Last week I had a cousin-in-law (CIL) of mine ask me to come in and help her at her newly opened restaurant. Having never waitered in my life, I wondered what it would be like.
Luckily for me, it was not too difficult because it is relatively small in size (only 9 tables in total). The CIL advertised on the local paper recently so she started getting an influx of interested foodies.
On my second day as a waitress, madly running around serving customers and attending to their needs, one of the customers said (as I was topping up their water cups);
"We're going to have compliment you"
Feeling my chest expand with pride (because I thought she was referring to my super-efficient and super-speedy waitressing skills), I said "Oh really?". The customer then says; "Yes, we have been watching you. You move very gracefully. Are you a dancer?"
I nearly chocked with laughter. I have never in my life been asked this and although I have been told that I have poise, no one has ever said I move with grace. And certainly nobody has ever mistaken me for a dancer.
"Oh no, I'm not a dancer at all." I said. But then I realised it must be because of yoga so I added: "Maybe it's because I do yoga. It makes me more nimble and softer in my movements"
The customer then said "Ahhh yes, yoga does do that."
I didn't bother to say that I'm an equities trader running my own asset management business. It just seemed so "un-graceful" to say what I do for a living. :)
Who am I?
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Abs!
At the end of our yoga session, the instructors usually add ab exercises. It's pretty hard (even for a generally fit person like myself) and so I've been avoiding it by pretending to do some back stretches instead while the others willingly give it a go. The good thing about the instructors in my yoga studio is that they don't push people and stress that they only go as far as they feel comfortable. And hence, they have not been nagging me about it.
I think the instructors realised I was actually fine and was just being lazy and so they started telling me to do the ab exercises. I thought: "Alright, alright".
The moves don't take too long. You lie down on your back, then pull your legs up so that you are at a 90degree angle. Using your abs, you put your legs down about 1/3 way down. Hold hold hold for about 5 breaths, then down your legs go for another 1/3 way down, hold. Then lower the legs to about 6inches above the floor, hold for 5 breaths. And no, you don't lower the legs to the floor but repeat the whole sequence by raising your legs up to the ceiling. Do this about 3 times.
It's pretty hard and hence why I've been ignoring them but having done it 3 days in a row, I started seeing some very nice definition on my abs. This in turn has fueled the desire to do more and not be so tardy during the class.
It's truly amazing how much yoga can sculpt the body in a short space of time. I never saw such results so quickly with anything I had done previously (crunches etc). Go yoga!!!
I think the instructors realised I was actually fine and was just being lazy and so they started telling me to do the ab exercises. I thought: "Alright, alright".
The moves don't take too long. You lie down on your back, then pull your legs up so that you are at a 90degree angle. Using your abs, you put your legs down about 1/3 way down. Hold hold hold for about 5 breaths, then down your legs go for another 1/3 way down, hold. Then lower the legs to about 6inches above the floor, hold for 5 breaths. And no, you don't lower the legs to the floor but repeat the whole sequence by raising your legs up to the ceiling. Do this about 3 times.
It's pretty hard and hence why I've been ignoring them but having done it 3 days in a row, I started seeing some very nice definition on my abs. This in turn has fueled the desire to do more and not be so tardy during the class.
It's truly amazing how much yoga can sculpt the body in a short space of time. I never saw such results so quickly with anything I had done previously (crunches etc). Go yoga!!!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Road un-rage
I made a trip to look at an investment property today. The area I have been researching is about an hour's drive from where I am. And today, I took a friend along to accompany me!
On our way back from the two properties we saw, the highway was bumper-to-bumper. This was quite unusual for this highway at around this time. As we were crawling on the highway, I turned to my friend and mentioned that I am a lot more patient with traffic nowadays and that I put it down to yoga. My friend has known me for many years and so, she is all too familiar with my nasty temper and road rage. In my pre-yoga days, I would curse everything and everyone in sight, pull out my hair or perhaps punch something.
My friend then said it was probably due to aging! She is partly right but there is a reason why yoga helps with road rage. It's because road rage isn't really because of the roads or bad drivers. It's because there is something that is simmering inside of the person and the traffic/bad drivers is just a catalyst to push the person to the boiling stage of emotions.
Regular yoga practice calm people emotionally and therefore even when faced with frustrating moments, people are less likely to blow up because they were probably never in that simmering emotional state anyway. That's my two cents.
Yoga is just a tool to better equip ourselves against ourselves.
On our way back from the two properties we saw, the highway was bumper-to-bumper. This was quite unusual for this highway at around this time. As we were crawling on the highway, I turned to my friend and mentioned that I am a lot more patient with traffic nowadays and that I put it down to yoga. My friend has known me for many years and so, she is all too familiar with my nasty temper and road rage. In my pre-yoga days, I would curse everything and everyone in sight, pull out my hair or perhaps punch something.
My friend then said it was probably due to aging! She is partly right but there is a reason why yoga helps with road rage. It's because road rage isn't really because of the roads or bad drivers. It's because there is something that is simmering inside of the person and the traffic/bad drivers is just a catalyst to push the person to the boiling stage of emotions.
Regular yoga practice calm people emotionally and therefore even when faced with frustrating moments, people are less likely to blow up because they were probably never in that simmering emotional state anyway. That's my two cents.
Yoga is just a tool to better equip ourselves against ourselves.
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