I've been meaning to write about my yoga sessions since I've started, but I always forget to take pictures of the studio. I promise to re-edit this entry once I get the chance. But for now, I want to share these useful life lessons I've learned from yoga.
I finished my 17th yoga session last Monday. I couldn’t believe it’s been four months since I started taking classes. The reasons why I enrolled in yoga was to get my blood flowing. As some of you may know, I’m the least athletic person and I used to be tired easily, plus my body couldn’t handle too much stress well.
When I started in July, I didn’t think I could finish an entire 6-session class card because the first class was excruciating. The 90-minute class was too painful and I would get lost in the sequence of poses and get frustrated because I couldn’t copy the exact poses. However, the instructor would always remind us to never force the body to adapt and to just let the body open up in time. Waking up the next day was tougher. I couldn’t even raise my arms and walk without my muscles aching and bones clicking (if you know what I mean).
Yoga isn't all about losing weight. It actually contributes to the overall wellness of the body and mind. It doesn't prevent stress, rather helps us deal with it gracefully. It conditions the mind and helps make everyday life a breeze. The losing weight part is just a bonus. It even calms the third eye and every pose has something to do with our own body parts. There are certain poses for strengthening the core and has frees blocks in the kidneys and lungs. It’s pretty cool how light you feel after every class, and you'd be surprised how much sweat you've released yet feel so relaxed.
It could take forever to list down the endless benefits of yoga, but here are some of mine so far:
1. It made my wrist pains go away. I was seriously concerned about having recurring wrist pains for almost a year because people said it could have been carpal tunnel syndrome (since I spend the whole day typing). I was just too scared to go have it checked. I’m 90% sure it was because of yoga, because I didn’t take meds or ointments to make the pain go away.
2. It made me sleep better. Ever since I started yoga, I slept better because I don’t grind my teeth at night and wake up with aching jaws. After a session, I also fall asleep within minutes because I feel relaxed.
3. It speeded up my metabolism. I’ve noticed that I eat less on weeks that I have classes. I don’t feel hungry that much and easily feel full so I don’t eat that much.
4. It cured my hormonal imbalance. This is the primary reason why I decided to take yoga. My monthly period was askew and I was constantly having splitting headaches if I was stressed. The doctor advised to go to the gym or do exercise to help improve circulation. I didn’t want to go to the gym because it’s expensive, I don’t like the idea of a whole group of people sweating beside you, and I’m lazy. Yoga is the perfect exercise because of the slow movements and poses that will still make you sweat buckets.
Some of the other life lessons from the instructor:
“It is as it is. Everything is perfect.”
“True yoga practice begins outside the mat.”
“May all beings in this universe be peaceful. May all beings in this universe be happy. May all beings in this universe be liberated.”
My favorite parts of the session are towards the end, where you have to lie in chavasana or corpse pose and the relaxing begins. It helps regulate breathing patterns and make the body feel relaxed and fully aware. It’s nice to feel unattached from the world for a moment- no judgments- just observing the world from afar. If we all managed to achieve this serenity even for a moment, imagine how much more peaceful this world would be. If you’ve always wanted to try yoga, I hope this entry convinces you to do so. It’s so worth it, and you’ll love how your body feels after every session. Namaste everyone!
This is the last time I'll think of you when I hear this song. I think it's about time.
"I live here on my knees as I try to make you see
That you're everything I think I need here on the ground.
But you're neither friend nor foe though I can't seem to let you go.
The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down.
Something always brings me back to you, it never takes too long."
-"Gravity, Sara Bareilles
hay.. such a sad post. i do hope everything goes well.. :)
i'm here if you need someone to talk to.
yeah, thanks thanks. pero i think i need to figure this out on my own. :( lunch next week nalang!
Despite typhoon Santi which made landfall last night at 10PM, my friends and I still managed to have dinner at Persia Grill near Greenbelt 5. It was one of those semi-impromptu dinners that we didn't plan ahead but I was so happy we were able to make. It was my first time to try the place, thanks to Mylyn. The resto was nice, food was yummy yet reasonably priced.
I had the combination of Chelo Kebab Kobideh and Chelo Morg Kobideh. If I remember correctly, the dish was a combination of charbroiled ground beef and chicken breast fillet with Persian spices. For P199, it's served with grilled tomatoes and long grain rice, butter, and the Persia Grill eggplant and yohgurt dip. The serving's pretty big for one, but I was so hungry I was able to finish it quickly. There were hot sauce and garlic if you wanted additional spices. The meal was filling but bitin because it was really tasty.
Persia Grill is located near Greenbelt 5. I heard there's another branch over at Valero (near my workplace) but I'm not sure where it is. I'm definitely going back some other time and try out their other dishes. Other food items in the menu were appetizers like the Pita bread with cucumber, garlic and Persian yohgurt dip, beef shawarma, the Beef Biryani and Grilled Lamb Chops which I'll try next time.
The crazy conversations made the dinner a blast. I can't believe it's 7 years since we've graduated high school. It's pretty cool that we hung out with different groups back in Uno but spend time to meet and catch up now. We have to name our unofficial group! Next time, I promise to stay longer for the inuman! Hahaha, goal yun! Sa susunod ulit!
ahem.. because you had to go home super early.. you missed the official group name!! Hahaha
Yep, meron na! ... one night fang! LOL and you aren't an official member yet.. kelangan daw magspend ng one night with fang as welcoming rites! hahaha
bakit 'one night fang'? at meron pang initiation na ganon? Hahaha! I promise to stay longer next time! Kelangan na matuloy overnight para makainom ako! :)
bakit 'one night fang'? at meron pang initiation na ganon? Hahaha! I promise to stay longer next time! Kelangan na matuloy overnight para makainom ako! :)
I find these Bob Ong quotes very interesting lately. I even use the Facebook application to put random quotes in my profile. I haven't read any of his books, but here are some of the quotes I found on the net which I thought I might share. These are my top 10 favorite Bob Ong quotes to live by:
“Walang taong manhid. Hindi niya lang talaga maintindihan kung ano ang gusto mong iparating dahil ayaw mo siyang diretsuhin.”
“Pakawalan mo yung mga bagay na nakakasakit sayo kahit pinasasaya ka nito. Wag mong hintayin yung araw na sakit nalang ang nararamdaman mo at iniwan ka na ng kasiyahan mo.”
“Kapag pinag-aagawan ka malamang maganda o gwapo ka. Sumama ka sa mabuti, hindi sa mabait. Sa marunong hindi sa matalino. Sa mahal ka, hindi sa gusto ka.”
“Kahit ikaw ay parang bato na manhid at walang pakiramdam, mag-ingat-ingat ka naman. Dahil kahit ganyan ka, hindi nasasaktan, kaya mo namang makasakit.”
"Hindi lahat ng di kaya mong intindihin ay kasinungalingan at ang mga bagay na kaya mong intindihin ay katotohanan."
"Wag magmadali sa pag-aasawa. Tatlo, lima, sampung taon sa hinaharap, mag-iiba pa ang pamantayan mo at maiisip mong di pala tamang pumili ng kapareha dahil lang sa kaboses niya si Debbie Gibson o magaling mag-breakdance. Totoong mas importante ang kalooban ng tao higit anuman. Sa paglipas ng panahon, maging ang mga crush ng bayan sa eskwelahan e nagmumukha ring pandesal. Maniwala ka."
"Ayokong nasasanay sa mga bagay na pwede namang wala sa buhay ko "
"Gamitin ang puso para alagaan ang taong malapit sayo. Gamitin ang utak para alagaan ang sarili mo."
"Hiwalayan na kung di ka na masaya. Walang gamot sa tanga kundi pagkukusa."
“Minsan kailangan mong maging malakas, para amining mahina ka.”
Five reasons why I love watching Glee:
- Good singers. Rachel rocks. I LOVE her voice, and her version of any song is always so much nicer than the original. Mercedes also has one of the best voices I've heard. She sounds like Beyonce.
-It makes me reminisce about Glee Club days back in high school minus the stereotypes. In my high school, as long as you were part of any extracurricular activity, you were "cool." Because we spent about 90% on studies and 10% on special activities, PE included.
-Different storyline. The different characters make the perfect mix for the show. It's not dragging and the twists are just right.
-It makes me want to be part of a musical, kahit extra lang.
-Cool guests. The episode with Kristin Chenoweth was awesome. I loved her singing stints in Pushing Daisies, but the recent episode where she sang "Alone," and "Maybe This Time" left the audience (including me!) wanting more. I hope they bring her back!
I could go on and on, but this is the first batch of reasons on top of my head. Now I can't wait to go home and dl the newest eppy. According to Tweets they're singing "No Air." I'm sure it'll be awesome.
It hurts when you try to make someone your priority and you realize that you are just an option.
A lot of people have probably posted their first-hand experiences about the typhoon that changed (for lack of a better term) the entire country. I woke up Saturday morning to the sound of rain and the wind slamming on the windows. I was hoping I could sleep in since it was the weekend but decided to get up anyway.
I had plans to go swimming (How ironic, huh?) with a friend at Greenhills but decided to cancel when I looked out the window. There was water outside the building. This has never happened to us. Our place never gets flooded. I went online to check Plurk, Twitter and Facebook. Not many people were online but they were starting to complain about the rain too. My dad was listening to the news and kept on checking the water outside the house. I cancelled my plans and started to worry.
A few hours later, the lights were flickering and we were losing Internet access. When a neighbor’s car was parking, water seeped through the front door. We looked out and realized that the water was already knee-high. We called admin and thought it was merely a drainage problem. Then, our parents called us up to help with the sweeping and mopping, plus the folding of carpet. We’ve been staying at our house for 21 years now, and this is the only time we’ve experienced flood.
When we turned on the TV to watch the news, it was unbelievable. Certain areas were flooded waist-deep. Everyone was stranded, and our phones were ringing off the hook. We were receiving text messages from friends and family asking us to stay home, especially my sister who was supposed to go to Marikina for an event.
Around lunch, I was worried sick about friends staying in Rizal. The news didn’t help either. They kept showing footages of flooded areas and panic among people stranded in roads and the extent of the floods. People actually went to the roofs to save their lives because their houses and cars were flooded. Those stranded on the road had to leave their cars and swim at the filthy floodwater to survive.
By now, I’m sure you’ve seen pictures and videos over the Internet about the damage brought. There are a lot of things we should have learned after this calamity.
1. Never mess with Mother Nature. We are all partly to blame for the floods, especially with the pollution and trash. Remember that candy wrapper you threw, or that mineral water bottle you left at the street thinking it wouldn’t hurt and someone will eventually clean it up? Thousands of people were thinking the same thing so they littered too.
2. It always helps to be prepared. Thanks to my parents, we always have stocks of food inside the kitchen and fridge. My dad panics every time we run out of grocery supplies, even from the littlest stuff like dishwashing liquid to coffee, to canned goods. He even has stocks of batteries, candles, and emergency lights in case power goes out. I’m not sure if he learned about these when he was still a fire fighter volunteer but thanks to him, we always have food in the house for emergencies like this.
3. It pays to keep in touch with family and friends. During the storm, everyone was checking up on us and we always feel relieved knowing that someone was safe. We were also able to ask if anyone needed help and did the best we can to send out food or water.
4. Last and most important lesson of all: WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. When it stopped raining the next morning, the first thing we did was to run to the grocery to shop for canned goods and noodles to donate to the victims. We were still checking up on everyone, especially friends who got stranded and whose houses had major damages but we went to the nearest donation place to drop off the relief goods.
I know this is nothing compared to what others have donated especially people who were volunteers, but the little things do matter. If everyone had their fair share of blessings to share, we can save all the victims. So instead of staying in front of the computer and watching the videos, or spreading negative posts on Facebook and judging government officials, why don’t you try to help? There are tons of ways to help.
Being lazy is NOT an excuse.
If you don’t have resources to help the victims, close your eyes and whisper a short prayer for those in need. Prayers do wonders, especially in times like these.
If you have social responsibility, here are the ways you can help:
List of Relief Centers | Help via SMS | More Ways to Help
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