Reminder on Saturday Rest Day

Teaching, Learning. Learning, Teaching.

Today is a gift. 

From this morning's practice at YM...

(Backbending photos quietly taken by Matty Roxas Chua, beautiful Bliss Yoga teacher and friend. In the photo, my beloved soul sistah and teacher - Tesa Celdran; Lovely yogini and teacher - Beryl Ong; in Urdvha Dhanurasana, beautiful Karla Yuloque; and myself in Kapotasana)

To this evening's practice before teaching in my 6:30 class...

To everything in between. 

Today, this yoga practice, our community, is a gift. 

* * *

Just a few of our insights...

> We live so metaphorically only to understand what is literal. Prakriti. Purusha. 

> We all draw from the same life capsule, from the moment we are born. 

> We can choose. Life will move us from one end of anything all the way to the other end (sometimes painfully), for us to find balance. Or we can explore this within the width of our mat. It will always be about the balance, our experience that brings it. From there, the work begins.

Thank you, Arne! 

Loving my Chakra Chimes

I finally got myself some Woodstock Chimes after two years of thinking about it. I love the sound of chimes and I have different kinds hanging from our terrace but I especially love the quality produced by the brand known "to make the world's best sounding windchime."

These chimes have a sustaining vibration, tuned to a certain scale and have more depth beyond the vibrant clinking of the ones more easily available around the Metro. The rods are filled and not hollow.

For my collection, I got the Chakra Chimes (no surprise!) with seven crystals. It produces a lovely sound. Listen here. If you have some time in your hands, you may want to listen to the other chimes, gongs, bells and instruments too.

Oh, I got a Piccolo Chime as well. On its tag, it says - "...Hang it in a window or on a door knob, then listen...whenever an angel gets its wings you will hear it delicately ring."

I'm listening.

Arne Espejel in Yoga Manila

What I love about Manila's Yoga Community is that when we get together to practice, it is just amazing. For the past months, we have been practicing together - sometimes over 25 of us, Mysore style, in the lovely little Yoga Manila shala in Makati.

What brought our practice together? Arne Espejel, our dedicated Ashtanga Yoga teacher since April who has decided to stay with the community for yet another month (until June 21). Arne has brought the work to us through his persistent guidance, discipline, and compassion - keeping to the tradition of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and R. Sharath Jois.

He came to Manila willingly, knowing he may only have 8 students (us teachers who do self practice at the shala on weekdays :-)). Here we are now, students, teachers, teachers of teachers, all of us students in a space where yoga means what it is - union.

- - -

Arne, Espejel, Authorized Level 2 Teacher in the tradition of Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois

Arne discovered Ashtanga Yoga in 2003. Five years later, he travelled to Mysore, India to practice and pay his respects to Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the founder of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Since then, he has gone back to Mysore for further studies with R. Sharath Jois and Saraswathi Jois, the grandson and daughter of the founder.

In 2010, Arne received the blessings of the Jois family and was authorized to teach both the Primary and Intermediate Series. Being one of the select few to receive this privilege, Arne would like to teach and help his students develop a Self-Practice. It is his firm belief that Self-Practice learned in mysore and led classes will help each individual attain a greater knowledge of oneself.

Full Moon

And it's more psychedelic in our minds.

Makati Avenue taken from our corner table at the Museum Cafe, May 25, 2013.

I Found Bliss in Baguio (May 10 to 12, 2013)

There's a wonderful little vegetarian nook in Baguio called Bliss Cafe. I enjoyed the food and the quaint eclectic bohemian space. One portion was naturally lit and the dining table set up feels like home. Try the mock barbecue (if you're not gluten sensitive) and the delicious salad with strawberries and honey yogurt dressing. I also had a few servings of Ahimsa (and we could all use some!) In this case, you get vegetarian lumpiang shanghai. There's enough variety in the menu - Indian, Mexican and good old Pinoy, and you could tell the meals are prepared with Metta. ❤

You may purchase some of the items on display too or just spend sometime reading up on Buddhism while having a cup of Chai. Though it says we will leave emptyhanded, I didn't. They give colorful friendship bracelets and I got Punnu Wasu's CD BhaktiChild as my souvenir. 

This is a great album and it's available in iTunes :)

Of course, to see Krishna, Lakshmi and the Tibetan Goddesses in the cafe is an auspicious sign to me. 

My daughter and son liked that they could strike the Tibetan gong, play drums, use the rainmaker (and it worked!), and throw in a few coins in the little fountain. Lots of good wishes here.

I also got to spend some quality time with my sister and mom for Mother's Day. :)

In my two and half days in Baguio, I was there twice and I'm definitely coming back. 

***

Check out the reviews from tripadvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298445-d779190-Reviews-Bliss_Cafe-Baguio_Cordillera_Region_Luzon.html#

Address: Hotel Elizabeth, Gibraltar St. corner J.Felipe St., Baguio City

Notes from Tim Feldmann's visit

What a blessing that we have such lovely teachers come to Manila. Remiss in writing here in my blog, I checked my handy Notes app for memory cues from Tim Feldmann's visit at Yoga Manila last April 17 to 21, 2013. Here's what I found -

I had the blessing of spending some moments with Tim Feldmann over lunch. The past days of practice have been intense and truly heart opening for me. Over our meal on the shala floor, we spoke of Yoga bringing the Sacred into our own experience, limited as we are to contain its full understanding. One of Yoga's gifts is humility. How we get a drop of wisdom and how we must continue to practice until the wisdom forms trickles, nothing owned, nor permanent, just practiced. It was a beautiful conversation. 

Having him as a teacher brought on many firsts in my asana practice. Following that, there must be those unseen changes within too. Today, he brought my hands beyond my heels and on to my ankles in Kapotasana and I felt no trepidation. He has been bringing them there for  Urdvha Dhanurasana too. He taught me, as in the past days, to hold with strong fingers, to strengthen my legs. Since he arrived, I was able to keep my fingers on to my toes in Supta Vajrasana. (By the fifth day, I had no such luck in all. :))

My eka pada has been showing signs of recovery and I am amazed at the generosity of openness during these days.

In the afternoon, we had a workshop on jumping back and through. 

He saw my pattern of falling back on my behind before my legs touch down. He was compassionate as he spoke about replacing our samskaras (such persistent pesky habits those are). He spoke about how we must do the right (but uncomfortable) thing - like Arjuna in the battlefield. Oh the right but uncomfortable thing has brought me a mat burn and a wound on my thumb. 

Of course, we went through the techniques and I loved how he talked about Guruji and his teacher Lino Miele in their "You do" teaching style and cautioned us against his more easily digestible piece by piece teaching style. It is our practice and we must also find our own way, to not be so dependent on a teacher and to take responsibility for our practice. 

He also talked about having healthy apanic patterns (we all know prana gets the more positive publicity) especially helpful for jumping through and back. And of course, we cannot do without our bandhas because "It's not about your arms. It's about your anus." 

By the time we had our back bending workshop (his last for this round), I was all backbent out but it was pleasure ("pain", pleasure, "pain") as it is with Life and Yoga and Love and all these things we want to wrap our heads and joints and limbs around. 

How do I end this rather disorganized chain of words? I think I will just cap it off by saying:

What a kind compassionate soul, this ashtangi teacher Tim Feldmann is.

My Yoga Family

Photo opp with Tim

Stole a shot

and another.