Picture by Isabel Leong

Ms Wing Pui Shum, yoga pioneer in Macao

Yoga is a trendy traditional practice, and a yoga teacher is usually portrayed to be an Indian yoga master. A local yoga teacher Ms Wing Pui Shum changes the convention and shares with UMac Bridges the stories behind her achievements.

The yoga pioneer has studied and practised yoga for many years and practised different types of yoga such as Hatha Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Kundalini Yoga. She is the follower of “Shivanand,” a famous meditation master in India.

The root of Shum's yoga practising could be dated back to 1990 when she did great amount of severe sports, which brought her gold medals for both karate and martial art club in different public competitions but which led to the situation that her lumbar vertebra sprained carelessly. She then received treatments of physiotherapy in a health centre. Some stretchy movements that Shum was asked to do in the treatments, in her eyes, were quite similar to the practice of yoga. She started to learn yoga from some Hong Kong yoga practitioners.

In 1993, Shum entered a yoga college in India and became a student of her master Shivanand. It was however not as simple as signing a course enrolment form. Shum explained, “On the day when I first met the meditation master in India, I encouraged myself to convince him to accept me as one of his students. He just smiled but did not give me any reply. Later, his followers told me that he was a person who never said no.”

Shum added, “In the gathering ceremony in the following day, in which about 500-750 people attended, the meditation master announced that I would be one of his followers. All people clapped their hands together. At that very moment, I was so touching that I almost burst into tears.” Shum's meditation master bestowed to her a sacred name “Shakti,” the name of a Hindu God, of which the masculine name is “Shiva,” while the feminine name is “Shakti” meaning “power.”

During Shum's studies in India, in every May, courses and seminars were organised for students to communicate and exchange ideas. Shum was among those attendants who intended to pursue further education. There were four major yoga colleges in India, and Shum earned certificates from three of them.

Shum shared that she taught 17 yoga classes in different places in the territory, sleeping a few hours. As she was grateful to her master, Shum thought that she should in turn give out a helping hand to her students when they encountered any setbacks. She would teach them that they were not helpless and hopeless. Through meditation, they could feel that even if they were alone, they could feel that a group of people were around and available to help them.

“Shum is very professional,” said Peggy Cheong, a frequent practitioner. “She would advise you which poses are most suitable for you to practise, unlike some yoga teachers who just taught you all the poses regardless of the problems you had.” She added that yoga practising provided her with better blood circulation, which in turn recuperated different body illnesses gradually.

“Through Shum's meditation class, I can really relax myself, not only physically, but also mentally. What I need to do is just to sit still with a peaceful mind and listen to Shum's philosophy. In this way, my spirit is very quiet and eventually achieve the need of burden releasing,” said Kelly Ma, a new student of Shum.

Shum shared also with UMac Bridges her plan: “I would like to establish a yoga village in Taipa or Coloane. This is what I have dreamed of for a long period of time.” Shum would like to hold also a monthly meditation class free of charge. It is a kind of deed in accordance with the concept of her master - one should repay the community when he or she can make a sufficient living.