The Yogini from Manila

July 6, 2007
by Yogajane
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A New Yoga Flow

Last Tuesday, our teacher Pio Baquiran, started class with an announcement that from then on, we would thank God both at the beginning and end of classes.

While we did meditations once in a while, skipping them sometimes when time was short, he told us that from now on, meditation was going to form a regular part of our classes so that it puts us in the proper frame of mind for the rest of the asanas. Thanking God for allowing us this time should always precede and end our classes. He told us that our thanksgiving could be done out loud or silently in our hearts. I think we were all too shy that night because we all chose to do our thanks in silence.

Pio also said that he was modifying our sequences to follow more closely the teachings of the great Krisnamacharya, under whose tutelage the likes of B.K.S. Iyengar (Iyengar yoga), Bikram Choudhury (Bikram or hot yoga), Pattabhi Jois (Ashtanga yoga) studied under.

In a subsequent post, I will try to write about this new flow compared to the sequence we had been used to. Suffice it to say, I came out of that class feeling all warm and glowing. It was tough. Many of the asanas were deeper variations, challenging us beyond what we had been used to. But the effect on me was exhilarating and calming. I had one of the best nights of sleep ever.

July 6, 2007
by Yogajane
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New Theme

Today, I checked out this site and lo and behold, my 2-column theme somehow became 3 columns.

I tried troubleshooting to no avail.

So, much as I loved that previous theme as it had a beautiful picture of the Philippines as header, I am forced to change theme until I can somehow debug the other one.

June 21, 2007
by Yogajane
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What Type of Yogi Are You?

Found this yoga quiz on the internet that determines what type of yogi you are (of course, all in fun!).

My results?

You Are a Mindful Yogi!

You no doubt are very conscientious about your Yoga practice. You practice regularly and you want to make extra sure you are doing the poses correctly. You give a lot of thought to your practice – on ways you can improve it, on the philosophical aspect, on breathing and focus. You probably own a number of books on Yoga. Your assets are your detailed mind and your precision – you don’t miss a thing! You need to work on seeing the bigger picture – sometimes you can’t see the universe for the stars. The type of Yoga that would suit you best would most likely be Iyengar, or one of its offshoots, like Anusara.

C’mon, take the test and let me know which type you are!

June 15, 2007
by Yogajane
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The Benefits of Practising Yoga

Yoga – Benefits of Yoga by Juliet Cohen

Yoga is an ancient practice that helps create a sense of union in body, mind, and spirit. The most important benefit of yoga is physical and mental therapy. The aging process, which is largely an artificial condition, caused mainly by autointoxication or self-poisoning, can be slowed down by practicing yoga. Although yoga has been shown to be beneficial in a variety of conditions, it is not considered a therapy for specific illnesses. Yoga also strives to increase self-awareness on both a physical and psychological level. This allows people to take early collective action, such as adjusting posture, when discomfort is first noticed. Practicing yoga can provide chronic pain sufferers with useful tools to actively cope with their pain and help counter feelings of helplessness and depression. Laboratory tests have proved the yogi’s increased abilities of consciously controlling autonomic or involuntary functions, such as temperature, heartbeat and blood pressure. Patients who practice yoga have a better chance of gaining the ability to control their breathing problems.

In general, yoga is a very safe form of exercise for most people. For those with specific back conditions, it is advisable to speak with one’s treating physician prior to starting yoga. Yoga is dynamite to make you feel younger with heightened mental prowness. Longer life often result from following yogic ways of health maintenance. Yoga is approximately 4,000 years old and is a scientific methodology aimed at uniting the mind, body, and spirit. Yoga is believed to reduce pain by helping the brain’s pain center regulate the gate-controlling mechanism located in the spinal cord and the secretion of natural painkillers in the body. Breathing exercises used in yoga can also reduce pain. Yoga has consistently been used to cure and prevent back pain by enhancing strength and flexibility. Both acute and long-term stress can lead to muscle tension and exacerbate back problems. Continue Reading →

June 12, 2007
by Yogajane
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Is Yoga For Men?

Yoga guys

(photo taken from abc-of-yoga.com)

Yoga classes appear to be on the upswing here in Manila and some key cities in the Philippines. While there is a smattering of men attending these classes, it is still clear that the ratio of women to men in these classes is heavily skewed in favor of the women. It has not always been so though.

Men Introduced Yoga First

Until very recently, yoga was actually practised exclusively by men. If one delves into the past of yoga, one will see that the likes of contemporary teachers like B.K.S. Iyengar (Iyengar yoga), Bikram Choudhury (Bikram or hot yoga), Pattabhi Jois (Ashtanga yoga) were all male and that some of them (Iyengar and Jois) had the great Krishnamacharya as their teacher.

Ann Pizer, in her article Can Men Do Yoga? says, “Since yoga has been practiced by men for so long, many of the poses actually make more sense for a man’s body and some require a lot of upper body strength, which women often lack at first.”

It thus made sense for men to take up yoga. Continue Reading →

June 1, 2007
by Yogajane
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It Is All in the Breath

Did you know that you and I have been breathing the WRONG way all these years?

When my yogi teacher Pio first told us so, I had reservations about his statement. After all, for as long as I could remember, this was how I breathed — inhale and suck in your belly, exhale and let belly relax. I call it tummy tuck breathing!

Apparently, this was not how we used to breathe as newborn babies. If you have a baby, watch how he/she sleeps. As the baby takes in air, the stomach EXPANDS and as the baby exhales, stomach CONTRACTS. This is called diaphragmatic breathing.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

(photo taken from the University of Southern California School of Medicine website) Continue Reading →

May 28, 2007
by Yogajane
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I Am a …. Doll?

My name (Jane) has always been associated with the word ORDINARY. Why do you think have they coined the phrase “plain Jane” to refer to somebody who is plain-looking?

Or take the description of “Jane Doe” referring to someone not yet identified or known.

How much more nondescript and ordinary can a name be?

But…tonight, I am glad about my name. Because while browsing the net, I came across a yoga “bender doll” (you’ve probably held these dolls, the ones with rubbery limbs you can bend whichever way) .

Meet — YOGA JANE!!!! From the description on several websites selling this, she comes with her own pink yoga mat and a tiny metal case.

Now I want one! At the very least, even if I still cannot do some difficult poses, I can bend Yoga Jane, put her on my night table, and pretend…

Yoga Jane

P.S. They’ve got a Yoga Joe with a blue mat (for the guys!) too!

May 28, 2007
by Yogajane
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Can Depression and Anxiety Be Treated By Yoga?

Now here’s something interesting I came across.

Up till this time, I have strongly believed in the benefits of yoga to one’s INTERNAL organs. From several books I have come across on the subject, different poses (asanas) are good for different organs of the body — the heart, the kidneys, the lungs, etc. It has even been shown to be good for one’s MENTAL state in terms of relieving stress and tension. But apparently, this article talks about yoga benefits beyond just stress. This research material covers the possibility that yoga could be good as a treatment for depression and anxiety. Continue Reading →

May 25, 2007
by Yogajane
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Yoga Gets a Nomination!

When I started my public blog at WordPress, it was just that. A blog I could make available to the public. It was also where I put in my yoga posts and other thoughts.

The next move I made was to join iblog3 in April (a blogging summit that brings bloggers together). At that summit, I met so many professional and newbie bloggers like me. An exchange of blog sites apparently became a domino effect because the more I posted comments on others’ blogs, the more traffic came into my own blog, not just from the Philippines but from Asia, UK and US. My virtual community grew by leaps and bounds.

But what really floored me was when Noemi Dado, a pioneer in grief recovery in the Philippines, and a professional blogger at that, included the blog in her nomination entry for the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs in 2007. Imagine, included in her top 10 list were the likes of the blogs of Pia Cayetano or Cathy Babao (who has several blogs including one on her grief journey. Remember her? She is the mommy who lost Migs, her child, and set up “Migi’s Corner” — playrooms for sick kids — in many hospitals to-date). And the list includes bloggers who are way, way ahead of me in blogging history!

I told Noemi I was so humbled to be in such company but she answered that it was my yoga advocacy that caught her eye. YOGA! Wow, it was a growing recognition that yoga is indeed making its way into the lifestyles of people (or at the very least, creating awareness that this is indeed a practical, alternative way to health).

The judging will still be in early August but I do not care anymore. This nomination is enough for me. It inspires me to continue what I am doing and go for MORE.

A great PLUS for me now is that yoga practitioners have began finding my blog (and I have been discovering many of theirs as well) and I have started corresponding with some of them already. As my yoga practice progresses, I hope to be able to get support, help, tips and more from these people who now form a large chain of contacts in cyberspace.

May 24, 2007
by Yogajane
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Yoga To Go

At times it is difficult to keep a fitness program because there are too many constraints. Traffic (like today, when it rained) keeps us from traveling to a gym and golf is definitely out. Many sports require accessories, equipment and special footwear. I have seen passengers on a plane hauling golf bags, tennis rackets, bulky backpacks (for mountaineers).

Now take something like yoga. What I find great about this fitness activity is its simplicity. I call it a “to-go” program (take anywhere, do any time).

Yoga’s requirement is absolutely minimalist — a yoga mat. And it does not require a court, a pool, a golf course or a range. Last October 2006 when our family left for the province, i threw my mat into my maleta together with a few sets of workout clothes (which, by the way, already served as some of my daytime attire while there — talk of traveling light!). And while waiting for our much delayed flight at the departure area, we also spotted 2 girls and one of them was lugging a backpack with a yoga mat sticking out from it. Portable!

While in the province, I was able to do yoga just about anywhere. One day, it was the lawn; another day, the family room; another time, the bedroom. My 2 yoga mates who traveled together even did it along the shore of a beach resort. You could be in tees and shorts, or workout tops and bottoms even. And….just barefoot. It does not choose the time of day — early morning, mid-morning, early afternoon or evening is fine. How much simpler can it get? I can only think of swimming as another simple, physical program that does not require much in terms of “gear”. But again, you would need to go to a pool!

The less complicated it is to exercise, I realized, the easier it is to KEEP TO THE ROUTINE. At least, it works that way for me. No excuses!

How do you keep yourself focused on doing your fitness routine regularly? Drop me a note here.