Three Years and a Few Lessons After

I was inspired, er, reminded by my friends’ FB status which said “Exactly 10 years ago, I did this and did that….” Now, my turn.

Exactly three years ago, I attended my very first yoga class, vinyasa/flow yoga, under Pio Baquiran at the Vinyasa Yoga Center. Now I do ashtanga in Yoga Manila under Jon Cagas (most of the time) and over this period I had tried other yoga styles in different studios, including Pulse Yoga and Iyengar Yoga Center Manila. And over this period, too, I had learned some life  lessons:

Yoga starts the moment one steps out of the mat.

The root of chaos is one’s sense of entitlement, regardless whether it is rightful or not.

Respect space–physical and psychological, one’s own and others’.

Know your place.  

Some days you can, other days you can’t. And life goes on.

Life becomes so much fun when one stops trying and starts breathing instead.

Brands don’t matter; discipline and dedication do.   

Life is about relationships, not transactions.

Growth is a painful process. It hurts. So what?

Thank you all who have been part of my yoga life–my teachers and classmates–who taught me these lessons. And I welcome those who will be part of it as this journey continues.

And I pray for my teachers, and their teachers, and all those who come before them. I pray for their blessing of light, life, and love. I thank the Lord for the beauty and benefits of yoga and I pray for the grace to use them for the service, love, and glory of the Lord, and for the good of mankind. Om.

My Saturday Night Is Made of These

moist fudge brownie, a cup of hot camomile tea, and a glossy magazine

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I worked for three straight days beginning Wednesday with only four to five hours of sleep (and mealtimes and toilet breaks) in between. I wrote two cases and have to write two more next week (and now on weekend I still find myself writing…write or die, Chona!). So I rewarded myself with Xocolat: Java, dark chocolate with cashew nuts; Adult, dark rum and Belgian xoco chunks; and Peanut Butter (I know, I said I wasn’t a PB fan but they ran out of the two other kinds and I already had Original Sin before). So there, one for each day I worked, ha ha!

Halved the Adult; a whole is just too much. Maybe I’ll blog later which of the three I like best.

very pretty packaging

 

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Yoga in the City by Rudolph Ian Alama

Photos by Bob Mata

Yogi positions demonstrated by Jonathan Cagas (woot!woot!)

This article published in m. Life and Living in Mindanao is about James Fritz Freire’s “mission to spread in his native Mindanao…a way of life called the Yoga.”

Here are some excerpts:

“His foray into yoga came when he was searching for other disciplines to train their bodies for dancing. ‘During that time, the Yoga Foundation of the Philippines was looking for students to promote yoga in schools. I applied and was chosen….’ 

“Aside from conducting yoga classes…he tries to teach yoga to schoolchildren…. One of his plans is to conduct free yoga clinic in the barangays.

“‘…I think there are still people from our area who don’t really know what yoga is. Many still think it is a cult while others think that it is contrary to their Christian beliefs, when in fact yoga and Christianity share many basic philosophies.’” 

Got my copy (thanks M!) from Fully Booked. Didn’t do yoga today. Reading about it makes up for not practicing? He he….

I just thought Jon should have been included in the Special Feature “Sons of the South, A Glance at the Modern Mindanawon”, he being a true-blooded anak ng Mindanao. But then again…well, grab a copy so you’ll know why.

Beginners’ Yoga: Introduction to Ashtanga at Yoga Manila Ortigas

To those who missed this workshop, you may join YM’s offering next quarter. Please visit Yoga Manila’s website for details.

Remembering the Gurus

 

source: www.kpjayi.org

 

Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (July 26, 1915 – May 18, 2009)

And I ask for blessings for my teachers, and their teachers, and all those who come before them….

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“Dedication to the guru is dedication to the practice,” so the Ashtangis said during a sangha, referring to their traditional guru system. That brought me memories of my different gurus.

I equate “guru” with spiritual leaders, although today people loosely use the term to mean someone with authority thus one can hear it even in business schools. I had “gurus” in the (distant) past, although we did not call them that way, who taught me submission to authority and obedience, among other things. Except for one who has become like a family to us, my experience with the gurus I had had for 11 years was unpleasant, to say the least.  My usual reaction hence was, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Sure, gurus are just human. In fact Sharon Gannon and David Life in their book Jivamukti Yoga classified gurus into sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic. Rajasic teachers do not want self-disciplined students but instead want followers on whom they depend financially, emotionally, and spiritually; while tamasic teachers manipulate others to enhance their ego-selves. On the other hand, sattvic teachers are interested only in serving the students. But “if you are a student, it won’t matter what kind of teacher you have if your intentions are pure.” (84)

And as I have written before, you may not always have the teacher that you want but the universe will always give you the teacher that you need.

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BG 4.34 Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.

Annotation: A bona fide spiritual master is by nature very kind toward the disciple. Therefore when the student is submissive and is always ready to render service, the reciprocation of knowledge and inquiries becomes perfect.

I met my life coach three years ago. I call him such because he does not want to be called a guru although he is very much like one to me. Back then he was my sounding board about what was to become a burnout a year later or so. And in countless instances he tried to shield me from all sorts of things (and people) that could have aggravated my situation. And yes, he was instrumental in finding that place where I was meant to be…and all he said was “wait.” Indeed, there is so much wisdom in that single word. Today, although we communicate on a need basis, we remain connected.

As the Indian proverb goes: the devotee’s job is to find the guru, love the guru, and finally leave the guru. (Jivamukti Yoga, 84)

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Today is teacher Jon’s birthday!

 

And I ask for blessings for my teachers, and their teachers, and all those who come before them….

Ashtanga Workshop with Jon Cagas