New shala, new teacher, new lessons learned

It was somewhat heartbreaking to be moving my practice to Yoga Manila’s newest shala at the Edsa Shangrila Hotel. I had grown attached to my teachers in Makati and the people that I practise with.

But realising that I would cut my travel time by half an hour made the decision easier. I was also eager to see the Chi Spa after having viewed some images of the international spa chain online.

First impressions? It was too luxurious. Fully-carpeted floors, a strong scent of aromatherapy and essential oils, a choice of not just one but two changing rooms, centralised air conditioning, comfy lounge chairs to sink into, spectacular view of the Ortigas CBD and the hotel pool below. The plush environment was initially distracting and seemed to negatively impact my practice.

Add to that, classes at Ortigas were mostly Mysore classes thanks to Jon Cagas who is now teaching at both Yoga Manila Ortigas and Makati. My first Mysore experience of the year was full of senior moments: memory loss, achy joints and short endurance. I became frustrated by my practice still both Allen (Enrique) and I were glad to see Jon back from India. I was also happy to have finally met Connie Ponce and my fellow yoga blogger Avril who blogs at: http://www.tryingtowake.blogspot.com/.

I have learned Ashtanga Yoga mostly through the Led classes that I had been attending on the weekends. I’ve tried going to some Mysore classes during the week but always found myself running out of steam midway after driving through an hour's traffic. So I stopped doing Mysore classes in Makati altogether.

One thing became apparent. For practitioners like me who haven’t mastered the primary series, a Led class can be a place where one can make many, many mistakes. Usually a teacher would call out the postures for the practitioners to do so there is very little time for the teacher to approach every student for adjustments during the 90-minute class.

Although Peachie Kilayco and Maritoni Tordesillas have never failed to adjust and bind me every time we reach Marichy D, Supta Kurmasana and Urdhva Dhanurasana I have discovered how horrible I was at Bhujapidasana, Gharbapindasana and many more at Jon’s Mysore class! That’s why Yoga Manila has been adamant about having only experienced Ashtangis do Led classes and encourages beginners to learn Ashtanga Yoga through Mysore classes instead. I have been stubborn before and totally get it now.

On the upside: Jon Cagas has just returned from Pranayama training in India and has practised intensively in Mysore for two months. So if you're based in the north of Manila, you can come to YM Ortigas and learn traditional Mysore-style Ashtanga Yoga from him. As a teacher he very patiently sets up the pose and adjusts and binds in coordination with the breath and painlessly. Soon, I stopped complaining about the 5-star facilities, began to appreciate the effort Yoga Manila has made to make yoga more accessible to others, and finally found myself shifting my focus to the asanas. While I wasn’t as satisfied by my practice that day, I am looking forward to improving and refining it through Mysore classes.