The Yogini from Manila

February 5, 2011
by Yogajane
3 Comments

Meeting Joseph Bismark, the man behind The Gem Collection book

I love quotations, food for thought, nuggets of wisdom, and whatever else you may call those phrases and stories that make you sit up, reflect, ponder and internalize. Many, many times, these have influenced little and big changes in my life. Maybe without these, I would still have continued on a very stressful life path.

When I come across books or sayings that talk of the meaning of life, they pull me back from a stressful or very difficult situation or act as assurances that beyond the valley of darkness is a wide plain filled with colorful flowers and sunshine.

So, when the launch of The Gem Collection was announced, I did not hesitate to respond to say that I was attending. Little did I realize that that first step actually took me beyond just attending a book launch. I actually got to meet the man behind the book.

Kassy, who was in charge of the launch, was very accommodating and sent me advance materials on the book as well as a write-up on Joseph Bismark, the man behind The Gem Collection book (for my post on the book itself, click HERE). In an article published about him, I discovered that he spent years as a child in an ashram in the Philippines, practiced yoga, was a vegetarian, became a martial-arts teacher, and eventually moved into the corporate world, rising to be Group Managing Director of the QI Group of Companies even without the expected corporate education and training. For a man who spent most of his childhood away from the materialism of the big city, leading an almost ascetic life, facing challenges in different forms, and still making it as a top executive of not just one company but a group of companies with a global presence was, to my mind, short of amazing. I knew I had to try and meet the man.

Taking a deep breath, I emailed Kassy indicating my desire to interview Mr. Bismark. Then I held my breath. Wonder of wonders, Kassy not only replied to me. She sent my request to the PR man of Bismark and before I knew it, not only was I allowed to interview him. But it was to be an exclusive interview at his hotel suite.

Fast forward to the day of the interview.

There were just 2 of us allowed to do exclusive interviews, I found out. I was a bit shy to meet Mr. Bismark but he immediately put me at ease with his wide smile and was very open throughout the interview.

Something unique I noted about Joseph Bismark, his partner Vijay Eswaran and the QI Group, is that they’ve actually built a work culture among their thousands of employees, that is directly connected to their life philosophies. Not many conglomerates as big as the QI Group are able to integrate their life principles with the work culture. Many times, the office environment is very different from the actual lives of their employees. And many times, the employees see it as just that — a job.

But during the book launch, as I got to talk with some of Mr. Bismark’s officers while waiting for the program to begin, I saw how they all seemed to actually live out the life principles Bismark espouses in his Gems of Wisdom blog posts. I also found out that true to their work culture, the QI Group embraces their employees as “family” (a term they use a lot). The QI Group also does not sponsor any event whose goals are not aligned with theirs. For example, they do not provide sponsorship for events that do not adhere to the vegetarian life. Here’s a large conglomerate that walks its talk, with everyone down the line following because each one sees his leaders living out a simple, spiritual life that puts people ahead of profits and espouses values such as truth, simplicity, social responsibility, and more.

Know more about Joseph Bismark himself, his beginnings and his current work, as he answers some questions I posed:

On how he got into the ashram:

On his spiritual master and how he got his Sanskrit name:

On how he got into business with the QI Group of Companies:

On how The Gem Collection was conceived:

How does he balance his time with family?

The QI Group, of which Bismark is currently Group Managing Director, has diversified into different areas besides direct selling which is still around 30% of their business. They’re into lifestyle and wellness, telecommunications, investments and project management, training and conference management, logistics as well as luxury and collectibles. These responsibilities fall squarely on the shoulders of Joseph Bismark and his partner but when you read his ‘Gems of Wisdom’ as compiled into a book, The Gem Collection, you will see what sets this group of companies apart from the normal businesses that focus primarily on profits, shareholder value, and other key performance indicators you find in the corporate world. Here, in their group, you will see them put great importance on life balance, family, honesty, giving, loving and more.

I’d recommend the book The Gem Collection as one of your readings if you want to know more about the real meaning of life and how it should be lived. Pick up a copy at the nearest National Book Store or Bestsellers.

Me with Mr. Joseph Bismark

January 7, 2011
by Yogajane
0 comments

Tears on My Mat

A few years back, I had my first surprise initiation – crying while doing yoga. (Read all about my first crying experience HERE). And surprisingly, looking at the date of that post, it happened also on a January – 3 years ago! What is it with January???

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Tonight I was really feeling the need to do yoga and so I unfurled my yoga mat onto the floor and, even if I was a bit tired after a whole afternoon of long overdue errands, began my home practice. I went through my sun salutations, then progressed to balancing poses. As I began doing Vrksasana (Tree Pose) and Garudasana (Eagle Pose), my tears just started flowing and my vision actually clouded with so many tears coming out. It was a surprise that despite very poor visibility through the tears, I was still able to maintain my balance as I did the poses and held them for a long time. The tears just continued flowing, and I let them, as I went through twists, inversions and finally, Savasana (Corpse Pose). My mat was wet tonight, but not with the usual sweat that goes with my practice.

Sarah Powers, in an article in Yoga Journal, explained crying during yoga as follows:

During a yoga session, as we stretch and strengthen our muscles, organs, joints, and bones, we release blocked or stagnant energy–both physical/energetic and emotional. The body’s energy is in constant motion, but through habitual protection, unaware living, trauma, or disposition, this constant flow stagnates in certain areas of the body. Without a practice to supplement this deficiency of flowing vital energy, we can end up physically sick or become closed off to deeper feeling tones, leaving us unable to access the immediacy of life in its moments.

In addition to the physical and energetic impact of yoga practice, it is also an awareness discipline that is not merely focused on moving the body with a physical goal in mind as in sports, dance, or calisthenics. Our willfulness when playing sports may override our emotions, but in yoga asana we have a precious opportunity to welcome in all states, uncensored and free of expectations or analysis. For this reason, you may notice a release of emotional energy seemingly unrelated to the specific moment at hand. As you become mindful of your emotions, you will be able to include a broader range of feeling states to be metabolized as they are happening, which is called spontaneous mindfulness.

Over the Christmas holidays, I got sick. Pretty bad. It started out as an allergic reaction to the pollen from our mango tree’s flowers. But my resistance had gone down also tending to two family members who were sick and eventually, I got the flu which lingered till end of December. My lungs, already weak from the flu, also succumbed to asthma, something I had not experienced in over 10 years.

I’m recovering now from the asthma and the lethargy brought about by one illness after another. But I know that my illness was not just a physical manifestation. For some time now, I have been undergoing some stress and it’s not something I want to dwell on here. Suffice it to say, this stress has been quite emotional for me and believing that mind, body and spirit are all connected, I know that my illness was a physical manifestation of the emotional stress that had been building up. And unknown to me, this very stress was also tightening up parts of my body. Catching the “bug” at home was just the tailend effect of it all.

But when I resumed yoga this new year, the poses began opening up those areas in my body that had tightened up with stress. Tonight was just the 4th yoga practice that I’ve done in 2011. And yet, here is where yoga’s benefits kicked in, not on the physical side, but on the emotional side. It released whatever negative energy was trapped in my body. It was my stress reliever.

I know that while I am undergoing stress conditions not always under my control, regular yoga practice will give me some balance and an outlet for any build-up of negative energy and emotions. We really are not aware that stress is a “killer” if we don’t do anything about releasing it. The word ‘psychosomatic’ really takes form when we understand that stress and emotional distress come out in all forms of illnesses and physical problems.

Articles have been written about how yoga has helped people with depression. My tears tonight and the relief it brought afterwards makes me feel there is a lot of truth to that. This is what people call “healing tears”.

If you are under stress, whatever form it takes, you may want to consider taking some gentle yoga under a teacher. The tears may not come but for sure, your body will reap the external (and internal) benefits that it offers you.

December 30, 2010
by Yogajane
4 Comments

For Now, I’m Flexitarian!

One frequent question I get from people who find out I do yoga is: “Are you vegetarian?”

Many of my yogi and yogini friends ARE vegetarian and I know a couple who are vegan. And I do wish I could say that I was too. There are a lot of yogic reasons why animals should not be slaughtered for food. Unfortunately, I’m not. And for now, I am not ready to make the shift – for several reasons:

1. My kids are still basically carnivores – To delete meat totally would cause a mutiny at home. To try to prepare two different menus for each meal will be staggering in terms of time, effort and money.

2. My bout with kidney stones several years ago had my doctor tell me to avoid soy products which are stone-forming for me. Vegetarians derive a lot of proteins from soy products to replace the elimination of meat. I can’t. So I still need some amount of meat to get my protein requirement.

3. There are still meat dishes I enjoy having so it could take some time for me to slowly let go.

The good news though is that for several years now, my taste for meat has been growing less and less. I can no longer take dishes that are plainly meat, like steak. In fact, when I smell the meat, I feel my stomach revolting. For my taste buds to be able to tolerate meat, they have to be served up in very small portions and mixed with vegetables. Lots of vegetables.

I know there are a lot of people like me still in that in-between stage. We practice yoga and try to live a healthy lifestyle. But we are not ready to totally turn our back to meat dishes. At the very least, we want the option to be able to eat a meat dish that our stomachs can tolerate. And I hope we are not lumped into that group of people who “are not real yogis because they are not vegetarian”.

When I shared on one social network site about wanting to eat healthy but not entirely giving meat up, a friend (who happens to be vegetarian) immediately replied: “Then you’re a flexitarian!”.

A whaaaat????

Continue Reading →

December 30, 2010
by Yogajane
1 Comment

Asthma Attack! Yoga to the Rescue!

I rarely have asthma episodes. These usually happen when my body’s resistance is terribly low. Not even air pollution triggers my asthma and if I remember right, my last episode was over 15 years ago, when I was pregnant with my youngest child.

But just before Christmas, I had to take care of two family members who came down with bad cough and colds. I hardly slept for almost 4 days because being a light sleeper, I’d get up at every cough of my “patients”. Then we had house guests from Sydney and I had to tend to them as well. By the time the guests had left and Christmas was approaching, my resistance was brought further down by severe pollen allergy to our flowering mango tree.

Eventually, my already very low resistance brought the flu on and by the time I saw my pulmonologist yesterday, it was already asthma.

When you have asthma, the airways become inflammed, leaving less space for air to pass through to the lungs. This is why asthma can be life-threatening. Those with severe attacks, if left unattended or unmedicated, could die either because of lack of air or from cardiac arrest as the heart works overtime due to labored breathing.

(photo courtesy of A.D.A.M., Inc.)

I could hear myself wheezing already last night so I knew that sleeping could be difficult if I did not do anything about it. More important, I knew that to keep myself out of the “danger zone”, I had to keep lots of air coming into my lungs.

Well, all these years of writing about the benefits of yoga sure came to fore because I decided to try the Corpse Pose (or Savasana in Sanskrit), one of the asanas touted as being good for asthma.

Savasana (photo courtesy of Yoga Journal)

I lay down on my bed and propped my head a bit with a pillow (although the real Savasana needs no propping). I willed myself to relax into the pose (silently talking to my toes, my legs, my thighs, my hands, my arms, my neck, my head and telling each part to relax), spreading my feet apart in a V with my arms in a V also to my sides. And guess what. With the first deep breath that I took — NO WHEEZING SOUND! Not only that. The air I took in felt marvelous as I did not sense any airway constriction. I felt my lungs filling up with air as I continued taking in the air. Then as my lungs filled, I stopped inhaling to keep the new oxygen in as long as I could, before exhaling it all slowly.

During the night, I sensed my body naturally change position. Sometimes I’d turn to my left or right side. But minutes after doing so, I’d hear wheezing again or feel my nose and chest start getting congested. Then I’d return to Savasana position and slowly I could breathe normally again. I also noticed that if I raised both hands above my head while in Savasana, I could still breathe well. So I guess that is a modified position too for those who tire of having hands on the sides.

One might ask: But wait, that’s just normal lying down! On the external, yes. It’s just you lying down in bed. But I think what works is that your mind actively wills each part of your body beginning with your toes all the way up to the scalp to relax. And as you actively relax, your internal organs, more importantly your lungs, ease up and make breathing easier.

This being my first asthma attack since starting yoga, I never got a chance to test out the theory of Savasana being good for it. Till now. So for this coming New Year, with all the pollution from firecrackers and fireworks, if you get a sudden asthma attack, fear not. Savasana has been tried and tested by me. And it works!

September 26, 2010
by Yogajane
0 comments

The Yogini has opened a Facebook Page!

I guess with the growth of social media, it was bound to happen.

After much thought, I figured that it was time to meet my blog readers and the rest of the world on Facebook. So, I just opened up my own Facebook page for The Yogini from Manila.

While I will still be blogging here, the Facebook page is a way for me to connect faster to all of you.

Hope to see you there!

August 13, 2010
by Yogajane
0 comments

The Titans of Yoga DVD – coming soon

7 months of researching

25 amazing yoga teachers and visionaries

more than 25 hours of video footage

3 months of post-production

That’s what it took to produce this upcoming movie, The Titans of Yoga, which will air in September in the US, just in time for National Yoga Month.

This DVD runs for about 72 minutes in HD quality and features 25 modern yoga masters like Ana Forrest, Shiva Rea, Sharon Gannon, John Friend, Rajashree Choudhury, and others. It retails at US$24.95.

On the Yoga Month website, The Titans of Yoga is described as follows:

For the first time ever, Titans of Yoga brings together twenty-five of the most prominent figures in the worlds of yoga, meditation, and mindfulness, from Dr. Dean Ornish, a physician consultant to President Clinton, to Lilias Folan, the “First Lady of Yoga.”

As they share their own life experiences from the tragic to the ecstatic, the Titans embark on a journey of self-discovery that touches and inspires. Their tales of addiction and depression, an HIV positive diagnosis and a penchant for sex, drugs and rock-and-roll will move you as they share how they overcame these challenges and transformed them into their greatest life victories.

From the description above, I can surmise that many of these yoga masters led fairly ordinary and sometimes problematic lives before yoga transformed them into what they are today. This is truly an inspiration because many have this notion that in order to do yoga, you need to be already OK in terms of body shape, body flexibility, mind focus, well-being. What many of us forget is that we can start yoga from anywhere we are and in any state of mind and body that we are in today. Over time, with faithful practice, yoga can lead us to the transformation we need.

Watch a trailer of the DVD HERE.

To order, click HERE.

May 21, 2010
by Yogajane
5 Comments

The Yogini is on Blognapinoy.com

Recently, I was part of a photoshoot for Blognapinoy.com, an online directory of Filipino bloggers.

Renowned metro photographer, Michael Sy Yu, took care of the portrait shots while beauty blogger-cum-friend Bambi de la Cruz did everyone’s makeup and hair.

Blognapinoy is an online directory of Filipino bloggers according to their respective niches. By going to blognapinoy.com, anyone who wants to reach certain niche bloggers will just need to look at the categories listed here.

The photoshoot was fun because along with me were good friends Jayvee Fernandez and RJ Ledesma. Arpee and Juned also showed up to give us their support as they were part of the initial batch of bloggers featured.

In the coming weeks more and more bloggers and their niche blogs will be added to blognapinoy.com. Here are my 2 shots for my blogs featured in blognapinoy.com:

By the way, this photoshoot would not have been possible at all without Sassa, the sponsor of my yoga outfits. Even before this shoot, most of my yoga outfits were already from Sassa. I discovered that not only did they wear well on me but the styles were really attuned to my fashion taste. Both outfits shown in my final photos as well as our informal, behind-the-scenes ones are all courtesy of Sassa (thanks, Rosie!).

March 7, 2010
by Yogajane
1 Comment

Discounted Yoga App from Deepak Chopra and Tara Stiles

Are you about to start yoga or already an experienced yogi practitioner?

Do you have an iPhone or iPod touch?

Then you should seriously consider downloading Authentic Yoga with Deepak Chopra from the iTunes Store.

(photo taken from the iTunes App Store website)

What’s so great about this app is that it features two of my favorite people: Deepak Chopra and Tara Stiles.

Deepak Chopra was born in India but is now an American physician, author and lecturer on Ayurveda medicine. I have several of his books including Ageless Body, Timeless Mind and Grow Younger, Live Longer. Tara Stiles, on the other hand, is one of the yoginis I follow. She is a model and also a wonderful yoga teacher with her own YouTube channel which I subscribe and link to on this blog.

For just this weekend only (March 6-7, 2010), their app is on sale for only $0.99. Imagine how much yoga classes cost in the Philippines and we get this for under PhP 50!

Here’s how the app is described on the iTunes Store:

Practice wherever you are, with the most comprehensive, practical & fun mobile yoga app, brought to you by Deepak & Tara Stiles.

“Authentic Yoga with Deepak Chopra, featuring Tara Stiles” blends the practical wisdom of Deepak’s teachings, with the in-the-body physical-focused practices of Tara Stiles, to bring you a useful, grounded practice and understanding of the authentic teachings of yoga.

With this app, Deepak and Tara merge two different generations with the same mission: spreading conscious and compassionate living to as many people as possible.

The app includes instructional poses and videos from beginner to experienced levels of practice. You will see a photo of each pose demonstrated by Tara and audio and video instructions by Deepak.

Authentic Yoga also includes unique yoga video lessons by Tara for everything from building strength and flexibility to relieving stress. Deepak’s own yoga practice routine is also shown and demonstrated by Tara, his personal instructor.

The app, currently version 1.2, takes up 64.8MB and is rated a 4+ out of 5 by different reviews.

I have downloaded the app already and am looking forward to using it during my self-yoga sessions. What a great tool this is to take along too when I travel.

Hurry. This is only good for this weekend.

January 13, 2010
by Yogajane
3 Comments

Baby Yoga via Pampers Yoga Stretchycise

The first 2 years of life for an infant are the years when the brain grows the fastest. Even before the baby can speak, movement is the most important way for them to explore and learn about their social and physical environment as well as develop new skills.

From just lying on his back, the baby learns to flip over on his stomach, push himself up on both arms, pull himself up in his crib by holding on to the bars, learning to balance by letting go once he’s up on both legs, then eventually taking a step on his own, until he learns to walk unaided. Then as a toddler, he learns to run, jump, hop, climb, dance and do other movements.

As parents then, it’s important that our babies are taught how to do these movements safely so they do not injure themselves in the process.

As adults, yoga has been found to be a very good way to stretch the muscles and introduce flexibility which we have lost over the years. As young kids we were quite supple and flexible but long hours sitting on chairs in school and at work have taken this flexibility away. Yoga is able to recoup some of that lost inflexibility. In fact, many athletes take yoga as a complementary fitness routine to lessen the chances of sports injuries. Teaching our babies yoga moves at an early age could also help their developmental growth.

Pampers supports baby yoga through the Yoga Stretchycise program, a fun and hip new exercise routine. Developed through a partnership of baby experts – Pampers, the Mother and Child Nurses Association of the Philippines (MCNAP) and Gymboree Play and Music, Pampers Yoga Stretchycise is a fun playtime routine that combines yoga moves with stretching which will help encourage the development of baby’s mind and body.

“Baby Yoga is a great way to encourage active play which is important because at this stage, the pre-schoolers and below, their way of learning is to play. The Pampers Yoga Stretchycise helps encourage your baby’s development by maximizing body movement.” said baby yoga instructor, Maritoni Tordesillas.

At yesterday’s launch of Pampers Yoga Stretchycise, Maritoni led a group of toddlers with their mommies into different baby yoga exercises like stretches, side bends, frog hops, seated forward bends, and dancing around mommy.

It also does help to wear Pampers Active Baby diapers while baby is doing baby yoga. The Active Baby line helps encourage movement through its unique stretchy side tapes that follows a baby’s body shape, allowing for a more comfortable fit so babies can play all day. Baby won’t make a fuss during Yoga Stretchycise.

To learn more about Pampers Yoga Strechycise and Pampers Active Baby, parents can visit www.pampers.ph.

January 6, 2010
by Yogajane
1 Comment

Photo Contest: “Yoga Takes Me Here”

First off, this contest is ONLY for those in Singapore, HK and Taipei. And it’s open to both Pure Yoga cardholders as well as non-cardholders.

If you do yoga and if you have ever captured yourself practising yoga in a weird, wonderful, eccentric or special place, you could just win up to 12 bonus months on your Pure contract, 4-day Evolution Asia Yoga Conference All Conference Pass, and Canon Powershot SX1 digital cameras!