Three years ago, as I sat on a beach reflecting upon my life, I decided to take a yoga teacher training. What I gained from practicing with my teacher in Tokyo, Nana Kalyani, within the-then past year was more than enough to convince me: the benefits I felt from her traditional yoga classes and approach inspired me to share yoga with people who seek for … Continue reading A Typical Indian Odyssey #2: Yoga Teacher Training
I stepped out of an AirAsia airplane into Bangalore’s Kempewgoda International Airport in the beginning of April 2019, unsure about what to expect. I would be in the city for a night before moving to the neighboring city Mysore the day after, in time for my yoga teacher training course. I’ve learned some information about India. I’ve read various articles from the beauty of its … Continue reading A Typical Indian Odyssey #1
Another year has passed and here I am, looking back at the year that’s coming to a close in a few hours. I started the year 2018 without new year’s “goals” or “resolutions”. This was the first after a few years of having diligently written down goals, even setting quantitative ones. Always on the list were to lose weight (5-10 kg) and write a number … Continue reading 2018
I read on Quora stories by non-Japanese residents of Japan who felt hurt because “people in the train would get up to find another seat” to avoid sitting next to them. Or because a co-worker stopped talking to him when the co-worker realized his English was not good enough. Apparently, the co-worker was friendly to the Quora poster only to practice English. Do these stories sound … Continue reading Living Japan #8: On Racism
Breathe. Smell your freedom of movement, of expression, of choice. Remember. Give gratitude to short-lived love, to knowledge, to passion. Hope. That one day, you will be enough, be understood, be supported. Help. Ease away their pain, loss, disappointment. Acknowledge. Not everything work. Breathe. Then let it go. Continue reading Breathe, then let it go
Do you know anyone whose face would light up when they start talking? I know this person whose default expression carries a scowl. Her eyes are cold, her lips say “I’m not impressed”, and her general attitude an “I’m so tired today, give me some space”. Not scary, but cold and indifferent, which can easily be interpreted as unfriendly. The extraordinary thing is that, all … Continue reading Some of Those Impressions Are False
I liked the color blue unconditionally until today. I live for the blue sky, which turns to neon peach in summer afternoons and falls asleep with the sleeping light on. I feel closer to the pretty sky knowing she’s ever-changing and clumsy like me. I wear blue clothes: striped blue-and-white button-down for days when I feel extra committed to work, asymmetrical periwinkle puffy-sleeved blouse, midnight-blue … Continue reading The Betrayal of Blue
From the end of April until the beginning of May, Japan welcomes a keenly awaited holiday season, so precious it’s called “Golden Week”. This Week consists of Showa Day (the beginning of previous Emperor’s reign), Constitution Memorial Day (the declaration of Japan’s 1947 Constitution, made after its defeat in the World War 2), Greenery Day (a day to appreciate of nature), and Children’s Day (this is … Continue reading Vietnam: the War, simplicity, and #familygoal
1. Walk fast, really fast. 2. Sprint a block to outrun a blinking green street-crossing light. 3. Run towards the closing train door (there’s a word for this : kakekomi-josha). 4. Squeeze into the fully packed subway. Push your way through with a poker face. 5. Fit all of your stuffs in your 20 m2 “cat’s forehead” apartment. Have a try at minimalism and fail. … Continue reading Living Japan #7: How to be a Tokyoite (A Non-exhaustive List)
My note on finding a home in Japan (Living Japan #3: Mission Apartment) remains as the most-read post on this blog, so there must be many of you who had the same questions and struggles as I did. Hope that note helped you. I’ll continue with the next steps: filling up the house and actually making it a home. 1. Buying new electronics As I … Continue reading Living Japan #6: Mission Apartment, Part Two
