Where there is love, there is light. Because of true love, we can heal. Learning to listen to yourself means learning to tolerate and accept yourself unconditionally, including your own "blackness" and "whiteness". ──Ja Lau

On the afternoon when I met Teacher Ja, Taipei City had just experienced an afternoon shower, and the weather is always uncertain due to typhoon circulation. After closing our umbrellas and stepping into Easyoga's store next to the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, we saw this famous mindfulness yoga teacher from Hong Kong. Her slender and well-proportioned figure and beautiful face made people surprised that she was younger than expected. Although she seems to be in her prime, she is actually already a senior yoga teacher. She has been engaged in the practice and promotion of integrated yoga, life wisdom and mindfulness since 2006. She has also compiled her own experiences and observations into a book, which has recently been published He published his second book: "Life in Black and White" to further explore the philosophy of life and how to integrate it into the practice of yoga and meditation. Mindfulness yoga instructor Ja Lau has been living with depression for 19 years and learned to accept herself

Teacher Ja has a firm yet gentle expression, and a pair of clear eyes that are penetrating, yet revealing understanding and kindness. She said that after engaging in the practice of mindfulness yoga and life wisdom, in addition to becoming sensitive to her own body feelings, she gradually became able to sense the emotions of others. However, this teacher who exuded a harmonious and wise atmosphere faced many obstacles in her early years, which made her always extremely uneasy and even lived with depression for 19 years. Because of her competitiveness and perfectionism, her life was full of setbacks: she hoped to marry her ex-boyfriend before the age of 28, but she failed to handle the relationship with the other person's family, which led to the end of the relationship; after she started working as a yoga teacher, she also failed because of her extremely high standards. , causing great pressure on herself and her students, and slowly losing students. Even she herself began to compare the number of students with other teachers. Because she is self-centered, her relationship with her father is always full of conflicts, ranging from life plans to meals, and they often end in quarrels. At the beginning of the marriage, because of her different outlook on life and strong self-awareness, "it was a mess as soon as she came home" and unable to cooperate well in all aspects. She "wanted to divorce in the first year of marriage", but fortunately because of face issues without taking action. The most difficult way to practice yoga is to put it into life

During the low point of her life, she accidentally heard a teacher say: "The most difficult way to practice yoga is to put it into life. ” This sentence was like a wake-up call, causing her to change her mind and start to reflect on herself. After putting her mind on the present, she discovered that all her frustrations came from "self-grasping", that is, being self-centered in everything. During a fierce conflict, she suddenly discovered that she "never really accepted her father." It turned out that she was the critic, because she always compared the image of the perfect father in her imagination with reality, and of course she would never be satisfied. . She said that was the first time she realized that "experience is a reflection from the heart." The original meaning of yoga is "connection and unity." However, the truth of the facts is often clouded by our preconceptions. Only by letting go of that "ego" and observing what is happening in reality can we possibly find ourselves and ourselves. The connection of all things, finding the harmony and joy of life, and achieving the unity of body, mind and soul. The first thing she did when she put yoga into her life was to observe her breathing at all times. In it, she said, "I saw a lot of my own habits." Especially about her father's feelings, I saw many projections that I couldn't see before. She said that yoga is an attitude towards life. The practice she does every day is to first observe her feelings about everything and then try to accept it. She discovered that some of the friction with her father came from her efforts to gain his approval, so she tried to stop identifying herself from others. Over the years, she feels that she is stronger (mentally) than before, and it is easier to face difficulties when she encounters them. Her father is still the nagging father, and he still wonders why she is a yoga teacher, why she makes herself so tired by teaching 8 hours a day, why she is arguing with him about who wants to treat, etc.; now she is better able to interpret it. The true meaning of parents' words, and be able to get along with their father in a more tolerant attitude.

Mindfulness meditation transforms life

Another turning point in her life was practicing Zen. Born in a Christian family, when she grew up, she also hoped to use yoga methods to relieve herself, but she always felt that yoga methods could not help her. The physical pressure was relieved, but the confusion in her heart could not be solved. Got the solution. Because yoga came into contact with Buddhism, she began to seek ways to practice meditation, and later became a disciple of Thich Nhat Hanh. Thich Nhat Hanh, whose ancestral home is Vietnam, has lived in France for a long time due to political reasons. He advocates the Zen of mindfulness and is an internationally renowned religious leader and pacifist. Thich Nhat Hanh has traveled to various countries to give lectures and teach mindfulness practice. He also established the Plum Village Zen Center in southern France. Teacher Ja became a disciple of Thich Nhat Hanh during his stay in Hong Kong and went to Plum Village to receive his teachings. He also taught yoga there. Ja said that Thich Nhat Hanh had a great influence on her. After she practiced Zen, her mind changed greatly. When she returned home, her husband and wife had fewer conflicts and more interactions. Her husband saw his transformation in one year. Later he also began to practice Buddhism. She said that after she changed her mind, she no longer cared about practical issues, such as how many students were in a class, nor did she force students to teach. After teaching freely, the number of students became more and more. She laughed and said that in the past she always pursued perfection and loved challenges. She had to learn all kinds of knowledge and perform all kinds of difficult movements, which often caused her injuries. Now she has returned to her original roots, doing less difficult vaginal movements and often practicing some basic movements. She feels that those are the most helpful to her.

Putting her negative experiences into words and publishing a book to help more people

As for why she wanted to publish a book, she said she wanted to promote the concept of applying yoga in life, but there are many issues on the market. Most of them were books on the law, so she thought of writing them herself. Because she truthfully wrote down her experiences, the real cases were recognized by many people. Ja gained attention from Taiwan and other places, and began to give courses in various countries to spread her ideas to more places. The first book mainly writes about her experiences and how yoga is applied in life. The second book "Black and White Life" advances to the level of life wisdom. She said that there are many negative and dark things in life, but most people do not fully understand and tolerate this "dark" side, but "dark" is not bad, just like the combination of night and day can be called complete. day; without understanding the "black" side, we cannot learn to be considerate and compassionate. Melancholy taught Ja to regard emotions as a method, to accept and love herself, and to understand the working mode of the universe and life. She also hoped to use this method to help others, so the second book was born. In this book, Ja leads everyone to observe their emotions layer by layer and find out the crux of the problem. In addition to using mindfulness exercises to deal with these negative emotions, Ja also uses some simple yoga and meditation exercises to help yourself deal with these negative emotions. Emotions are at their core, allowing them to slowly calm down, overcome emotional barriers, and even find the wisdom to solve things. "In the future, I want to teach everyone how to love."

"Yoga is an attitude towards life. Constantly reflect on yourself, because the world is constructed by yourself." Ja reminds us again that the world we live in has Our appearance is all influenced by our own thoughts. Only with love and tolerance can we heal. "In the future, I want to teach everyone how to love." Ja mentioned a dream she once had. In the dream, she was in a large square, with tens of thousands of Middle Eastern people wearing white Islamic clothes in front of her, and she was facing They talk about "love". Looking at this frank and energetic woman in front of me, flipping through the simple and thick book "Black and White Life", I feel that the external and internal haze of the past few days has been swept away by the light emanating from Teacher Ja's firm eyes. Empty.

Ja Lau profile

Since 2006, Ja Lau has been committed to integrating the practice of yoga, life wisdom and mindfulness. In 2014, he was invited to give a speech at TEDx; in the same year, he also published his first Chinese book "Yoga." Zen of Life". With a master's degree in Buddhist studies, Ja integrates classical yoga philosophy, Buddhist meanings and spirituality into her teaching.

As a senior certified yoga and mindfulness teacher, she integrates an understanding of emotional balance into her teachings, incorporating anatomy and Yin Yang Yoga techniques. Ja has served as a teaching assistant in the yoga instructor training classes of Baron Baptiste and Paul Grilley, and has taught yoga in Thich Nhat Hanh’s meditation camp. Ja is honored to be the brand ambassador of Easyoga (2010 to present) and Lululemon (2009). She is frequently interviewed by newspapers, magazines and radio programs in Asia. Ja serves as a guest instructor in Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and Master Chang Lin's mindfulness courses in Hong Kong, and actively works with non-profit organizations such as the Hong Kong Cancer Foundation, Maggie's Cancer Care Center, "No, Perfect" and New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association are working together to sow the seeds of harmony and healing in the community. Personal website Facebook fan page

Some pictures and visiting venues provided/Easyoga writing, photography/Oliver Wu

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