The Yogini from Manila

September 24, 2018
by Yogajane
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Book review: Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally

I volunteered to read and write about Chris Wark’s new book, Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally, about how he beat the big C. His story is almost as close to what a loved one went through a few years ago — being diagnosed with the big C, undergoing conventional treatments for cancer, opting for a holistic therapy, and regaining wellness. I wanted to know exactly what Chris did to overcome it.

Chris Wark is not a new name or face for me. I have listened to him on different online summits on health and the natural lifestyle. What struck me about Chris’ story was the fact that he was diagnosed with stage 3c cancer at the age of 26. He underwent surgery to remove the tumor but opted out of the nine to twelve months of chemotherapy. Instead, he did a lot of research on nutrition and applied this knowledge, together with other natural therapies, to heal. His upcoming book, Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally, is an attempt to share everything he did from sickness to wellness in the hopes that others in the same situation, or have loved ones diagnosed with cancer, can see that there are options before them than simply chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.

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August 26, 2018
by Yogajane
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Coconut oil — “pure poison” or one of the healthiest oils on the planet?

Image from Wikipedia by Phu Thinh Co

(Update, Aug. 27, 2018: Reference links added at the end which include Ty Bollinger’s article as well as a post by the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community — both responding to Michels’ claim)

Recently, a Harvard professor-epidemiologist, Karin Michels, called coconut oil “pure poison” in a recent lecture she gave at the University of Freiburg.

HORRORS! It looks like deja vu all over again!

Decades ago, our local coconut oil industry was almost wiped out due to a massive global PR campaign that sent out the message that coconut oil was bad for the heart. This was backed by the American Heart Association (AHA). The better alternative, the food industry and AHA said back then, was canola oil. They also dissed butter and said margarine was healthier. I still remember that the once popular Baguio Oil began disappearing from grocery shelves and was replaced with different brands of canola oil.

Not knowing any better and wanting what she thought was best for her family, my Mom changed her buying habits. For years and years afterwards, our grocery items were filled with canola oil and margarine! And we know that most daughters, when they get married, follow what their mothers did. So you can just imagine what MY grocery items also consisted of when we began our own family.

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July 11, 2018
by Yogajane
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Mindful meditation helped the Thai soccer team survive over 2 weeks in a cave

They are all safe now. Just yesterday, the last of the twelve Thai boys from the Wild Boars soccer team, and their assistant coach, Coach Ekapol Chanthawong (or Coach Ek), were rescued from a cave where they were trapped since June 23. The boys were exploring the cave after practice on June 23 when heavy monsoon rains flooded the cave, preventing them from leaving. They went deeper and deeper into the cave seeking higher ground. Their bikes, left outside the cave, led rescuers eventually to them.

Photo credit: ythisnews.com

But the most amazing thing was that the first ever video of them being found by British divers, saw the whole group calm and collected. Usually in that desperate situation, with over a week of no food, I would have expected them to be screaming, crying and asking to be let out. But no, these boys just sat there, even smiling, and looking so peaceful in the video.

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September 5, 2017
by Yogajane
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High heeled shoes and its ill effects on one’s health

The latest order of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) disallowing mandatory use of high heeled shoes in the workplace made me curious about its ill effects. After all, during my corporate years, high heels were common among us women. I decided to scour the internet for articles on how high-heeled shoes affect one’s health and posture.

Wearing high heeled shoes once in a while for special occasions like weddings and formal meetings will not do much damage but consistently wearing them will have a bearing on the body.

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August 31, 2017
by Yogajane
1 Comment

The world just lost a beautiful soul. Affirmation guru Louise Hay passes on at the young age of 90

When I think about affirmations, there is no one else that first comes to my mind but Louise Hay. This morning, I woke up to the sad news that Louise had moved on beyond the physical life at the young age of 90.

Louise Hay (Photo source: louisehay.com)

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March 20, 2017
by Yogajane
2 Comments

Yoga clothes free the breasts…and that is healthier

I love wearing yoga clothes and when I am not out attending events, I wear them around the house. That, and thick tees. I really wish there were more fashionable yoga-like clothes out there because they are very freeing, in many ways. But the more physical reason for my loving yoga clothes is this…

I don’t have to wear a bra! There, it’s out. It feels good to go braless!

Some time back, I wrote about toe power and how freeing (and healthy!) it was to walk barefoot around the house. I believe the reason why it feels so great is because it is the most natural feeling, walking free of anything constricting. As for going braless, I have to admit….one of the best things about coming home is changing into house clothes and removing that bra, right? I may not be part of the braless Free the Nipple or Burn the Bra feminist movements but I think they got something right. Going back to the basics of what our human form was made for is likely going to be better for us in the long run.

Studies are showing, more and more, how modern fashion, that tends to constrict our natural body form and shape, is not healthy for us. Tight shoes and very high heels that grip our feet and toes, contorting them in unnatural ways. Girdles. Fashionable clothes that hug too tightly. And bras. We were meant to breathe freely!!!

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February 2, 2017
by Yogajane
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Book Review – The Teacher Appears: 108 Prompts to Power Your Yoga Practice by Brian Leaf (plus a book giveaway!)

The Teacher Appears: 108 Prompts to Power Your Yoga Practice is the third book of Brian Leaf’s that I am reviewing and at the onset, let me tell you that this is NOT a book you read from cover to cover. It is a workbook, life journal, and an on- and off-the-mat partner to one’s yoga practice all rolled into one.

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January 28, 2017
by Yogajane
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The Yogini from Manila makes it again to BookYogaRetreats.com’s list of top yoga blogs

It happened in 2015 and it is jumpstarting my 2017 too. The Yogini from Manila blog is once again on BookYogaRetreats.com‘s recommended list of top yoga blogs to follow in 2017. You can find that list here.

BookYogaRetreats.com, based on its website, is the world’s leading online yoga travel company. Its site collates information from thousands of yoga retreat organizers, with hundreds of destinations worldwide. Yoga teachers and students anywhere in the world have such a wide choice of yoga retreats to go through all year round.

Here is what they wrote about my blog:

Check out also the other 24 yoga blogs on the list. You’ll recognize some established and popular yoga blogs…but don’t stop there! There are new blogs on the top yoga blogs list as well. It’s fun to keep on discovering more and more people who blog about their yoga journey because in 2006 when I first started this yoga blog, there were hardly any yoga bloggers I knew. Now, there’s a global community of yoga bloggers. That is truly amazing.

Love and light to you, BookYogaRetreats.com! And more power too.

December 30, 2016
by Yogajane
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The Ananda meditation app: A personal sound sanctuary any time, anywhere

(Note: Please read the entire article before downloading the app and providing your payment information. You will need to use a promo code in order to avail of the free trial period as well as claim the 4 bonus gifts which are only available till Dec. 31, 2016)

I’ve been a longtime participant in Deepak Chopra and Oprah’s 21-day meditation courses so when I was asked if I wanted to try his Ananda meditation app, I did not hesitate to accept. I am sharing the Ananda meditation app with you because not only can you get to try out the Ananda meditation app with a free trial period but you also get free gifts and a bonus meditation just for trying!

The beautiful thing about technology is that it allows the ancient practice of meditation to be available in the palm of your hand. There are actually several meditation apps available for mobile devices but I am particularly interested to try out Ananda because it was developed with the help of Deepak Chopra whose meditations I have listened to and used for some time now.

The Ananda meditation app contains guided meditations from Deepak Chopra and other wellness leaders. It can be downloaded by iOS and Android devices and will require a Chopra account to log in (you can create an account with your Google+ credentials).

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December 27, 2016
by Yogajane
4 Comments

Could this be why December 2016 energies are affecting us like crazy?

Are December 2016 energies throwing you out of whack?

I thought it was just me until a few other people I know also shared how they had difficulty feeling the Christmas spirit. Their feelings resonated totally with me because on the outside, I was trying to act like all was normal but inside, I was not feeling Christmas at all.

The first half of December was not too bad but as soon as the second half hit, I suddenly felt a drastic shift in my energies. My energy levels dropped and so did my tolerance for stress. All of a sudden, I did not feel like engaging people on social media. I went into a semi-social media detox. I had very little appetite, felt bloated all the time, had an irregular elimination schedule, and experienced shorter and shallower sleep. I would watch TV and tear up whenever a story or a quotation touched me. I’ve also become even more of an introvert these days, choosing to enjoy solitude and just being content reading a book or blogging. Sobra akong affected! (I am too affected!)

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