June 2006 Newsletter
Inspirational Thinking
Namaste' All,
Thailand was
wonderful as always, however quite hot this time of year. And Bali
was superb with the rainy season ending and the cooler days of
winter beginning. Our yoga retreats in May went well. However, June
was cancelled when I strained/pulled my ACL and could not walk for 3
entire days. I have spent over 2 weeks resting the leg, and having
acupuncture treatments. And I need to take it easy for at least
another 3 weeks so stay tuned for info on upcoming retreats in late
July, August and/or September.
We left Bali on
the 4th and headed to Singapore. Changi Airport is still one of the
best in the world. An easy airport to get around, aesthetically
pleasing, friendly staff at immigration, fast baggage delivery, free
internet, taxi's, the tube, and/or bus service to the city. It's a
pleasure.
Our first visit
in almost 10 years. The first night we stayed in a pretty cool
hostel called 'The Hive'. Singapore is an expensive city, and when
you travel for 6 months of the year, it is essential to be
conservative with your funds. Hostels are usually quite nice, and
affordable, especially if you are a single traveler. Most of the
rooms at The Hive are dormitory style, but we were able to get a
double, but for one night only. So we left there and checked into
Bugis.
While
conveniently located, I don't suggest it. It was more expensive than
the Hive, and doesn't have free internet. And the vibe isn't as laid
back. If you have been following our travels, you know we love India
and Indian Food so we are always looking for that and Little India
in Singapore has amazing food. While scouting out places to eat we a
couple of other hostels that we will consider next time we are
there. Fragrance is relatively new, security is good, prices are
reasonable and it is close to a metro stop and lots of good eats.
The In Place also is worth checking out. It was packed and everyone
seemed to be having a good time.
We stayed just long enough to get
our Visa's for Vietnam which you can apply for at their Embassy, and
it only takes about 3 days. So we spent the mornings checking out
Chinatown, the Gelang area, Little India of course, but mostly I
rested my leg, got more acupuncture, and prepared for our trip to
Vietnam. Roger was at Sim Lim the big electronics store. Getting
around is easy. The city is clean as a whistle. People are friendly.
The food is awesome, and the cabs have these great gps systems. You
tell them where you want to go, they put it in and the route shows
up on a screen.
We flew Value Air out of Bali to
Singapore. This is a great discount airline, they even assign seats,
and you get a meal. We flew Tiger Air from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh
City (Saigon) and arrived Vietnam on Thursday the 8th around 12:30.
The flight is only an hour and 20 minute flight. You definitely want
to take advantage of all the new discount airlines flying around
Asia. This is a fairly new phenomenon, and it makes getting around
easier, and way more affordable.
The World Cup started our first day
in Vietnam. The people here are nuts for soccer so it has been
madness as everyone sits at the corner bar cheering their favorite
team. It has been tough to sleep, so after a couple of nights we
moved to another hotel that is much quieter. The backpacker hotels,
hostels, and budget hotels are plentiful and quite nice. As are the
mid-range. And the high-end are affordable, and you can be pampered
for a lot less than other places. We have a beautiful room right now
for just $17.00 a night. Compare that with $60.00 a night in
Singapore, for just a bed and four walls.
I am very impressed with Ho Chi Minh
City, or as as the locals still refer to it, Saigon. After visiting
Hanoi and Hoi An last year and loving the quaintness, and small town
feel, I was getting the impression that Saigon was over-developed
and very western. It is good sometimes to have low, or no
expectations because I have enjoyed it immensely.
It is large, the largest city in
Vietnam. But you don't really feel it is over crowded though it has
a population of about 12 million. The city is really spread out, not
full of high rises so it has the feel of a village. There are plenty
of people on the street, hawking everything from nail clippers, to
tours, to books. And the cyclo drivers are 3 or 4 to a corner. The
city is especially beautiful around the expensive Dong Khai area.
But other areas are interesting and colorful with their own
personality, and charm.
The food is delicious and
inexpensive. And I love the french fusion of breads, flans, etc.,
that have been integrated into the normal Vietnamese diet. We tried
several places in the Lonely Planet, and they were excellent. Our
previous hotel referred us to Noon, and that is now our favorite
place. It is in a French Style home near the Reunification Palace.
You eat in the garden, or inside, or outside on verandah type
extensions, even upstairs. and through-out are stalls set up with
people making fresh, delicious dishes from North to South. It is
where the locals go and I can see why.
Yesterday I hung out in the room and
rested my leg because we did a tour the day before. The Cu Chi
tunnels, where the Viet Cong lived within a stone's throw of the
American military base during the War. And to the Cai Dou Temple.
There was some walking involved, but most of the time was spent in
the bus getting there and back.
It is with many emotions that I walk
this path through Vietnam, not only as an American, but an American
whose father was in the Vietnam war. I have such a different
perspective than most travelers. Especially those that are younger
and never had the war affect their life in any way, and are only
aware of what they may have been taught in school. View photos and
get more information here.
Today we are meeting up with
Suzanne. She has a Yoga Studio, Saigon Yoga, so we want to meet her,
see how she is doing and what the Studio is all about. We will be
posting information on Yoga in Vietnam on this site, as well as Yoga
in other parts of Asia, too.
Blessings to you all. With gratitude, deb
eNewsletter Winner
CONGRATULATIONS
to Jacqueline Messing. You are the
winner in our latest quarterly drawing which took place the end of
March. We are so happy that you joined our Community. And are please
to present you with a $35.00 gift certificate which you can use for
merchandise in the Boutiques at Yoga
Bound or Sarong
Boutique.
Now Jacqueline, keep in mind that we
are on our annual trip so I am sorry to say that you cannot redeem
this until we return in October. I won't forget, and it the timing
will be wonderful as you can treat yourself to a nice Christmas
present, or buy something for someone else. Appreciate your
understanding.
For those of your that signed up for
our eNewsletter, please know that you are automatically entered into
the drawing. The next one will take place the end of June. Good
Luck!
If you have friends that share your
interest, talk to them about signing up, too. If they agree, sign
them up by emailing us
their names and email addresses. You will get a $5.00 credit for
each person you sign up, up to 5 or $25.00.
Our annual Yoga in Bali Retreat began
in
May 8, and as I mentioned above, was cut short due to me pulling my
ACL. We are planning on being back in Bali the middle of August so
will definitely be working on a two week retreat sometime then. And
maybe even September. Please email us for any
information you may be needing.
We love putting together yoga
retreats that are inclusive, but Bali seems to be one of those
places where people travel there on their own, so they just show up
for the classes/retreats. On any of our retreats, we can do the
legwork for you if it helps you get there. Or you can opt to make
your own travel arrangements, and we will guide you in any way we
can. Looking forward to seeing you next week.
Yoga in Thailand Yoga Retreats
We hope to be
able to do our Thailand Yoga Retreat the end of July and/or the
first couple of weeks in August. We have a lot of interest in the Thailand Retreat
and hope everyone's schedule is flexible enough to take advantage of
it, because we need at least 10 people for the same two week period
to make this happen. Please let me know if you are
interested, and if the end of July, the first of August will work
for you.
Yoga Bound
& Sarong Boutique Products
While we are
away, our boutiques are closed. We will re-open the middle of
October so please keep us in mind for gifts for yourself. Or, for
those on your Christmas shopping list, as we will have all new
things, as well as a restock on all of our popular classic
merchandise.
We hope to change
this situation, and are working to find a fulfillment, or other type
of partner than can help us when we are away. Thank you for your
understanding. And your support of our boutiques when they are open
for business.
We are dedicated to
offering beautiful, stylish, unique and functional products that are
like works of art. Yoga Bound's Yoga Boutique offers yoga products
like yoga mat bags and
aromatherapy eye pillows, the
coolest yoga tops, yoga pants including wrap and fisherman
style. Sarong
Boutique has batik clothing, beach wear, sarongs, bathing suit
cover ups and other tropical products. For exquisite merchandise, retail and wholesale,
check us out.....
To Your Good Health
If you are injured should you practice
yoga? Of course, it depends on your injury as to whether you
continue your Asana practice. And I find that practicing asana
while injured forces to the forefront, all of the philosophies about
yoga, the non-competitiveness of it, listening to one's body, all of
these things bubble to the surface. And it is important to listen,
and act accordingly.
To me it is truly a test of one's
truest beliefs. Not what we think but how we feel. We all know what
to do, but doing it is the more difficult task. I began yoga with
many injuries that I sustained through years of running, and other
very physically jarring sports. I feel this has made me a better
teacher, as I cannot do many of the things that seem to come
naturally to others. But I do make the effort to do those things
that I know will keep my body healthy and balanced.
If you do indeed listen to you body,
what is it telling you. There are days I do not want to practice,
and if I listened to my body, I wouldn't. But this is not because I
am injured. I simply may be lacking the energy, or the motivation,
or the dicipline. In these cases, every time I finish my practice, I
feel 100% better.
But an injury, particularly with the
knee, is very limiting. And you don't want to risk aggravating this
further, so it is better to adjust your practice. Maybe do more
breathing (pranayama) exercise. Some stretching of the upper body.
Some work with the bandha's. But not necessarily the dynamic type of
yoga that I usually do.
Share your yoga experience, travel story, recipe
We are always in the process of enhancing our sites through design,
relevant content and articles and other components that keep people
coming to our site. We invite you when you can, to share any
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something that you found especially touching, inspiring or
informative. Or, submit your favorite healthy recipe.
There is much in the Universe going on right now that will enable
you to move in positive directions. Be sure to set your intentions.
Nurture your dreams and aspirations. Then relax and let it happen.
Ninaya-Seek what the heart loves!
Deb
Debra and Roger Bobier
Certified and Registered (YA-500 hour) Yoga Teachers
Founders of YogaBound.com and
SarongBoutique.com
debbobier@yogabound.com
debbobier@sarongboutique.com
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June 2006
