October Ends...

Sharing this as Breast Cancer Awareness month comes to an end. The fight continues. My 10th year anniversary is fast approaching.  Keep strong. Flow on.

On work and practice

Book finds are my sign posts, like clues from God. My latest purchase from my good old second hand bookshop is Transitions by Julia Cameron.

Here's a re-edit of one of its comforting pages. It's a beautiful passage by W.H. Auden.

At the Brink

Here I am (Yes, here we are)

At the edge of a cliff
of my Becoming.
So this is the place where I embrace
All that I am
All things true have been sifted
Would I wish it were not so?
I thought myself only half, for a while
and now my heart is whole
Almost.

NMC

Oct 16, 2012. Deciding between two beautiful gifts

Yoga Manila for When in Manila

Sharing a blog article on Yoga Manila featured in When in Manila. Read on.

Yoga Manila : “Yoga is for everyone, and for every stage in our lives. Our passion and service is to keep sharing this practice…”

Written By
Joanne Fugoso

When In Manila, I am so happy to meet different kinds of people especially when I hear their stories. This day, I enjoyed my afternoon with a group of graceful, beautiful women, while they shared to me their beliefs about what they love. Most of them have been practicing Yoga for  over 10 years now, saying that “Yoga is a way of life – of living.”

“It will depend on you.. when you are Ready…”

 

Connie Ponce talks about Yoga Manila 

Connie shares, a very calm woman, she teaches Ashtanga Vinsaya Yoga and is one of the founders of Yoga Manila.

I asked, “Who is Yoga Manila?”

Nature shares “We are a family of teachers who have been practicing Yoga for some time now. Sharing this practice is our collective passion and our blessing. We are a mix of entrepreneurs, executives and former executives, full-time moms, professors, writers…”

Teachers of Yoga Manila

At Yoga Manila, you learn with a teacher, with the people in class. We also build more of a personal relationship with our students.”

“Traditional Yoga? Hm, what specifically does Yoga Manila practice?”

Cherry shares “Yes, we practice Traditional Yoga, the Ashtanga and Sivananda Style Yoga.

Ashtanga is physically challenging to build strength, flexibility, and stamina. It is also a very purifying practice for the mind. And Sivananda Yoga is relaxed and gentle, it encourages a healthy lifestyle and train you for proper breathing, relaxation, exercise, diet, and positive thinking along with meditation.

Aside from Ashtanga and Sivananda, we also offer free flow Vinyasa classes.”

Can we learn Yoga alone, or with other students?

 Yoga Manila practices at  Makati studio

“We offer private sessions for those who prefer to learn individually. However, our regular classes such as Basic Led Ashtanga, Slow Flow classes are done in a group with a teacher leading the class.

We also have Ashtanga Yoga Mysore classes, where we teach in the traditional way – the students are given poses one at a time and while they practice together, they do this in their pace under the guidance of a teacher. For those who already have an established grounding of the Ashtanga practice, we offer our space for self practice sessions.”

But when is the best time of the day to join your class?

Ideally, Yoga is practiced early in the morning but of course everyone has a personal choice. That is why we offer our students different class schedules where they are most comfortable with.”Cherry discloses.

That is really helpful! And who are allowed to join Yoga Manila?

 Yoga Manila Ortigas studio 

Nature says “Yoga is for everyone. We have different advocacies and we reach out to a wide age group.

  

We have Pre-natal and Post-natal Yoga. This prepares moms physically and mentally – to be strong, supported and confident through breath, asana (postures) and relaxation – before, during, and after giving birth. Then we have Yoga for babies, this is usually done with the parent or guardian and we incorporate yoga and touch therapy for the baby. This also provides great bonding time! 

We offer Kids and Tweens Yoga for the young ones and those entering adolescence. The movements are mixed with activities that are fun for them so they can be encouraged to keep a yoga practice even at a young age.

 Yoga Manila at Quezon City

Because we believe it’s never too early or too late to learn yoga, we also have Special sessionsfor those in the more Senior years. Some of the teachers have special sessions with yoga practitioners above the age of 70.

At Yoga Manila, our advocacies as teachers are supported. We offer Yoga for Special Children. This is Cherry’s advocacy to share the transformative and calming benefits of yoga to children with special needs.

And I have Special sessions for Breast Cancer survivors, my advocacy as a survivor as well.”

So everyone is really welcome here. But, hmm, I’m  just curious, how is being a teacher different from practicing Yoga as a student?

 Yoga Manila teachers Roberta Feliciano and Cherry Du join the discussion

“You have to be a student for you to be able to teach.” Connie smilingly says.

Roberta relates “As a teacher, you become even more of a student! Even if you are already practicing it for a long time and know what to do, you have to be able to break it down. You have to understand more about what you’re doing than just coming to class.”

How do you learn more when you already teach?

Roberta continues  ”You teach from your own experience. Even though we are teaching the same thing, it will all come across differently because everybody has a different take on what Yoga is.

What’s good about Yoga Manila is all the teachers don’t just go to class and teach, we really have our own personal practices. And in that personal practice, we discover new things and bring it to class.”

My sister, Lour, who practiced Yoga at Maryland once shared to me about a “light” that you will see when you practice Yoga. What does she mean?

“Ashtanga Yoga has Eight Limbs, a path to follow. Yoga trains you to have a healthy mind, a healthy attitude, to avoid hurting people, to be strong…

It teaches you proper breathing, it is called Pranayama; to calm your mind. Then Yoga tells you to focus, that is when you see a “light,” if you are asked to focus and clear your mind, you can stay in a deep meditation or stillness and nothing can bother you.

But Joanne, that takes many, many years of practice!” Connie smiles.

Of course! (smiles) Well, you got tips on what to keep in mind when practicing Yoga?

Connie shares her checklist while I take down notes. :)

1. Food is very important, as much as your physical exercise. Your body you can be strong but if your diet is not right, it will manifest, you get sick, you get tired, and stress comes in. Always consider the logic of proper diet, and it has to be voluntary.

2.   Take enough rest every day.

3. Don’t overstress yourself. Think positive, you are there to learn, not to compete

4. When you step outside of the class, visually, the place is not so relaxing anymore, but you must be in control of your mind , and your surroundings won’t matter to you.

5.  Time in class on your yoga mat is your personal time.

6.  As a student, you must be dedicated, all has to be freewill, voluntary, and you need to love what you are doing.

7.  Beginners are encouraged to read the book of Gregor Maehle, it covers philosophy, anatomy, history of Yoga, diet, and a lot more.

8.  But everything is not learned from a book or from other teachers but it is from years of practicing on your own and discovering new things.

9.  You need discipline. After months or weeks or years of practice, you will be able to memorize the sequence of poses. Yoga is like any sport, even without your trainer, you go on and practice on your own.

10.  Yoga, like life, cannot be forced; it has to have its own calling. You need to be ready.

Just wondering now, how was it like when you started Yoga Manila?

Yoga Manila invites you to join them!

Connie reveals “When we started, we teach even if we have only one or two students in the class, sometimes we don’t even have a student, but that didn’t bring us down. Though we are small and we provide simple spaces for practice, our shalas (studios) are our homes and we all love and love to share our practice…

When In Manila and you visit Yoga Manila, once you step into our home, you are welcome to join us, you are welcome to learn.”  Connie smilingly says.

Yoga Manila

SMS Only: +63917.522.YOGA (9642)

Yoga Manila – Alabang

405 Bougainvilla corner Sanggumay, Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City

Yoga Manila – Makati

Greenbelt Mansion, Unit 506, Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City

Yoga Manila – Ortigas

Chi Spa, EDSA Shangri-La, Manila 01 Gardenway, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City

Yoga Manila – Quezon City

NY Theraspine Building 2F, 73G Dr Lazcano Street, Quezon City 

New Moon Decisions

Time's up! New moon is here. 

In my last entry, I mentioned I decided to go back to Corporate Manila. I shared my lessons and some self-discoveries but did not yet expound on the details of how I came to the conclusion that I would go back. It was not a hasty decision - I did not wake up one fine morning with a definite answer, nor did I fill up my macro-enabled Excel sheet to come to a conclusion (yes, I do that sometimes).

This one was a more complex heart matter and for those matters, the decision making is a process. The process came with a few activities and, if you are thinking about your sabbatical, I hope these are helpful tips.

Activity 1: Checkpoints
Objective: Get a quick and honest review of how things are, take note of them, then carry on.

As soon as I left my corporate life in August last year, I already plotted 2 checkpoints - one in December and then another in July. This first one was supposed to be in June but I extended for another month.

June was rather busy as I prepared for Gregor Maehle's workshop and in any case, I was not in a hurry. These checkpoints are quick reassessments of my initial assumptions. These are not meant to stress me out, rather allow some time to check in on how things truly are without burdening my happy days with worry.

My reassessment consisted of 5 practical questions which I wrote at the beginning of my "sabbatical."
These are personal questions that I want to ask myself gently about some personal assumptions. The checkpoints allow me some quiet time to answer candidly, going back to why I was doing this and taking an objective look at potential expectations I may have had in the beginning.

source: page from my planner

Tip: The checkpoint questions could be open ones (example, How is your heart? How are your finances?) or yes and no ones (example: Are you getting the freedom you wanted? Are you enjoying? Did the _____ deal push through?)

Bonus: Feel free to write down a few remarks. Take a moment to be silent and thankful. Pray for guidance or assistance. Take another look at your checkpoints - whether on paper or in your head then let it go. As the memes say "Keep calm and carry on."

Source: keepcalmlondon.com

Oh and I could not help but post some of the alternatives from google images. I especially like Keep Calm and Call Batman.

So keep calm. For now, these are observations and we need to allow for some things to come to fruition or change. There will be checkpoint #2 (or #3 or #4 or #5...)


Activity 2: A Little Help From Friends (and Family)
Objective: Check in on the views from trusted friends and mentors

I was able to spend more time just listening to family and friends around the checkpoint period or sometime (anytime, really) in between. It's good to see friends who supported me fully and those who were a bit skeptical of my decision. They naturally play Angel's and Devil's advocates. I saw hybrids of both, and it was always refreshing. Take the views as they are.

Tip: Instead of asking for feedback on how they think you're doing, just listen to how they are. And enjoy the company. It's great to be surrounded by friends and family who care enough to spend time with you! It's not a performance appraisal, afterall, just a nice catch up chat over lunch, dinner or both.

Activity 3: Read on
Objective: Keep Learning

Some books and articles will find their way in our lives in perfect timing. The last book I read was How to Find Fulfilling Work by Roman Krznaric and I enjoyed the quick read on career possibilities, shifts and exploring meaningful work. He mentions some great things, conveniently mind mapped by Ben Royston from his site.

source:http://www.romankrznaric.com/how-to-find-fulfilling-work

Another great one I enjoyed was Zen and the Art of Making a Living: A Practical Guide to Creative Career Design by Laurence G. Boldt. The paperback is very thick but full of tools and helpful quotes - a lot from Eastern philosophies. If you don't mind missing the book smell and want the portable version, it's also available on Kindle.

Tip: Get the books! Pass them around! From Mr. Krznaric, I did some of the approaches unknowingly - radical sabbatical, branching projects. There are very sensible approaches, real stories, questions for your checkpoint.

From Mr. Boldt's book, I was able to make a heartfelt decision on which of the two fantastic offers I should take. Both are easy to read with practical tips to remind us of things we may already know but are worth remembering. I wish I had these books sooner but then again, the timing of their arrival is perfect.

New Moon is the best time for planting and making decisions. May this New Moon bring bountiful blessings!

- - -


The ultimate epilogue: Whichever way we choose to grow, know that God's timing is perfect. His plans are always bigger than we can ever hope to imagine. 

Harvest Moon Thoughts and the Sabbatical's End

During the last Harvest Moon, I reflected on the year that was and the coming days. It has been an amazing year out of the corporate, and taking this sabbatical is one of the best decisions I have ever made. But I am coming back, bigger, brighter and more balanced - Well, that's the prayer!

I want to share a few lessons I reaped from this 15-month journey:

1. Take that time off.

Take that day, that month, that year off to do work that fills you with love. It may begin to change your path, it may bring you back with a bigger heart. It may change or validate what you know to be true. It will make you a better person.  Two things about this:

• Listen. No one can walk your path for you despite the best of counsel and wonderful perspectives. Listen intently and lovingly to mentors, friends, and those around you, then listen to the quiet voice inside you.
• Do it. Nothing beats learning from experience, so do what has to be done and learn from it. Sometimes, your conclusion is different from the initial hypothesis so be open to the gifts of your actions - you can be right or you can be schooled, or both.

Whether it's off or on, relish every moment of your time.

2. Grow the best parts your heart.

We have been given more than a couple of gifts, a few exceptional skills, and while we know what we love innately, we learn to love a few things along the way. The heart symbol has two lobes, so grow both:

• Grow the seeds of what you know you are passionate about - that cause, that movement, that deepseated desire to unleash a talent. Finally, give time for these often (and wrongly) labeled impracticalities.
• Accept the love that grew on you (yep, those acquired along the way). It's quite interesting to admit what these are. I missed big chunks of the work I did. They mattered and made a difference to me but I did not know just how much. I rediscovered that this year.

Grow your heart's best parts in equal measure.

Along with the lessons are some self-discoveries that I now embrace with loving acceptance, most of the time anyway. Everyone will have a great set to share (and not share). Here are those I will share.

1) It is my calling to take care of my family. I am meant to give, and giving starts at home then extends out. I am a provider and I get a bunch of things from that - joy, the most. As a daughter to my cray cray folks (and I say that with love), my belligerent siblings (again with love), wife to my best friend and mom to my big babies, I have this overwhelming need to give gifts, big hugs, tough love, the works. That may very well be my primary function or my Dharma.

2) Sharing Yoga is my advocacy and my spiritual practice. I accept nothing more from it than to sustain and fuel and spiral my love to share it. Because of that, I will continue to practice and so long as I am called, I will continue to teach. I will continue to learn more so I can share more. 

3) I am meant to get things (big and small) done. There are special qualities that we've had even as children. It's great that some things we enjoyed then have a special place to this day. I have a thing for people, for complexity, for creativity, for concepts, for process, for structure, for measures, for relationships, and then for fluidity. Somewhere there is that optimal point of balance. But balance is forever active, and changing despite that sense of steadiness (or efficiency). Each time we get the great things done, I believe we are in that state and that state produces the best outcomes. That, in corporate life, excites me.

4) I really need to learn how to rest. Seriously, this is a tough one. Ovid says, "Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop."  In this "sabbatical," I worked 8 to 10 hours a day. I worked on weekends. I work for the sake of working. It's funny how the general perception is that teaching yoga (or writing music, or creating art, or being a full-time mother and wife) is more relaxed. We are all busy. We work hardest when in the zone. We all need to rest. 

5) It's best to work with the best parts of my heart. By now, I know what does not suit me (or what I am not good at) and it's okay. If there's enough interest or maybe if it's a matter of life and death, I will find a way to stretch the scarcity of these God-given talents but I have the best of me to work with. Being the topnotch homeroom mom may not be up my alley or proficiency in high math may not be my best asset but they are someone else's best, and I have my own.

In this year's field of lessons and self-discoveries, and seeds, and weeds, and acquired plants, I have grown. I am grateful to remember these during the Harvest Moon. This is the time when we work in our fields a bit longer, trusting the light that shines down on us.

May our harvest be abundant!

Beautiful Shala Blessings

My soul sistah and beloved teacher Tesa Celdran opened the doors of her much awaited shalita this month. We welcomed her beautiful space last Monday, teachers, students, friends.

Spread the Yoga love. We are one.

* * *
The Practice Room opens in October 2012
Schedule Mysore Practice:
Mon-Fri, 6.30AM & 8.30AM

Slot reservations at
http://ashtangamanila.com
SMS to +63 917 727 4791
Six slots available per class.