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WALKwhich incorporates meditation, is essentiallyabout slowing down. On a personal level,she has seen its benefits on herself, fromwhen she began practicing to teaching it. “Ithas had a huge impact on my relationshipsand I find myself able to interact with peoplebetter; I’m not so quick to react, but ratherpause, breathe and respond,” she says citingone example, adding that watching it have abeneficial impact on her students brings hermuch joy. “I have seen it transform peoplein a very positive manner. They may comein to practice yoga because they want tolose weight but over time they find that thepractice provides a much more profound andwholesome effect on their physical, spiritualand mental health. This is what keeps themcoming back to their practice.”I ask whether the mushrooming of yogaGetting off the motorbike or out of the taxi and using some leg power has numerousadvantages. Apart from the obvious health benefits, taking the time to walk thestreets will give you a new perspective on the city. Driving in HCM City requires a lotof concentration, so it is naturally difficult to really take in your surroundings. All thosehidden gems, the great café or quirky boutique, you miss while speeding by will makethemselves known. Taking the time to stop and chat means you might also get toknow your neighbours a little better.COOKThe ‘slow’ movement originated around the idea of taking time to prepare and eatquality food. It sounds great in theory, but being time poor is the very problem westruggle to overcome. The answer is simple: the stockpot, crockpot or slow cookeras it is variously known, is widely available and can help you create delicious, slowcookedmeals without the arduous preparation. Put the ingredients in the pot in themorning and when you come home from work dinner is ready to serve. Countlessrecipes are available online at sites such as slowandsimple.com.outlets in HCM City is indicative of a demandfor more places where people can go toswitch gears. She thinks so and adds thatsuch spaces encourage one to “turn downthe volume of your internal dialogue, chatterand tune into the breath.” She stressesthat yoga allows people to connect withthemselves for the time they practice itwhich in turns gives them a moment’s ofsilence, peace—“whether that moment isfive minutes or the entire yoga session,”she adds. “Coming to a studio to practiceprovides the environment where people canlearn how to slow down and enjoy peaceof mind, methods which can be taken withthem when they leave the yoga mat and goabout their daily lives. Bringing awareness toyour breath throughout the day, five minutesat your desk, for a taxi ride, whatever... Thatalso is a huge part of the yoga practice.”Slow Food, Slow PleasureThe importance of eating well—and slowly—cannot be stressed enough. Again, it is a factwe are all too aware of but find difficult toimplement. While Vietnam may not be besetby the scourge of fast food, or reliance onprocessed convenience food, and meals arefairly healthy (and for some of lucky ones,prepared by staff) slow food isn’t just about ameal that is leisurely prepared. The slow foodmovement began in 1989 by Falco Portinarias a reaction to fast food and the damages itwould cause to the body and eating culture.He propagates the ideology that taste mustbe developed, not denigrated as is wont tohappen on reliance to fast food. “We areenslaved by speed and have all succumbedto the same insidious virus: Fast Life, whichdisrupts our habits, pervades the privacy ofour homes and forces us to eat fast foods,”he writes on his website.Granted that eating fresh healthy food,which is fairly in abundance here in its fruitREADInstead of turning on the idiot box, or trawling the Internet for hours on end, find agood book. Relaxing and enjoyable, reading is a sure-fire way to slow down. Theaccusation that HCM City has little to offer in the way of top-quality reading materialis no excuse. Borrow from a friend whose returned from a trip home, invest in a Wi-Fi-powered Kindle or even nip down to the backpacker quarter for a cheap book.Otherwise, visit Amazon and have the latest titles delivered to your door withinthree weeks.28 asialife HCMCasialife HCMC 29