Yoga Thoughts, Yoga Teacher Training And Lots of Yoga Loving
Breathe. Just breathe.
That’s what always the teacher says
in every single yoga class I’ve attended for the past two years.
“Focus on your breath”.
“Breathe in
to that right hamstring.”
“Whenever
you feel dizzy, just go back to your breath.”
Breathing. Such is the foundation of
life. It’s what keeps us and makes us feel alive. Imagine what would happen if
you ran out of breath. Suffocating,
isn’t it? And exactly why is that, we don’t normally pay attention to
it..Stress from heavy traffic, work, relationships..we focus most of our energy
on those stuff, feeding such emotions that we tend to forget that sometimes,
the best thing that we could do for ourselves is pause, and just breathe. Yes,
just breathe, even in the midst of a large crowd while commuting, to dealing
with our boss and workmates and at home. Give it a try.
Inhale deeply..slowly..and while doing so, think of inhaling
love, peace and happiness..
Do this for at least 7 seconds..hold it.
Then exhale, exhale all the heavy feelings inside of
you..imagine yourself ridding of all the toxins in your body through that slow,
deep exhale…
Do it as many times as you would like and really, really feel
the difference..
That’s what yoga taught me. How to
breathe and just be. To focus on the present moment, on how my body feels..to
absorb the energy around me, to observe my thoughts, letting them pass without
judgment. And yet again, to breathe. Always breathe.
One of my favorite yoga teachers,
Michelle, whom I met at the Bikram Yoga Studio in Makati, would always tell
everyone in class during postures which we find quite challenging, to breathe
into it to open up those muscles and joints. True enough, I’ve noticed that the
more I focused on my breath rather than the physical aspect of the posture, I
feel more present with myself, and have learned to accept that at that moment,
that’s how my body goes as far as the specific posture is concerned. I really
love her. Especially when she jokes around class, and when she effortlessly
inspire everyone through her words – pushing us to the best of our abilities,
and still recognizing our own limitations, again, for that specific moment.
I could clearly remember my first
yoga class at the BYM studio, and up until now, I’m inspired to share what I’ve
learned, and what I’m continuously learning from practice. I’m indeed very
grateful for all the opportunities that I had to learn and be mentored, one of
which specifically was the first Power Yoga class that I’ve attended with
Roland from Bliss Yoga Studio – my first ever exposure to a yoga class without
the heat and oh man, my body generated its own and I’ve sweat like never before.
Most recently from Bahay Kalipay,
I’ve met Nick, who’s definitely one of the most amazing yoga teacher(and
friend) you could ever have. J Hi Nick! I seriously, seriously miss you and our
yogic/ laugh tripping moments! You know what I’m talking about! Haha!
He studied Tantric Yoga in India and
he has this holistic approach in yoga. I could say that his style so far is
which my practice gravitates to more now, especially the Tridosha series which
aims to achieve balance. What I love
most about his style of teaching is that he always reminds his students that
he’s there to guide us in practice, that it’s our practice, and that we must
not push through pain..because our body
is our temple and we must respect it. Miss you heaps Nick!
Feeling so blessed to have met all of
them and hoping that one day, I fulfill my dreams of being able to teach as
well. Just like what my all time favorite Chef does, teach. I find it so
amazing how I get to connect everything, experiences from the kitchen to food
to yoga practice. It amazes me, really. J I mean, I’ve never felt so connected
with myself whenever I have my daily practice. Yoga keeps me grounded, as well
as the nourishing food that I eat every single day. There may be times when I
slip up especially right now when I’m supposed to have my afternoon yoga and I
just felt so inspired to write something about it that I delayed it for two
hours..but still, I’m doing it..my body healthfully
craves for it, cause it knows the good that it does for my mind..my well
being..my soul..
I sincerely hope that you get
inspired to start your practice as well. All you need is a mat, your
willingness to learn, and more importantly, your openness to change. There are
a lot of yoga studios out there, or maybe start wherever you are, at home, with
a few sun salutations every morning..with some pranayama breathing exercises(just
google all these stuff, you could easily find resources to do it by yourself,
but for a first timer, it’s best to have someone guide you :D )…
All you have to do is to BEGIN. And
COMMIT your heart into it.
Cause after all, it is YOUR life. It is
YOUR practice. And it is
always YOUR choice.
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