24 September 2008: Changing, cleansing winds

From one side of the planet to the other and back, crossing multiple time zones and logging countless miles of travel (unfortunately leaving quite the carbon footprint along the way)...I'm back in Hong Kong, feeling more supported, more grounded, and more ME. By taking flight, I've reconnected to my roots...by digging deeper into my foundation, I've awakened more pranic energy to rebound up and out. Push down into your soles to radiate out through your soul! I am refreshed, I am inspired, I am infinitely grateful.

I've been back for a couple weeks and I'm still calculating the time difference to wonder what my loved ones in Cali and NYC might be up to. The weather here was beautiful at first, but it seems China has reopened the factories they shut down for the Olympics because each day seems to bring more and more pollution, and we're currently under a Typhoon 8 warning which means the city shuts down and everyone's advised to stay indoors.

I miss the crisp, clean air of the Bay Area. I miss my Nala. I miss all my loved ones and how normal and easy it was to regularly see and talk to everyone. Every now and then I feel the raw emptiness of separation and distance, and it hurts, but through deep breathing it transforms into gratitude that I have such love in my life to miss.

What was confirmed for me on this first trip back to the States since my decision to move is that Hong Kong really is my home now. I love California but I've spent practically my whole life there. I had a deliciously good time (delicious and healthy!) being back in town, but I really missed Hong Kong. It's definitely time to explore and flourish within a different place, culture, and lifestyle.

So here I am - enjoying taking the subway again (the cleanliness of which I appreciate so much more after taking the NYC subway, ew!)...enjoying walking around the ever-changing cityscape and bumping into friends around every corner...enjoying lazy afternoons on the boat, swaying with the water...enjoying these changing, cleansing winds that typhoons bring.

There's just something intoxicating about this place. Come visit and see for yourselves! ;)

Before I close, a couple offerings for you: photos from my journey and a class for your downloading pleasure on YogiChocolate.com (called Flying High & Twisting It Up). I taught and recorded it at Santa Monica Power Yoga on donation basis and you can download it on donation basis as well! Thanks for your support, enjoy, and pass it on!!

To those of you whom I didn't get to spend time with - especially near the end of my trip when I was overwhelmed with things I needed to take care of - I'm so sorry to have missed you, but hopefully we will see each other next time around.

Wishing you well on all of your adventures!!

Big love,
Leah

Today is 26 Aug- schedule update!

Oh my...the past couple weeks have been a near-blinding whirlwind (with WAY too much driving)!! I'm so sorry if I haven't yet gotten in touch with you personally. I'm trying my best but there's just so much love to go around in such seemingly short time!

I am still in the States and have about 2 more weeks left. Here's my itinerary:

Wed-Mon: Santa Monica (come take my class on the 30th @ 11a @ SMPY East)
Tues-Sat: NYC
Sat the 6th night: last night out and about in Santa Monica (holla at me if you're out and about too!)
7th-8th: Los Altos (let me know if you want to drop by my parents' place while I'm packing & prepping to head back to Hong Kong)

If you could, please get in touch with me if you want to catch up while I'm around. My schedule's a bit too constrained for all the 1-on-1s I'd like to do, but let me know if you want to help me sort through my storage crate this Thurs/Fri (and take some stuff of my hands if you need any housewares, etc)...or help me sell my VW 2003 Beetle Convertible...or practice together. Ok, I'm just joking about the first 2 (unless you're interested??) but it'd be great to take a class together! I will most likely be taking the following classes (and yes, I realize I am a total yogi nerdburger for trying to schedule this in advance):

Santa Monica (28th-1st)
Thurs 9a @ SMPY West with Rudy
Fri 830p @ SMPY West with Ally
Sun 8a &/or 215p @ SMPY East with Bryan or Jay Co
Mon 715a @ Yoga Works Montana with Kathryn Budig

NYC (3rd-6th)
Wed 6p & 730p with Dharma Mittra
Fri/Sat @ Pure Yoga with Twee (master classes)

Santa Monica (7th)
Sun 8a @ SMPY East with Bryan

Palo Alto (8th)
Mon 930a @ Yoga Source with Susan

Let me know if any of the above fits your schedule and interest and we can coordinate our mat space together. ;)

BIG BIG BUBBLING LOVE!

4 August 2008: I’m going, going back, back to Cali, Cali…

…this Thursday (the 7^th)! My boyfriend and I will start our trip in NorCal, staying with my parents in Los Altos, going to my very dear friends Jen & Christian’s wedding in Santa Cruz, and making our way through the Bay Area’s most beautiful spots including Monterey, San Francisco, Sausalito, and Napa. I hope to take a few classes at the studio I always go to when I’m there: Yoga Source in downtown Palo Alto.

We plan on driving down the coast to SoCal around the 14^th. After a couple nights in Santa Monica, we’ll head to OC, Vegas (from the 16^th-18^th…anyone else going to be there?), and San Diego, returning to Santa Monica on the 20^th. My friend Jackie and I plan on having a get-together in Santa Monica on Thursday the 21^st…in celebration of the past year of abundance, transition, and growth. Please stay tuned for details. I will OF COURSE be spending a lot of time at one of my favorite places in the world, my beloved sanctuary: Santa Monica Power Yoga.

I have the rather dreaded feat of sorting through my storage crate, an 8x7x5 box full of what I can only imagine to be superfluous material possessions. As I have managed to live without whatever is in there for over a year now, I hope to sell/donate/otherwise get rid of much of it, so please let me know if you’re looking for any new-to-you furniture.

I’ll be in/out of SoCal/Bay Area through Labor Day weekend. Then, I will spend September 1^st-6^th in NYC, attending a couple days of Twee Merrigan’s workshop at the new Pure Yoga there, and also visiting Dharma Mittra’s studio.

On Sunday the 7^th, I’ll be driving back up north to fly back to Hong Kong out of SFO, but not without teaching a class! I’m tentatively scheduled to teach at Your Neighborhood Studio at 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM. Again, please stay tuned for details!

I’m so looking forward to connecting with family, friends, teachers, and students. I’ll have my BlackBerry so please feel free to email me. If you have my (310) number from last year, you can try calling me as well. I’ll have limited time so 1-on-1’s may be a bit difficult, but please let me know of any events going on, and hopefully we can connect at the get-together or in class.

So that’s the rough itinerary. CAN’T WAIT!!!!!! Talk, see, hug, down-dog-with you very soon! ;)

Postcard from Beichuan by Scott Wong

The following is a letter from my dear friend Scott, who recently took a trip to the Sichuan Province in China. This was the main epicenter of May's devastating earthquake. I found his words to be impassioned and powerfully moving, personalizing this disaster that most of us cannot even fathom. Below, I share his letter with you. He's included photos as well, which depict the incomprehensible loss of life and home, but also the sustained spirits of the survivors.

If you are so inspired, please seek ways you can be of service, whether by sending donations (perhaps via Children's Hope International), offering prayers, or sending healing energy. At the very least, perhaps you can pass this blog along to continue awareness that many of our brothers and sisters still need a huge amount of help.

:: Lokah Samasthah Sukhino Bhavantu ::
:: May all beings everywhere be happy and free ::

Leah xo

I have just returned from an emotional trip to Sichuan Province, the main epicenter of the recent May earthquake in China. I was invited by a close local Chinese friend of mine to see the earthquake damaged areas and to assist him in a few days of volunteering. He himself has been stationed there for over a month, overseeing a daily series of "outward bound" style programs and activities for the earthquake affected youth.

A friend and I met up with Jia Guo Peng in Mianyang after flying 3 hours from Beijing. It took about 1.5 hours by car to reach Beichuan, not including the amount of time to switch to a locally hired van who is unrestricted to enter the quake area. Beichuan is a remote area in Sichuan that became well known after the earthquake for being one of the most heavily damaged counties. As we approached the neighboring villages, it became clear from the roadside refugee camps and leftover landslides that 2 months after the earthquake, the infrastructure had yet to see any improvement. Before reaching the actual villages, we stopped at some of the refugee camps where thousands of families were living in less than ideal temporary tents.

Upon reaching Beichuan, we were greeted by our local tour guides, some high school students who Jia Guo Peng had taught recently and were home for summer vacation to be with their families. As we walked through the piles of rubble and remnants of family possessions, I tried hard to imagine what this village looked like before when all the buildings were standing. It is estimated up to 10,000 people died in Beichuan. The entire area looked like a scene from a war zone that was just bombarded. With less than fluent Chinese, I was given detailed accounts of how this school was here and this many students died, or how these parents lost their daughter or son, or if you were lucky, the entire family survived but everything else was gone. In order to keep a positive spirit during our visit, I tried not to think about the fact that these people had very little before and now have even less.

Moving inward, refugee camps were spread everywhere and fortunately families have clean water to drink and food seems to be readily available. But the estimated time to rebuild the county is 3 years from now and therefore these tents, plotted on simple dirt and mud, will be many people's homes for a long time to come. The Government is providing immediate assistance, in part by doling out 10 RMB (a bit more than 1 US$) a day to help the victims of the earthquake and by providing safe and temporary shelter. Some people have taken it in their own hands and are digging out re-usable bricks from the rubble to help re-assemble other buildings and homes.

But in all of this darkness, there is a significant amount of hope that exists in the community and particularly the young people who are becoming accustomed to this new way of life. Outside volunteers like Jia Guo Peng, as well as some of the other local volunteers are everyday heroes, helping to bring back a sense of normality and community to the lives of younger and more vulnerable people. The students who showed us around demonstrated immense courage and maturity to deal with the earthquake and its aftermath and make-shift schools have been put in place to educate them. Business was brisk for those few stores and restaurants still operating. Spiritually, the community is rebuilding and I'm happy to see their determination to move forward.

For many of us, we have largely left this news to rest, desensitized to the images on our TV and internet and all too ready to move on to some other headline news story like the Olympics. However, I am one of the fortunate ones, reminded that there is still much to be done.

As many of you are aware and have seen days after the earthquake, more than 70,000 people, many of whom were children, died in this natural disaster. Some of you have kindly responded to the earthquake by providing donations. Thank you, if you have.

There are certain trips and experiences that shape our lives for the better; this one has left a deep and lasting impression on me. For some of my trip photos including brief captions, please click on the link below and run through the slideshow.

http://picasaweb.google.com/scottgwong/PostcardFromBeichuan?authkey=SXZzaGtM-II

Regards from Beijing

Scott

20 July 2008: 108 Sun Salutations

A few weeks ago, I participated in my first ever yoga fundraiser, organized by Yoga Aid. Yoga Aid hosts The Yoga Aid Challenge in venues across the globe (in the US in September), in an effort to spread the love of yoga and to raise money for various charities. This year marked the first Yoga Aid Challenge held in Hong Kong, at the Asia Yoga Conference. Starting bright and early at 6:30 AM, a couple hundred yogis gathered together for 108 Sun Salutations led by teachers from around the world, including one of my main teachers, Bryan Kest from Santa Monica.

In short, I felt truly honored to be a part of this beautiful event.

Each of the 12 teachers led us through a set of 9 Sun Salutations with their own personal touches. Generally speaking, each Sun Salutation was a traditional Surya Namaskar sequence, which goes something like this: Tadasana :: reach for the sun :: Uttanasana :: Crescent with knee down :: Plank :: Chattarunga :: Cobra :: Down Dog :: Crescent with knee down (opposite leg) :: Uttansana :: reach for the sun. A few teachers broke this mold, most notably my beloved teacher Bryan, who was the only teacher to bring us onto our knees (met by a unanimous sigh of relief) and the only teacher to not teach one traditional Sun Salute. It made me smile, and I think everyone’s wrists appreciated the reprieve. Two other teachers stood out to me personally: Duncan Wong, who led us through his Yogic Arts - Warrior Flow, which was the only time we turned around on our mats to face the back of the room or made a sound other than “Om”, and Jules Febre, who counted the transition from Tadasana to reaching the arms up as one Sun Salute, making me laugh out loud in glee and gratitude.

108 Sun Salutations is a LOT of yoga. I made it with the help of Child’s Pose and by dedicating my breaths to the children supported by my charity of choice – the India Heritage Research Foundation – and to those of you at home for your love and support. Below I’ve listed personal thank you’s to everyone who donated, representing both coasts of the US, Europe, and Asia! There are also a few yoga-related companies represented; please check out their sites if you’re looking for yoga clothes, accessories, or downloadable classes. Thank you so much, brothers and sisters. Because of your sponsorship, I was one of the Top 10 Fundraisers. I got to stand up and take a bow and everything! ;)

This month has been a powerful and abundant one for me. In addition to the yoga fundraiser and having Bryan in town (which in and of itself was such an amazing gift, representing yet another nudge of support from the Universe), I moved into my new home, visited family in Seoul (happy 80^th birthday, grandma!), and booked my flight to the States for my first visit back in over a year. That’s right, this month marks my 1 year anniversary of moving to Hong Kong!

Giggling with glee and gratitude,

Leah

Big thanks and big love to…

Allison :: Annie :: Becky :: Bernadette :: Christina :: Dcho :: Em :: Frank (naturalhighlifestyle.com) :: Gilly :: Irene :: Jay :: Jimmy :: Karen :: Kyle :: Mark :: Michelle C. :: Michelle H. :: My Soy :: Nan :: Rich :: Rob :: Ruben :: Sara (yogichocolate.com) :: Silas :: Steph :: Steve :: Susan (yogitoes.com) :: Thomas :: Yen

in California :: Denmark :: Hong Kong :: NYC

…for your overwhelming, heartwarming, and inspiring generosity! How incredible to have a global network of support!

PS It’s not too late to donate! My page will be live and collecting donations through the end of July. Or better yet, sign up to participate at one of the next Yoga Aid Challenges!

"Yogi Chocolate is Yummy" indeed

article from Elephant Journal:

"Yogi Chocolate gives you downloadable yoga classes by donation; millions of health & social conscious individuals practicing yoga at thousands of yoga studios worldwide; Ideal bite and free eco-living tips; featuring great teachers like Kathryn Budig, Laura Downing, Bryan Kest, Jay Co, Leah Kim, Sara Levere.

“Yogi Chocolate exists to bring all the yogis and yoginis together worldwide…They believe in the power of the people, in the power of connection, in the power of the ability to heal and nourish the self and thrive through being yoga… Yogi Chocolate.com runs on donation basis - Simply put: The act of giving…Their teachers put a lot of effort and love into creating their classes for you. Yogi Chocolate.com is committed to using their earnings to better the world. The majority of classes are hatha yoga of all different styles; you’ll also find live kirtan chanting recordings and guided meditations. 99% of downloads are currently audio, but video is available with more coming soon! They have received 800+ downloads to date! They currently have 850+ members from all 35 countries including Vietnam, US, UK, Tanzania, Spain, South Korea, Slovak Republic, Seychelles, PuertoRico, Portugal, Poland, Philippines, New Zealand, Mexico, Lithuania, Korea (North), Japan, Israel, Ireland, Indonesia, India, Hungary, Hong Kong, Greece, Germany, Georgia, Denmark, Costa Rica, Colombia, Canada, Brunei, Austria, Australia, Argentina, Algeria. There are 47 teachers with classes in Spanish and Russian. Three charities are supported through their site. Teachers have the option of giving their portion of proceeds to charity. They get to choose the organization. Yogi Chocolate.com plans on having a “Future of Yoga” exhibit at Yoga Month Celebration in September, Downtown, LA. Their 1-year anniversary will be in just a few weeks in August 2008.”

It’s so great, I’ve become a part of YogiChocolate. You can find me in their teachers search and practice yoga with me in Spanish, all you have to do is write “Yeye”, and click “search”. Which reminds me a conversation I had this morning with my boyfriend Satchel and him saying to me: “It does not seem right to me that you review a site that you are part of”, to validate his point I say: YOU should try it and send us your review!"

4 June 2008: The Maldives

The Maldives. Wow. One of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in my entire life. My boyfriend agrees. And we've done a notable amount of globetrotting. Between the two of us, we've lived in the States (California and a brief stint on Oahu), in London, on a boat in Thailand, and of course in Hong Kong...and apart from the places we've called home, we've traveled to the Caribbean, Mexico, France, Switzerland, Amsterdam, Germany, Holland, Austria, Italy, Spain, Russia, Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, Korea, China, Singapore, Nepal, the Philippines... But as we sat on an untouched Maldivian beach under the stars, we shared the sentiment that this is one of the most amazing places we've ever been, and hands down the best holiday either of us has ever had.

Let me try to verbalize the setting I find myself in as I write to you. I am in our "beach bungalow" which is as far from a beach bungalow as you could imagine, because it is a Four Seasons beach bungalow on the Four Seasons-owned island of Landaa Giraavaru. Absolutely enormous: vaulted ceilings, sliding doors that open out to the beach, which is only separated from the bungalow by our private plunge pool (ozonated and therefore chlorine-free) and a covered deck. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that this is a two-person occupancy, as outside alone, there are two poolside lounge chairs, two beach lounge chairs, a couch, a table, a swinging platform, and a platform IN the ocean. The oversized classic Four Seasons bed has a mosquito net around it for when we want to sleep with the doors open (but I somehow still managed to get bitten on the eyelid again, can you believe it?!). The bathroom alone is quite possibly bigger than our flat in Hong Kong, with the longest bathtub I've ever seen, both an indoor and outdoor rainshower, and complete with, mais bien sur, a bidet. And although the bungalow is completely open to the beach and the outside gate is more for appearance than function as you can walk around it on both sides, it's completely private.

It's rainy season here so the weather's been a bit unpredictable, but the intermittent showers simply make the moments of sunshine that much brighter.

The water is clean and clear and warm. I daresay I have never been in nicer oceans. My boyfriend the dive master has gone on 2-3 dives a day, and has seen octopus, reef sharks, rays, turtles, and whale sharks. I merely snorkel the surface, but I've seen some stunning coral reefs with vibrant and sometimes funny-looking fishies...including my boyfriend who I swear must have been a fish in a past life. When we were staying on the yacht, we saw spinner dolphins playing, spinning up and out of the water. They're tiny, and so cute!

The yacht we stayed on was the Four Seasons Explorer. WOW. We were so lucky, with only one other couple on board and 26 crew members!! From marine biologists to avid divers to fishermen who could catch fish with their bare hands, we had true ocean lovers on board. The chef's meals were so varied and delicious that with each subsequent meal, I proclaimed "THIS is my favorite meal!" And there's nothing like having fish immediately after you caught it yourself...like the grouper (lightly steamed to perfection) our fellow guests caught or the 8-lb trevally (bbq'd to perfection) my boyfriend caught. The wait staff immediately caught onto our tastes and always anticipated our needs: iced coffee mid-morning, fresh lime soda with mint in the late afternoon, peppermint tea before bed. Everyone was so helpful, friendly, and somehow there when we needed them without overwhelming us or taking away from our privacy. It was 5-star service but so personal and comfortable we felt like we were at home. We all knew each others' names and my boyfriend and I were honestly sad to leave them. In fact, I still miss everyone and hope I will get to see them again in the future.

The Republic of Maldives is comprised of 200+ inhabited islands and 1000+ other islands with vegetation, mostly within atolls of varying sizes. I think we're having the best possible full experience of the Maldives, having spent the first night in the capital city of Male, four nights on the yacht, and another four nights on land. From in the ocean, on the ocean, on various islands, and even from seaplanes in sky... I've never seen anything like it. Breathtakingly beautiful.

I've practiced and meditated on sand with the ocean water lapping at my feet, on the rocking boat (talk about a challenge to maintaining balance!), on the outside deck hut with the fall of cleansing rain, and on the platform in the ocean under sunshine (which really is coaxed out with Surya Namaskar!)...always with the sound of the ocean joining my Ujjayi.

Love, practice, and travel. This is my life's happiness.

My man has just returned from his morning dive. We're off to do some sailing (by which I mean he will sail as I hold on for dear life) followed by an afternoon at the Ayurvedic spa. We had an enlightening consultation with the Ayurvedic doctor yesterday. From a quick read of our pulses, he determined our doshas and gave an impressively accurate account of our personalities. With this information, they are mixing oils individually suited for our needs, using fresh herbs from their garden.

Like I said... WOW!

I'm posting this back in Hong Kong. It's been quite a shock to return to gloomy weather (black rain? come on!), the busyness of the city, the never-ending sounds of construction... We're suffering from PMD, post-Maldives depression! :P Good thing we have our photos, the highlights of which I've uploaded here. There are a lot, so I recommend viewing the Detail option, where you can view multiple photos per page but still see descriptions. Enjoy!