Hello from the HKCEC

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, to be exact.

Yup. I'm currently tapping my heads off from my laptop in a bareshell apartment atop the HKCEC.

Day three of the Asian Yoga Conference, held here at the HKCEC, and we're lucky to have a vacant apartment to stay at. It is totally bare, with no furnitures and no amenities, but we're really enjoying the "convenience" it brings. Just throw in a fold up mattress, bring an electric kettle and some tea, and voila - our yoga retreat in the heart of the city.

Really. Can't ask for more, as it's only a three-minute walk to the conference. Imagine the usual 90 minutes commute if we're to come all the way from our home in Lantau. 90 minutes one-way, a total of three hours each day, for a full four days. I'd rather be sleeping on thin fold-up mattresses.

To be honest, having a mattress or not doesn't really matter much, as we would be so exhausted by the end of each day that we'd drop dead the minute we got home anyways. Just give me a yoga mat or something to lie on, and I'll be snoring in a matter of minutes. I literally slept in my stinky yoga tanks and shorts after the first day of the conference, dreaming that I was showering and smelling good. Imagine that.

Then how come I'm still up and about tonight? Hmmm... I guess I am in some sort of a natural high. My physical body is sore and tired, but my mind is wild and wicked. It always happens after practicing with one of my most respected teachers, Mark Whitwell. Mark's classes are gentle and flowy, but they could really stir up the pranic energy in you. I felt so buzzed during the practice, that there was this constant burst of energy flowing through my body. And that ball of fire, that prana, between my palms when I held my Anjuli mudra!

I am really enjoying the Conference so far, even more so than the one I attended last year. Physically, I was more in shape and more capable of doing the asana practices before, but this year, I'm getting a much better balance of philosophy classes and asana practices. Not that I'm not sore though....my arms are sore to a point of falling off anytime soon, but I'm learning just a lot more than just the "acrobatic" side of yoga, and that's what's so much more meaningful to me.

Sadly, tomorrow will be the last day of this year's AYC here in Hong Kong, and I'll only have four more classes to go to. One pranayama practice, followed by three intense physical practices back-to-back. I'm not looking forward to the physical practices, but I really can't wait to pay homage to some of my most respected yoga teachers. Teachers who have played an important role in my yogic journey. Teachers who are so knowledgeable, and yet, humble. Teachers, who, simply by being in their presence, drinking in their nectar of pranic energy, is a treat for me.

Om. Shanti.

AM