YOGA: Integration of the Mind, Body, and Spirit
With a slender figure, great posture, serene expression, and light in her eyes, Tanya Abayan, moves across her newly-opened havenin Banilad Town Centre, Yoga One Studio, and meets up with the writer, Jareliese Mauro, to shed light on yoga.
"I lived in LA, California for 10 years and yoga was very popular there especially 'power yoga'. There was a studio in every corner. When I came back home for a vacation, I realized that Cebu needed to experience this amazing practice with properly-trained instructors," confesses the former model.
A spacious and well-lighted private studio with zen music playing in the background hypes an ideal yoga session. Having designed the interiors herself, Tanya, as the director of Y1S, has achieved providing that environment which helps clear one's mind and disburden from chronic discomfort and restriction. She could be seen ubiquitously lending a hand here, welcoming guests there. "We've had a good response since our opening. It's been only a month and there are already about eighty to a hundred students!" muses Tanya, who practices three to four times a week and also teaches along with 8 other trainers, inlcuding Bela Lipat from Manila. "Bela had actually helped me materialize my plans. She goes every year to India for yoga," Tanya affirms.
Oftentimes, health buffs get a better benchpress routine to gain strength, rely on cardiovascular machine workouts to bust heart problems, exercise tai-chi to establish a sense of harmony and relaxation, and stretch to achieve elasticity. There is one form of bodywork that accomplishes the same benefits in one stint: yoga. "I have a real passion for yoga becasue it strengthens and purifies the body and clears your mind. Those who have tried our usual one-hour-and-a-half session here in Y1S really come back. They all look very happy," attests Tanya who believes yoga is for everyone.
Yoga is an ancient Indian philosophy which means "union" in Sanskrit that has been evolving for the last 5,000 years or so. Opposite to many people's beliefs, it is not a religion nor does it encourage contortionism. Although much stretching is included,yoga is really about creating balance in the body through developing both strength and flexibility which will eventually improve personal growth and yield tremendous mental and physical benefits. Its practice is one's experience with the different exercises as it develops over time. Poses may have not changed but in the long run, a practitioner's relationship with workout will. It is the physical aspect of yoga that becomes a channel to a spiritual exploration, intensifying one's mindfulness of and appreciation for the body.
Kinds of yoga
There are different types of yoga and among the most popular in the US are Ashtanga Yoga or "Power Yoga" and Bikram or "hot yoga. " Y1S offers a variety of classes such as Ashtanga Yoga which involves a vigorous and challenging flow of asanas that quickly tone, strengthen and purify the entire system, and Vinyasa Yoga (also known as Vinyasa Flow) where postures are linked together by the breath, creating a fluid movement, both energizing and powerful. If gentle and safe practices are preferred then the practitioner can select either from Gentle Yogas which is perfect to reduce tension, tone muscle, and awaken the body's own intelligence, or the Restorative Yoga which emphasizes the calming of the nervous system and teaches the art of relaxation. For the expecting mothers at all stages of pregnancy, a mixture of postures and breathing techniques called the Prenatal Yoga Series will help them prepare for childbirth. There are also breathing exercises for kids which will promote proper breathing and postures through creative games and activities. Even for the Pilates aficiados, mat classes are also in store for them. The methods may vary slightly or considerably but the concerted efforts of every session have one purpose: to promote wellness for the body, mind, and spirit.
A yoga teacher's philosophy and kind of disicpline are what one should consider when learning since a teacher can pass on kowledgeof the poses, its correct alignment, and the practice of yoga in a way that a book or video cannot. Those who practice traditional yoga believe that true happiness, liberation and enlightenment comes from union with the divine consciousness. A yogi for example performs stance and breathing exercises which he believes will help cleanse the spirit, mind, and body to achieve "oneness". Y1s focuses more on contemporary routines. "Yoga privates are excellent for students who want to learn special poses to help heal injuries. A student can't move on to the next session unless if he perfects the first. We're here to guide them their every step," Tanya informs. Customers can schedule a one-on-one arrangement with a Y1s teacher either at home or at the studio at their most convenient time . A yoga habitué may pursue this discilpine for its psycho-physiological benefits or for religious reasons reasons but the bottom line is yoga is a is a practice for unfolding a more profound experience of your self and the world.
Benefits of yoga:
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