Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert said, “I didn’t expect to have to move in my first yoga class but by the end, boy, was I moved!”
My journey into yoga started with a yoga DVD given by my childhood friend Maricor Diaz. She now resides in the USA, and is constantly abreast with anything new in the fitness industry, as she herself is into exercising for a healthier and more active life.
I vividly remember Maricor telling me a few years back it was the “in thing” in Hollywood, as celebrities swore by its results. It was a Rodney Yee yoga DVD, and out of pure curiosity, I tried it, and then I was hooked!
Halfway into the 20 minute workout, I was sweating profusely from the challenging combination of stretching and upper body strength workout.
Prior to my first-ever yoga experience, the image I had of yoga were the hippies in Woodstock. Little did I know then that they were actually the first Westerners to experience yoga in India!
My body felt good after the short workout, and a general sense of well being permeated all over me. I felt light and refreshed, but never discount the agony I felt in my whole body the next day. Muscles I never knew existed in that part of my body were revolting (dormant muscles like a bear hibernating in winter) but ironically, it felt good — which has kept me practicing yoga to this day.
Yoga came into my life when I was working for AMA Computer College. Each day, the alarm clock was set at 5am just so I could exercise at 6am and get to work by 9am. Beating the clock to get to work on time was an everyday lifestyle.
It was demanding balancing different aspects of work and family life which led me to consider teaching yoga. I thought that since I was doing it everyday anyway, I might as well make a career out of it.
Yoga is always a controversial topic, and was, in fact, regarded with some skepticism when I started teaching it in 2004. I realize that writing a column for MetroPost would be an excellent venue to talk about yoga so people may understand it in its entirety.
Anyone can practice yoga. It is a complete science of life that originated in India many thousands of years ago. It is not a religion, but it conforms to any religion. It is a way of life where the five principles of proper relaxation, proper exercise, proper breathing, proper diet, and positive thinking are followed.
There’s no need for special equipment or clothes for yoga, just a small amount of space, and a strong desire for a healthier and more fulfilled life.
The yoga postures or asana are designed to exercise every part of your body, stretching, and toning muscles and joints, the spine, and the entire skeletal system. And they work not only on your body’s frame but on the internal organs, glands, and nerves as well, keeping all systems in glowing health.
Many of us are first drawn to yoga as a way to keep our bodies fit and supple, good to look at, and to live in.
Others come to seek help or relief for a specific complaint, like tension or backache. Some are merely prompted by a sense that they are not getting as much out of life as they could be.
Whatever your reason, yoga can be a tool to help you lead a healthier life. To understand what yoga is all about, you need to experience it for yourself.
At first glance, it might seem a little more than a series of strange physical postures, which keep the body lean and flexible but in time, anyone who continues with regular practice becomes aware of a subtle change in their approach to life.
There are many styles of yoga to choose from. What’s important is how to choose which style best compliments your lifestyle.
Sting, in his 1995 Yoga Journal interview said, “When I really do my yoga in the morning, I have more energy in the day. I get more done. My mind is more composed.”
