缽不多,也沒打算要大量擁有,但它們隨同我來到千里之外,是各有作用。今日帶埋去教課,純粹貪新鮮而已。結論,這是適合伴我獨處靜心的一員。



Wednesday 13 October 2021

記2020以來,走很多路

 昨日頭痛了半天,決定早一點「休市」,省略晚上慣常坐在電腦前寫寫看看這環節,直接休息上床睡覺。

以睡眠驅散不適,對我來說一直是有效方法。

今早出門時想,也許昨日整天沒踏出家門呼吸街外空氣(和去喝咖啡;P)是頭痛原因!? 

走很多路,是這兩年來慢慢培養出來的新習慣,說是因疫情而來也無不可,保持社交距離,自然也包括減少有機會人多擠迫的坐交通工具(事實上地鐵或巴士上人數也不是很多) ,如果能走路可達的地方就不乘車,而且路上人和車大幅減少(走在路上也見證著城市逐漸復甦),空氣清新很多,習慣很早出門也為避免太熱,但很多時回家路上仍難免汗流浹背。

以往寫過關於走路的文章 (走出光明前路 27July19@Hong Kong Economic Times),談了很多偉人作家大師之於走路的種種,例如讓靈感自然流通、為信念結集群體堅定不移的行動能量等等。

而我,不怎麼宏大有理想,出門就是走路是去吃早餐,大約十五分鐘步程,進食後走的路線比較迀迴時間隨心情而定,並因應當天稍後的日程增減,吃飽後總得散步幫助消化。

如像小時候寫日記純敍事式:六時半起床,天晴,梳洗戴上口罩出門是七時十五分,如常捨電梯而走樓梯七層下樓,選擇沿公園外圍前往吃早餐的地方,是繞了較遠路,但享受走在花草樹木旁,聽各種鳥兒唱歌和覓食。(September 2021)




Monday 27 September 2021

瑜伽雜談~學與教 22march21






My view on teaching yoga as a career. 

In general, I can imagine somehow it is still the case of what brings most people to yoga teacher training: dedication to practice and mastered certain difficult/fancy/invered postures, encouraged by teachers in class to join teacher training ". 


I am not writing to encourage or discourage you if you are serious about teaching hatha yoga(refering to all schools, brand of yoga as long as practicing physically with our body is involved) to earn a living or as a career. Simply put, this is a decision you are the one to make, not others, and not even the teacher who coach you during the yoga teacher training courses. 


Here I can only share with what I came across ever since I step on the yoga mat as a participant of a hatha yoga class, then the teacher's mat.


It only referring to what I've experienced, observed so far, so bear in mind that I have no intention to generalize these view points to the modern yoga scene as a whole.


Over a decade ago, in my first yoga teacher training, there're classmates who are so eager to become a yoga teacher because they wants to shift from the job that stressed them out to what they are passionate to do, i.e. yoga. There're classmates who simply enjoy learning, first and foremost, not necessarily becoming a teacher. 


Back then, signing up for a teacher training program, whether it's in your hometown or abroad to follow famous teachers or school of yoga, was(or maybe still is to some extend) something demanding because not only you have to pay quite an amount but also you have to schedule whole month's time just for the training,  6 days each week, from 7am-6pm. That's why the yoga teacher trainees were either taking a month's no-pay-leave, or no need to work so can enjoy trying out new things, or  freelancer who can regulate their own working schedule. 

Quite a bit of commitment in terms of time and money, so expecting much in return is natural. Especially when training is completed, the urge to teach and to share what we've just newly learned is huge.


Flashback to my first yoga trip in India of 30+days boarding school style study. Before flying back home, I went to say goodbye to Swamiji with some classmates, as we used to attend the daily fire ceremony in the evening(the sacred ritual is called homa), so we went earlier afternoon to the cottage where Swamiji reside (called Swamiji kuti) . I still remembered Swamiji reminder to us about spreading the traditional wisdom of yoga, "go slow when in teaching, it takes time to fully digest what you've learned, then you will teach from your true experience."


To me, teach what I practice helps reserve energy, and it's tapping into my direct experience. It fits well with my belief to sharing what I love, passionate and enjoy doing.  

Teaching is never a force-fed process. Indigestion only brings constipation. Observing how well the participants received, fine-tuning the deliverability of teaching when needed.  

Thursday 10 June 2021

游泳,呼吸


10 June 2021 Thursday

好久沒去泳池游水,可能有三、四年了吧!

等到近日天氣夠熱,泳池水不會冷得我一躍而下就要不停游來游去保持體溫,以免嘴唇指甲都變紫色。

上周末早上去泳池「慢游」五個塘warm up,檢視一下生疏好久的泳術和水中換氣的能耐,也在這鄰近維多利亞港旁邊的露天游泳池感受夏天真正來了。

當然這是不同於2019年和之前的夏天了,艷陽與維港美景固然未變,但泳池已不能再容納full capacity,入場人數限額減到三分一,以保持社交距離也。人少了暢泳更是自在,這點我OK。

過去近兩年春去秋來,從一身厚褸到單薄夏裳,口罩始終是everybody's  must have item,與手提電話銀包鎖匙一樣出門不能少。疫情下的不明朗,讓人驚怕擔心,不過身為人類就是要從經歷變化裡學到求生之道,測試我們的適應調整能力。

回頭來談談游泳,在水裡何時呼何時吸絕不能搞錯,不然就遇溺。但回到陸上,大多數時候呼吸自主運作,有需要時我們也可取回主導權去變更呼吸的細節,安靜地坐著或從事各項運動時,改變呼吸深度長短,用於專注靜心或使用肌力的「燃料」。

練習瑜伽教導我注意協調呼吸節奏,留意肢體動靜時候身心的感受,如伸展感覺開放寬廣、用力收緊予人潛能盡展全面掌控的愉快感,且這不止於肉身層面的鍛練,更磨鍊心智清晰度和覺知力,在困難時保持冷靜沉著,也注意到分心和乏力之時,不要死撐用蠻力,調順呼吸更重要,心不慌亂,重回平和狀況,以決定進退。

Wednesday 9 June 2021

飲食

 4 June 2021



方便快捷的午餐,見到熟透的水果以特價發售,即時入手,打成原汁原味無添加果蓉,一部分加些toppings (杞子芝麻)調製smoothie bowl 即刻享用,多出來的放冰格備用。
每次做smoothie 都配些蔬菜,見雪櫃只有唐生菜,都好,再加啲薑,打成綠油油的「液體」芒果奇異果生菜沙律😗
#Greensmoothies as lunch : mango + kiwi fruits + lettuce + ginger = slight sour and spice, garnish with #gojiberries #cayennepepper #whitesesame #turmericpowder #blackpepper #vegan #rawvegan






傾聽

 3 June 2021



We have ears,
We have sense of hearing,
Oh but are we always really listening?
It is only when we bring our attention to whatever we decide to, thence we are fully present.
Our presence will bring life to full bloom, moment to moment, grateful and wholesome, instead of fragmented and fragile.
Share with you, the soothing and mellow sound of my first singing bowl I brought back home in 2015.
Please allow you attention to stay with the sound until it vanish, enjoy its richness, layers and delicate textures, savouring whatever emerges from within, slowly and surely.
我們有耳朵,
我們有聽覺,
但我們總是真的在聽嗎?
只有當我們把注意力集中在我們決定要做的事情上時,我們才會完全臨在。
我們的存在將使生命每時每刻都盛開,感恩而有益健康,而非支離破碎和脆弱。
請讓您的注意力停留在聲音上,直到最後一粒消失,留意它的豐富、層次和細膩的質感,慢慢地品味自內心湧現的一切。

Wednesday 2 June 2021

節奏。動態。呼吸

2 June 2021
節奏。動態。呼吸
在vinyāsa練習中,肢體與呼吸同步並進,享受自然又自由的節奏,我會用"專屬於那時那刻的我的節奏"來形容,彷彿內在一支起伏自然諧和的合奏樂曲,肢體動作的一動一靜流暢交織如舞動。當中的關鍵是呼吸,有如一把生命之匙,將揮汗如雨的血肉之軀,跟飄渺易散無形無狀的心念,像穿針引線般串聯繫穩,如流水般充滿活力,感受生命是完整而美滿,一無所缺。
所以,你看,vinyāsa練習(或稱movement based動態練習)並不意味著必定是快、急速、匆匆進出若干姿勢就成。如果追趕著肢體動作卻甩掉了呼吸的流暢度,便無法充分享受當下身心合一的timeless moment。
來一起練習吧!







Thursday 29 April 2021

New idea for classes 💡: yoga & ethereal healing sound.



🍀
1-1.5小時課程(45分鐘-1小時瑜伽練習+15分鐘頌缽聲頻浴)
重點在肌肉伸展與施力時,始終保持對身體的覺知和呼吸順暢,汗流浹背地努力過後,躺下來讓身體在靜止中啓動自我復修過程,耳聽輕柔祥和飄渺的頌缽音聲,徐徐進入大休息。稍後在溫柔的碰鈴聲中醒來,感覺煥然一新,心情平和喜悅應對生活日常。
🍀The focus is on keeping the awareness of the body which muscle groups are stretching or contracting while maintaining breathing smoothly. On completion of the physical hard work which feels so good sweating and detoxifies, we come to savasana(finally relaxation time) to allow the process of self-repairing and rejuvenation happen. Hearing the calming and ethereal sound of singing bowls, we enjoy each moment of total relaxation, letting go of time and space.
When time is right we are waking up by gentle sound of the Tingsha, feel refreshed and peaceful, we are ready to come back to our daily life.


瑜伽練習部分選擇以下:
1)初生學者:basic āsana
2)靜態練習:i)restorative yoga ii)yin yoga
3)動態練習:vinyāsa, (deconstruction of sequence or selections from navakaraṇa vinyāsa)
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