Green Tara Mantra

Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā / Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha. Tara (whose name means "star" or "she who ferries across") is a Bodhisattva of compassion who manifests in female form. Tara represents compassion in action, since she's in the process of stepping from her lotus throne in order to help sentient beings. Tara's mantra is a loving play on her name which corresponds with three progressive stages of salvation:

1. Tāre represents salvation from mundane dangers and suffering. Tara is seem as a savioress who can give aid from material threats such as floods, crime, wild animals, and yes, traffic accidents.

2. Tuttāre represents deliverance into the spiritual path conceived in terms of individual salvation. In traditional terms, this is the path of the Arhant, which leads to individual liberation from suffering. This is seen in Mahayana Buddhism as a kind of enlightenment in which compassion does not figure strongly.

3. Lastly, ture represents the culmination of the spiritual path in terms of deliverance into the altruistic path of universal salvation - the Bodhisattva path. In the Bodhisattva path we aspire for personal enlightenment, but we also connect compassionately with the sufferings of others, and strive to liberate them at the same time as we seek enlightenment ourselves.

I'm touched by the sensitivity of others. Thank you Becky for sharing this with me. Om.

The Cyber Shala

So I'm trying to get back on the mat after more than a month of hibernation. I had a consistent, daily self-practise underway which I embarked on not very long ago but was cut short by the "incident". I am determined but dread having to start all over again. Back to zero. In my case that means having to remember the primary series sequence, re-learn the poses and struggle at becoming supple once more for Mary D, Supta Kurmasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana and even the forward bend where I expect to feel the most resistance. I'll also need to see how far I can push myself because of persistent pain on my left fibula (yep, I think that's where it's emanating from). If I manage to get back behind the wheel, then I'll be back on the mat at the shala this weekend. Inshallah as my teacher says.

I'm finding encouragement from fellow practitioners at the Cyber Shala. Bloggers from around the world who post regularly about their practise and progress like Grimmly who is completely self-taught and began his blog in 2007 to document his development with the jump back-through. Today he effortlessly floats through vinyasas and is now practising the third series and some advanced asanas. His How do you maintain your motivation for practice? post has really helped in putting the spark back in my practise. Also read his clever How many ways to practice Ashtanga? post.

I also enjoy The Journey of my Practice owned by a blogger who has declared 2009 "The Year of the Dropback". For every proper backbend, Globie (who like Grimmly is British) rewards himself with a big, white chocolate button which has been effective for him but I think could be fattening depending on how long it takes him to ace the dropback. Then there's Life...on and off the mat about Mel from the US who began practising Ashtanga in March but whose home practise has recently been derailed by renovation work at her flat. I can also relate to Inhale , a Westerner living in South Korea, whose mind has been chipping away at his practice. External pressures like real estate problems and an ill parent along with his own perceived inadequacies as a practitioner have been weighing him down. Mitahara and other fellow Filipino yoga bloggers round up my daily dose of yoga reading. Although I haven't met most of them, I feel that I'm in good company with these Ashtangi bloggers. I appreciate how they share practise tips, advice as well as glimpses into their personal lives. Hugely inspiring and motivating. Om.

Fresh Start

Enough wallowing in fear already.

My close call along C5 seems insignificant compared to how fellow Filipinos have been traumatised by Ketsana and Parma which inundated the country's capital and farmlands and decimated the homes and properties of thousands. The two powerful typhoons also dumped record-high rains that left in its wake hundreds who died from drowning and in mudslides.

This past month I watched these terrible events happen on TV from home where I remained safe, warm and dry. I feel fortunate to have been spared yet a little ashamed to have been inconvenienced by just a brief power interruption throughout the storms. For this I thank the high heavens eternally.

Alongside Rustan's Fresh supermarket, where I occasionally go for grocery.

Underground pedestrian walkway in the premier city of Makati.

My son's favourite mall and condominiums in Eastwood.

A ray of light this dark month: rescuers and civilians who risked their lives to save the lives of others. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost everything and who must overcome so much suffering in order rebuild for a fresh start. Om.

Thanks to Manuel Quezon III for the images.

Back to Zero

Trying to find the stillness as I go back to zero.
Still reeling from the "incident" last week and losing lots of sleep because of it. I realise that I could have been one of those people other people will know to have died senselessly. "Did you hear about Tong's daughter?", I imagine would be the conversation piece. Having grace under pressure was one of my best assets at the height of my career. But I have lost those nerves of steel after coming so close to danger on a highway that is notorious for robbery and bloody road mishaps, usually staged and perpetrated by the police some say. Oddly, the German car I used to drive never attracted criminal minds, who last weekend picked on my nondescript Nissan sedan. This is "karma" for what, I really don't know. Just grateful for the wonderful memories of the John Scott workshop which take my mind off the horrible, harrowing, traumatic experience. Slowly, I hope to find peace and the stillpoint. Om.

Gratitude

In pain because of a bruised tendon, I've slowed down my practise somewhat since Friday last week. So practise has been quite "unbalanced" (an oxymoron I think as yoga is all about balance) these past 5 days as I've been working my good leg but resting my left one. That means no Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana, Ardha Baddha Paschimottanasana, Marichy B & D, Supta Kurmasana, Garbha Pindasana, Urdhva Padmasana, Pindasana and Matsyana where there is compression and when the pain becomes really intolerable. Strangely enough when I get to Baddha Padmasana my body folds over forward painlessly.

So I've explained the "injury" to the owner of the gym who was a sports professor at my university and who is now a coach at the country's premier private university. His sports therapist Edmund rejects medical intervention and started me on a program aimed at strengthening the muscles and tendons on my injured leg. We did some leg raises with light weights and lunges and squats across the length of the floor and it felt wonderful! Edmund also encouraged me to keep my eyes closed which really tapped into my yoga psyche and felt so right.

Funny how the universe works. I have been stressed by the fact that I will be doing a Led class on Sunday plus a week of workshops with John Scott next week with a leg injury. This gym is far from ideal for me and yet this is where it seems I will be on the road to recovery and learn patience and humility. Om.

Shortcuts

Did a shortened practise today. Short in the sense that after the Sun Salutations I didn't come back to Samasthithii in the standing sequence and took vinyasas only after finishing both sides of each seated asana. Other than those modifications and without sacrificing the breath, I still did all the primary series poses plus more actually. I did some handstand preps against the wall and did more wall walks than usual. Still have a long way to go in deepening my backbends. But that's OK. I'm just curious to see how my body will adapt over time to Urdhva Dhanurasana, Supta Kurmasana and Marichy D. Hope all is coming indeed.

The intention was to get to my kids' pre-school before dismissal because the children were sent home earlier today. But I enjoyed focusing my energy on staying for up to 10 breaths in the poses, especially in the seated ones, and got carried away thinking that skipping the Samasthithiis and half the vinyasas really bought me much time. I was late for my kids. But in my humble opinion this "routine" was quite efficient and really "seamless" as my feet were naturally positioned wide apart for a succession of poses: Trikonasana, Reverse Triangle, Utthita Parsvakonasana, Parivritta Parsvakonasana, Prasaritas A-D and Parsvottanasana. I then came to Samasthithii for Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana, Warriors I & II and Utkatasana.

Had a chance to try Anusara Yoga with two friends who say the atmosphere at the shala is getting too "intense and competitive". Sure hope not. Loved Anusara but I'm sad they feel that way about yoga. Also confused by Grimmly who has inspired me to fast-track my personal practice of the primary series. Of late he seems to be practising less Ashtanga and more Vinyasa Krama in the tradition of Ramaswami and not Matthew Sweeney's. Om.

It comes and it goes

Another favourite on my playlist is this song by the English singer Dido. Watch the official video which plays like a short film complete with a storyline. It's about a young Thai woman who is both boxer and mother. Such a tough job and yet she looks more supermodel than supermom!

The song goes like this and sort of relates to today's practice:

Some days I wanna, and some days I don’t. Sometimes I can feel it and suddenly it’s gone. Some days I can tell you the truth and some days I just don’t. Only a change of mood sun goes down some one says something to quick or to soon, a touch not made one made to late army’s of words can not hope to contain…

Then it comes and it goes.
And I have no control.

Some days I can think clear and some days I won't. Sometimes I can feel it and suddenly it’s gone. Some days I am strong and some days my skin's broken and thin.That’s when it feels and it takes what it needs and it leaves before I get to know, it’s only a step away moments that army’s of words can not hope to contain.

Then it comes and it goes...

I can bind on my own and walk my legs towards each other to make my feet meet in front of my head in Supta Kurmasana. But today, my right foot inched its way on top my left foot. I think it was a combination of my hips softening and opening, my clavicle touching the ground and my shoulders fitting neatly under my knees. It felt like a stroke of luck and good timing. Hope I get lucky again tomorrow. And when I finally cross my feet, maybe someday I can slide my head underneath them. Om.

At last...a personal practice

Five times a week from 8.30 a.m. until 10.45 a.m., Tuesdays through Fridays and Saturday mornings. This has been my schedule for self-practice since the start of this month. Serendipitously, self-practice became key to striking a balance in life and spending quality time between family and yoga practice. I had been grappling with my conscience every time I stepped out of the house for more than two hours to practice yoga. Would the kids be safe with the yayas? Would the yayas sneak the kids out of the house? Worse, would they welcome a complete stranger into our home? I've dispelled all these negative thoughts by practicing while they're in school. The rest of the day can then be devoted to chores, quick trips to the supermarket or bank, managing the household and staff, and raising the children. And come Saturday, I troop to yoga class to refine my practice with teachers. Now I enjoy a sense of...equanimity (love this word) and a feeling of things being "meant to be".

Also, I now appreciate why teachers encourage self-practice. With a regular practice I've become more connected to the primary series. Doing the primary daily has become less routine and more ritual. I have learned patience and how not to rush or push too hard. Every day becomes a time for self-discovery too. With the help of mirrors, I've seen how I still need to lengthen my spine in Marich D, keep my heels off the ground in Kurmasana, and arch my back more in Setu Bandhasana. And oddly, instead of getting that feeling of dejection, I now feel eager and excited to explore those poses further and harness the bandhas the following day. Non-attachment, finally. It can be so liberating! Can't wait to use those "micro-adjustments" suggested by my teacher for asanas I normally had assistance with.

Not all is hunky-dory, of course. There are some pitfalls to personal practice. One is that I miss the energies of fellow practicioners, some of whom really inspire me during class. Another is that accidents can happen when you're all alone. I have a blackeye which I sustained after I fell on my face while balancing in Bhujapidasana. Also my practice venue happens to be the noisiest gym in the universe with hip-hop music blaring from speakers in every corner and muscle-bound men perplexed by my "pretzel practice", fitness regimen and goals. They don't disturb me because I've blocked them out with my mp3 player. Heavy on my playlist are the haunting Icelandic melodies of Bjork (such as the tune below), Enigma and some Massive Attack, some Art of Noise. For now, music has helped sychronise the breath with asanas. And anyway, I will take whatever the universe gives. Om.

"Allah" by Rumi

Celebrating Rumi at his tomb in Konya, Turkey

I tried to find Him on the Christian cross, but He was not there; I went to the Temple of the Hindus and to the old pagodas, but I could not find a trace of Him anywhere.

I searched on the mountains and in the valleys but neither in the heights nor in the depths was I able to find Him. I went to the Ka'bah in Mecca, but He was not there either.

I questioned the scholars and philosophers but He was beyond their understanding.

I then looked into my heart and it was there where He dwelled that I saw Him; He was nowhere else to be found.

-by Jalaluddin Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet, Islamic jurist, theologian and mystic born in Khorasan which is present-day Afghanistan. Rumi's teachings are universal in nature and transcend national and ethnic borders. For him, religion was mostly a personal experience not limited to logical arguments or perceptions of the senses. Creative love, or the urge to rejoin the spirit to divinity, was the goal towards which every thing moves.

That divine spark within

I used to work in the film/TV industry. For about a decade and soon after graduating from university I got involved in film and TV productions mostly with foreign outfits, and very established ones internationally, fortunately for me, as the pay was quite substantial and allowed me to travel extensively for work. This was an “anti-yoga” period of my life characterised by stress, unhealthy behaviour and eating habits, and a lack of balance and harmony with deadlines wreaking havoc on my mind and time. So wrapped up was I with my career that I had little time to spare for friends, loved ones and relatives who all could catch me mostly on TV.

I had what my superiors called “a nose for news and an artistic eye” which they said set me apart from peers and colleagues. Early on my work was marked by minimal or no voice narration and the use of interviews--or sound bites in TV jargon--and natural/ambient sound to tell a video story. Having an on-cam talent, I believed, was less effective, distracting and just bloated the production budget. Let the picture speak for itself, I used to say. It was also a plus that I could multi-task as writer, director, editor, camera person and audio (wo)man.

By the mid ‘90s, viewers worldwide began to pay more attention to financial news especially from the Asian region and its emerging tiger economies. I was hired by 2 major TV news agencies based in the US as an on-cam talent/producer. While I am thankful for this “big break”, the experience I feel “killed” me on many levels: physically, I was exhausted from chasing deadlines that I couldn’t afford to miss as sending a TV segment via satellite cost the network about US$10,000; mentally, I had no economics background and was constantly cramming and hit the ground running most of the time; emotionally, I felt stuck in a niche I had zero passion for. Let me explain that bit more.

When capturing footage for, say a documentary, I always look for memorable and riveting pictures. There’s no such thing in business news! How do you humanize a stock market report? That was always my predicament back then. The formula at the time was simply to show how bearish or bullish the market was by shooting the action at the trading floor at the Philippine Stock Exchange. But what I did and which wore me out eventually, was put a face, or case study for every story produced. What was the effect of the market crash for companies big and small? Instead of constantly showing numbers, I showed faces. I demanded a lot from my camera men, I wanted them to record dynamic shots and add sizzle to boring business video. I also veered away from writing scripts that made sense only to an exclusive group of viewers and wrote stories simply to make it meaningful and palpable to the man on the street. My bosses liked my work so much they gave me more assignments than reporters from other Southeast Asian countries, who eventually copied my style. Don’t mind really since I wasn’t all that crazy about business reporting. What bothered me though was that I was having less time doing the thing I loved most, producing documentaries. In time I got burned out and had to slow down and inevitably end my long-stint with TV news. Life normalized: I got married and had children. Last year, I was introduced to the beautiful practice of Ashtanga yoga. Life became a little more subdued, serene even.

So when a yogini whom I respect a great deal sent me an excerpt of “The Invocation” which was co-produced by her friend, I almost felt like bawling like a baby in frustration. Here is a subject related to what I feel is my life’s passion now and which is tackled in the way I would have produced it. Aaaaaaarrrgghh!

“The Invocation” employs interviews from popular musicians and artists like The Police drummer Stewart Copeland and Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics, spiritual author Depak Chopra, and other writers and theologians to explain that spark of divinity present within everyone.

The montage of images of candles flickering inside a Buddhist temple in India, and chanting during a Shinto ceremony in Japan, a Sikh celebration in Amristar, India and in a Syrian Orthodox service in Israel was mesmerizing to watch. These visuals are accompanied by violin music played by Anne Marie who gets lost in the moment as if playing with the cosmos in a way. Dave Stewart strums along on his guitar and their collaboration becomes the soundtrack for this piece about God, oneness and the desire for peace regardless of relious denomination.

Some sound bites from “Invocation”:

“This feeling of being connected to a higher world is achieved through ritual, meditation, incantation, prayer—this spiritual force created cannot be explained by science. As an agnostic, an atheist, I’m telling you it’s THERE.” – Stewart Copeland

“Everyone has that parcel of the divine within themselves, like a spark, all you have to do is ignite it and the fire of the divine will consume the whole being.” – Stanislas Klossowski de Rola, artist/writer

“Too often we identify ourselves solely with our body, our mind, but forgetting all about the spirit which is the spark of the divine within all of us.” – Huston Smith, writer & religious scholar

“It’s within each of us and within every single people we meet, that’s what the Hindus do when they bow before each other. They acknowledge the divinity they encounter in the other.” – Karen Armstrong, historian of religion

“You are in divine consciousness. God is not difficult to find. God is impossible to avoid. God is in every object of your perception, whether it is a tree, a rose, or another human being. God shines through that filter of divine intelligence.” –Depak Chopra

To Amanda Estremera, you are brilliant. I bow to the divinity within you. Om.

...and relaaaaaax!

Just some comic relief on an agonizingly slow and rainy Friday. This one is a video from stand up comedian Brian Regan.

Zen and the poetry of T.S. Eliot

At the still point of the turning world.

Neither flesh nor fleshless; Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,

But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,

Where past and future are gathered.

Neither movement from nor towards,Neither ascent nor decline.

Except for the point, the still point,

There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.

I can only say, there we have been: but I cannot say where.

And I cannot say, how long, for that is to place it in time.

The inner freedom from the practical desire,

The release from action and suffering, release from the inner

And the outer compulsion, yet surrounded

By a grace of sense, a white light still and moving…

-from Burnt Norton, section I of Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot

I’ve come to absolutely love this passage from the long poem Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot not only because my father used to read his work in school but also because of the Zen-like connotations in his writing. Considered a pioneer of Western 20th century poetry for being among the first to reject conventional verse forms and language, T.S. Eliot is highly-regarded in Japanese literary circles for his interest in Zen Buddhism.

In Four Quartets his last major work, Eliot explores the questions of time and eternity in four sections, Burnt Norton (1936), East Coker (1940), The Dry Salvages (1941), and Little Gidding (1942), representing places visited by the poet.

'The still point of the turning world' in Burnt Norton illustrates for me what one should ideally experience when practicing yoga. As scholars have pointed out, Eliot implies that there is a point of stillness at the heart of movement which is poised, balanced, and is also the “locus of power.”

He also writes about 'the dance' and equates it with beauty, control, elegance, power and harmony. The Western Buddhist Review dissected and interpreted this as: dancing, like meditation, needs concentration but also fluidity, a blend of conscious control and a creative flow. 'At the still point, there the dance is' - the dance comes from that stillness. Om.

"Bruises" by Chairlift

I tried to do handstands for you

Everytime I fell yeah everytime I fell

I tried to do handstands for you

But everytime I fell for you

I'm permanently black and blue, permanently blue for you

I tried to do handstands for you

Everytime I fell on you yeah everytime I fell

I tried to do handstands but everytime I fell for you

I'm permanently black and blue, permanently blue for You-ooo For you-ooo

I grabbed some frozen strawberries so I could ice your bruisy knees

But frozen things they all unfreeze and now I taste like

All those frozen strawberries I used to chill your bruisy knees,

Hot July ain't good to me

I'm pink and black and blue

I got bruises on my knees for you

And grass stains on my knees for you

Got holes in my new jeans for you

Got pink and black and blue

Was listening to this catchy Chairlift song, "Bruises", while driving and remorsefully remembered the handstand I keep omitting from the Primary Series. Actually, it's half a handstand which comes after the chair pose, Utkatasana, and before Warriors I-II which cap the standing poses. My teachers introduced it to me months ago, including preparatory drills for it, but somehow I'm not taking to it. Can't get the right lift, feel like I'm not hovering long enough before dropping to Chaturanga, and basically feel awkward and clumsy doing it. And instead of feeling dejected by it, I've opted NOT to do it at all which shouldn't be the case I know. Will come back to it soon. Right now, I'm just content listening to this silly pop song. Om.

Energy Vampire

That’s what I’ve been "reduced" to. After having paid for the tuition fees of my two pre-schoolers I made a majorly unplanned investment which left me no choice but to economise on some expenses including yoga classes.

It has turned out to be a very wise decision though since I have been doing yoga with practitioners who live close by, thus cutting back on attendant costs like petrol, parking and the end of season sales (I am also a sucker for those) beckoning at the mall adjacent to the shala where I used to practise.

So here I am, practising here and there, with friends whose yoga skills are way ahead of my time, and I am LOVING it. A little guilt-stricken, feeding off their energies, getting that Ashtanga high back from practising with them which seems to be working alright for me as the pain on my right knee is completely gone. Don’t know if this can be attributed to practice with them but it sure coincided.

Sometimes I have no wall to practise my backbends, other times I have to make my own adjustments for problem poses. But again it has been good over all because practice has become more, shall I say, introspective (for lack of a better word).

Certainly it has been interesting, to say the least. I have shared space with people of all ages—from college students to college professors. I’ve practised with New Age and Christian music playing in the background, and the scent of patchouli or the smell of cat poop wafting through the air. I have stared at the portrait of an Aikido master to find my center (it helps!) and watched felines graze on a fellow yogin's mat towel during savasana. I've had to wipe clean the floor I practiced on, which I am not complaining about mind you. Made me realise that it's the least that I should do for the people who would use the space next. I've said it before and I'll say it again--I would mop the floor if they asked me to.

I'm utterly grateful to the yogis/yogins for sharing their energies and sending all those good vibrations. Om.

Moon day and Chandra Krama

Today, Wednesday, marks the occasion of the first and longest solar eclipse of the 21st century. The eclipse was first seen at dawn in eastern Indian region of Guahati before traversing north and east to Nepal, Burma, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China.

Caused when the moon moves directly between the sun and the earth, covering it completely to cast a shadow on our planet, the eclipse lasted nearly 4 minutes in India, 6 minutes and 39 seconds in other parts of Asia.

One of the best views was had in the Indian town of Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges river which is sacred to Hindus. Thousands of devotees took a dip in the Varanasi river following the ancient belief that bathing there during special occasions cleanses one's sins. The eclipse was seen there for 3 minutes and 48 seconds. It is the longest such eclipse since July 11, 1991, when a total eclipse lasting 6 minutes, 53 seconds was visible from Hawaii to South America. There will not be a longer eclipse than Wednesday's until 2132.

Based on the Lunar Calendar, today is also a New Moon Day and as such is observed as a yoga holiday in Ashtanga Yoga tradition.

Since humans consist of about 70% water, we become affected by the phases of the moon, which is determined by the moon’s position in relation to the sun.

"Full moons occur when they are in opposition and new moons when they are in conjunction. Both sun and moon exert a gravitational pull on the earth. Their relative positions create different energetic experiences that can be compared to the breath cycle, according to Ashtanga Yoga resources. The full moon energy corresponds to the end of inhalation when the force of prana is greatest. This is an expansive, upward moving force that makes us feel energetic and emotional, but not well grounded. The Upanishads state that the main prana lives in the head. During the full moon we tend to be more headstrong.

The new moon energy corresponds to the end of exhalation when the force of apana is greatest. Apana is a contracting, downward moving force that makes us feel calm and grounded, but dense and disinclined towards physical exertion.

Practicing Ashtanga Yoga over time makes us more attuned to natural cycles. Observing moon days is one way to recognise and honour the rhythms of nature so we can live in greater harmony with it."

For Ashtangis who may from one time or another feel weary from practising the traditional Ashtanga series yet still seek a regular practice despite moon days, the Chandra Krama is an alternative gentle sequence during these times.

Practiced with patience Chandra Krama is rewarding and strengthening. Although there are no jumps in this sequence the core principles of movement and breath are maintained. The emphasis of Chandra Krama is on the hips and mid-section of the body, with decreased emphasis on upper body strength and the knees.

Many thanks to Allen Maitri Enrique for sharing the Chandra Krama on this moon day. Click here to view a larger image, as presented by the Australian Ashtangi Matthew Sweeney. Om.

Drishti Yoga: Find your focus

Found this on the net. Drishti Yoga, a shala in Lake White Bear, Minnesota. If I had the resources to put up a yoga shala, I'd like it to look like this: small, cozy, personalized in terms of services and simple to maintain.

Since this is located in the U.S., it tries to speak to Americans reeling from a battered economy.

Need recession relief?

Relaxation?

Physical strength and emotional balance?

Well-being?

Now more than ever, let yoga bring focus to your life!

A puja table. So "pretty". (Pardon the expression)

Colours reflect the chakras: orange for second/sacral, green for fourth/heart, and aqua blue for fifth/throat. A combination which is at once earthy and uplifting.

Drishti Yoga can accomodate a maximum 20 practitioners. It has a changing room and toilets, but no shower areas, which is something I've become accustomed to here in the Philippines. Only major studios and gyms have such amenities as shower and steam rooms.

Reception area.

This Friday they're having a YOGA HAPPY HOUR! at Drishti where practitioners can come for yoga and stay for sustenance and enjoy wine, cheese, fruit and chocolate. Cool. The following day the shala will have a partner yoga class. Sounds like a lot fun for those who are enjoying the initial "inertia" that yoga gives. Wish there were shalas like this here, especially in Quezon City. I would establish my "Dristhi" somewhere close to my home and my kids' school. In QC of course. Om.

Blindfold Yoga

I have always dreamt of doing yoga blindfolded. To my mind, yoga with your eyes closed would mean that as a practitioner, you have acquired the mental fortitude to control your body's movements. Minus the sense of sight, I also imagine that paying attention to the breath would not only be facilitated but enjoyable as well (just like during seated meditation?).

So it was so gratifying to learn from my teacher Connie Ponce that one of my all-time Ashtangi idols--John Scott--practises in this manner. Watch John during a recent workshop in Oslo where he demonstrates the Sun Salutations and other Primary Series poses blindfolded. Later, John conducts the class and instructs participants to keep their eyes shut.

Can't wait. Am counting the months, weeks and days. Om.

Natural Wonders

Would like to share a few of my favourite things that have been indispensable to my yoga practice. What makes them extra-special is that they are all homegrown products.

A local counterpart of the Maine-based Burt's Bees popular for its lotions, lip balms and other natural remedies, Ilog Maria- a bee farm located in Cavite- is near and dear to me because of its Propolis Cider Liniment (100ml). It has become a staple of mine ever since I discovered it in the changing room in Yoga Manila's Perea shala where it is a permanent fixture. It is applied for overnight relief of persistent aches, pains, sore tendons and muscles. It is recommended to soak the affected area with very hot water then slightly dry with a towel but leave a little moist. Vigorously rub into affected area. Then cover with an elastic bandage or towel. But all I do is just rub a small amount where it hurts-usually on my knees and ankles. Made from propolis gold, honey cider vinegar, camphor and peppermint oil. According to Peachie Kilayko, this was the "signature scent" of the Manila contingent training at Yoga Thailand in 2005.

Dharma, is a company which makes products by yogis, for yogis. I simply love its The Great Garbha Spray. It holds true to its claim of "helping you get slippery for Garbha Pindasana". And it smells great too, it's made with Lavender pure essential oils, triple distilled water, glycerine and vitamin E. Dharma's Peppermint Yoga Mat Spray is another favourite. It promises to banish dirt, smell, body oils and odors. The natural disinfectant properties of peppermint pure essential oil keeps yoga mats clean and fresh smelling. The product can also be used as hand sanitizer.

Alternately, fellow YM practitioners swear by Messy Bessy's The Little Warrior-which is marketed as a germ-busting multi-tasking sidekick that can be used as a hand sanitizer, disinfectant, room spray and surface cleaner. The company uses only SAFE, NON-TOXIC, ALL NATURAL, BIODEGRADABLE ingredients such as Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda), Distilled White Vinegar, and Essential Oils.

These products are available from the companies themselves and are also sold at the Eco Store and ECO Market which coincidentally are co-owned by Jeannie Javellosa, another Yoga Manila instructor.

The Gateway

Mind. Power. Grace. Breath. Yoga Manila teacher Rebecca de Villa embodies all these when dropping back then standing up from Urdhva Dhanurasana, which is considered the gateway to the Intermediate Series. Rebecca had the privilege of training under John Scott and his wife Lucy at Stillpoint Yoga, New Zealand. John Scott is one of few Ashtanga yoga instructors in the world authorised by the late, great Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.

Isn't Rebecca amazing? Om.

Yoga partner/Partner yoga

I’ve created a monster. No, not really. I managed to convince my husband to finally try Ashtanga Yoga early this week. Hibernating from running due to the non-stop rains he was desperate to do anything to break out a good sweat. So I brought him to Yoga Manila. Luckily Arthur, just about the only male practitioner in Ortigas these days, showed up and dispelled all of hubby’s concerns about being the only dude in class.

Jon started him out with a brief discussion of breathing and bandhas then proceeded with the Sun Salutes. I could hear his breathing was getting quicker during Surya B, and I began to feel guilty for perhaps pushing him too hard. For months I have been egging him on to try Ashtanga Yoga, trying to explain that it is not for “wimps” while extolling its benefits for easing asthma (which he has) and curing scoliosis (he has a mild form of it).

To my surprise, he was happy to have perspired profusely and by the end of the class had many practical and probing questions for Jon in his head. Like: “What’s more important to achieve in the downward dog: proper form or optimal stretch?” Breath, says Jon. Or, “How do you reach enlightenment with such a physically demanding flow of poses?”. According to Jon, there is no record of anyone attaining Samadhi from Ashtanga yoga alone.

Later that evening during dinner he was brimming with more questions some of which were no match for my pedestrian grasp of yoga. I could only go as far as demonstrating how to do some poses and found out that guys have the natural ability to do asanas like Bakasana, and of course Chaturanga. At bedtime we watched John Scott’s primary series DVD together and both marvelled at Scott’s power and grace.

At the very least, I think my husband was impressed by Jon’s teaching style and approach. I overheard him relate to my brother his Mysore class experience and he almost sounded like me convincing people to learn Ashtanga from Jon Cagas. Can’t say though he will start a regular yoga practice but I’m very pleased that he now understands why I’m hooked on Ashtanga.

What a guy! That goes for you too Teacher. Om.

Mood Swings

Emotions can be altered so quickly at times. Two days ago I was feeling hopeless about a number of things including my yoga practice. But last night when my teacher called me to the wall to work on my most dreaded inversion—the backbend—what I expected would be yet another inferior attempt on my part turned out to be quite the opposite, and actually an exhilarating experience, at least in my view.

Here’s the story. Some weeks ago my other teacher expressed that she wanted me to progress to the 2nd series but I needed to stand up from the backbend first. That very condition already presented an obstacle in my mind and by my calculations, set back advancing to the intermediate series by months! (Not to mention my struggles with Sirsasana lately.)

What did I have to lose, I thought, as I approached the wall last night. I felt like I had bottomed out already and what little optimism I had left was urging me to bounce back. After staying for almost 10 breaths in 3 Urdhva Dhanurasanas, Jon instructed me to walk up the wall from the backbend. It was difficult but the fighter in me enjoyed the challenge I guess and magically my breathing synchronized with my movement, each inhale helping me crawl up. Next, he wanted me to step further from the wall, push my hips forward and lengthen at the lower back. Then slowly, I extended my arms overhead and back to reach the wall and lean against it after which I pushed against the wall and actually stood up! I can’t describe how much I loved doing this last bit because it is here I realised where control is so crucial as well as strength and power in the legs. Knowing what is necessary to drop back and stand up I suppose was enough to snap me out of the doldrums. For this I am grateful again to the teaching duo of Jon and Connie. Connie for sparking my curiosity in the 2nd series (even if I’m not quite ready for it yet) and Jon, simply for your teacher’s instinct and sensitivity.

So now I’m happy again. Hopping and skipping happy. Smiling from ear to ear happy.

Here’s a sampler of dropping back and standing up from Urdhva Dhanurasana:

Balancing act

No, I’m not talking about the Headstand which I have officially “lost” or Utitha Hasta Padangusthasana which I used to enjoy but have been teetering in.

In the chaos that is the start of the new school year I have been catching my breath a lot lately. Spending a significant amount of my savings on not just my son’s education but also for my 3.6 year old daughter who is going to school for the very fist time. Buying the things my children need for school—from rolls of toilet paper to reams of construction paper. My thoughts have also been occupied by the A(H1N1) scare and how despite the WHO raising the swine flu alert level from 5 to 6, the equivalent of a pandemic, schools nationwide still opened.

Taking long, deep breaths have been helpful recently. Have really only begun to feel the power of Pranayama in the previous week when Mia Rotor shared how pranayama “carried” her throughout the day. I discovered that I enjoyed pranayama more than asanas after taking a workshop last month and this disturbs me. I used to get so lost in practice, the suryas, the standing sequence and some of the seated poses already had a meditative effect on me. It now troubles me too that I’ve found comfort in other physical activities like running and tennis. Maybe because I get to spend some time with the hubby since we’re both avid runners and have re-discovered tennis after watching the French Open…

These problems are approaching a bottleneck inside me and I’m beginning to feel like a computer that’s about to crash. One can lose one’s sanity just processing each and every problem! It’s a delicate balancing act: focusing on the kids, spending quality time with the family and yet having some precious “me” time to practise the backbend, re-connect with the headstand, go deeper in Marichy D, re-gain both confidence and strength. I know, I know…I need to remind myself constantly about Abhyasa and Vairagya, or to never give up and always let go.

Ramblings on a Rainy Day

Ten years ago I lived in Loyola Heights in a townhouse that my husband and I rented for the first three years of our marriage. I loved that place and miss it dearly. We decorated it to our taste and liking—minimalist meets antique. Two of our most treasured possessions were also the centerpieces of our home: an ELBA cooktop which we mounted on a custom-built cabinet for our set of Calphalon pots and pans (wedding gifts) and the 4-seater white sofa placed strategically, facing the cooktop so guests could watch us whip up meals (we fancied ourselves to be “entertainers”). We did plenty of entertaining in those days, in fact we kept bottles of wine handy for friends, mostly single, who would drop by after work and leave in the wee hours of the morning. We didn't mind really as we didn't have kids yet.

Anyway, I digress. Memories of that townhouse, Loyola Heights, my alma mater U.P., Ateneo and Katipunan keep me coming back to the vicinity to see how much it has changed or hasn’t. Lately I’ve also embarked on a mission to help search for a venue for a Yoga Manila shala in Quezon City (it's just something I've taken upon myself to do since I live close by; I hope more would help out) to bring yoga closer to this location. With so many residents as well as students in the North, QC is definitely an untapped market.

I didn’t find any potential places for practice today. But my quest led me to discover the Manna Specialty Bakery on the ground floor of the Casa Baronesa building on Esteban Abada. Being a frustrated architect, I was initially attracted by the sage-coloured and angular structure of Casa Baronesa. Then the simple and classic signage of Manna caught my eye next. I had to walk in. Besides it was nearly time for lunch.


I am a bread and pasta person and prefer these complex carbohydrates to rice. I ordered the Kesong Puti sandwich and it was delightful! I’m no food writer but for me, the focaccia bread was the “life” of the sandwich. It had just the right crunch yet was soft and moist on the inside which was slathered with pesto, tomatos and a thick slice of native white cheese. A manna from heaven, indeed! I always take my sweet time when ordering my food—usually because I like to make my own decisions without the help of waiters--so it was quite rewarding to learn that this is their bestseller. They did insist that I try their cinnamon with walnut foccacia, four-cheese pizza on a whole wheat crust and pasta arabiatta next time.

Manna Specialty Bakery breads are not greasy I noticed. They bake their bread using traditional methods and without preservatives. They believe in extracting the fullest flavour of the grain. Manna breads are also sugar-free, egg-free and dairy-free. They offer a wide-range of specialty breads such as the cinnamon walnut focaccia, another bestseller, that are available on specific days (see bread schedule below).

The Manna Mantra

Manna "Bread Schedule"


I had my sandwich with a cup of Benguet coffee, not my favourite but definitely better than Starbucks. The interiors are small but cozy, inviting and conducive to long conversations with good friends. Would be a great place to relax after a yoga class nearby. Om.

[Images from the Manna Specialty Bakery website and food bloggers]

Yoga Manila remembers Guruji

Gayatri Samputta

Ohm Bhu-hu

Ohm Bhuvaha

Ohm Svaha

Ohm Maha-ha

Ohm Jana ha

Ohm Tapa-ha

Ohm Satyam

Ohm tat savitur varenyam

Bargo devasya dimahi

Diyo yona pratyo dayat Ohm

Heart Sutra

Ohm gate gate

Para gate

Parasam gate

Bodhi svaha

Chanting the Heart Sutra for the first time made me realise how relevant it was for the moment. Today is Pattabhi's memorial service in India and Yoga Manila practitioners celebrated his life by chanting together at the Alabang shala. The purpose of this mantra is to liberate self and others, traverse the sea of suffering and, attaining complete enlightenment, reaching the serenity and joy that is Nirvana. Translated the mantra goes: Om gone, gone. Completely gone beyond. Enlightenment/becoming Buddha.

Food Rescue

Being a mommy Ashtangi poses many challenges. When it comes to food, it’s been tricky to impose a strictly vegetarian diet on myself since I have two young children whom I believe still need both animal and plant protein at their age. So it’s a hassle and costly to prepare our meals separately. My refrigerator is well-stocked with meat (lean), chicken, fish, fruits and veggies which are used to feed them balanced meals every time. And while I try to cultivate in them a taste for a variety of dishes their dominant Ilocano food gene established in them a liking for vegetables sautéd in chicken, meat and good God, slabs of pork fat. I’ve tried using mushroom for a change but the taste may still be too strong or strange for their young palates. With kids, it’s important to introduce new things gradually. For example, they enjoy eating organic red rice which has become acceptable for them because it’s cooked with white rice. Going completely vegetarian will come slowly for me, at least for now.

So being a mommy Ashtangi, I’ve learned to be creative and circumvent meat. At my teacher’s recommendation, I just separate meat from veggies in a dish. I also keep a container of home-made pasta sauces such as puttanesca and pesto, courtesy of my mother-in-law, which my kids love to eat together with breaded chicken, fish fillets or tonkatsu. I skip the meat and spread the pasta sauces on a small, whole wheat pizza crust from my favorite bread maker Village Gourmet, toast it with mozzarella in the oven and serve with tossed greens. The puttanesca is aleady a meal in itself, it’s loaded with anchovies, tomatoes, olives, capers and pepper. As for the pesto sauce, I love it with mozzarella and sprinkled with shrimps, scallops and feta cheese. Ahh, the transition to being a vegetarian may take some time but at least it tastes good.