boracay beach (Photo credit: Dave Borghuis)
Of all the exercises and physical activities that I have tried, it is yoga (besides running or walking) that I am mad about. Don’t get me wrong, my body is not yet as pliant and toned as the other body twisting fanatics out there but I just get the kick out of attempting to transform my body into a pretzel. It lifts my mood, tightens my flabs, tones my muscles, helps me release toxins from my body (via sweat, burps and gas), and just gives me this great sense of well-being. Whenever I find my spirit down in the dumps, or when I need to calm my nerves or focus on something, or when I feel my waist starting to grow love handles, I roll out my mat and try to recreate as best I can the postures that my yoga teacher taught us in beginner class in Cebu.
Kripa Diva was my first Ananda Marga yoga teacher. Ananda Marga yoga involves gentle postures created to transport the energy up to the brain and brace the body for meditation. This relaxed type of yoga also concentrates on correct body alignment and controlled breathing. Kripa told us that we do not have to feel various body aches after performing the asanas or postures. True enough, I don’t suffer from muscle aches and cramps after mirroring her poses.
Then I went to a yoga class in Boracay...
One fine morning in January of 2012 (when hubby and I are about to move from Roxas to Davao) I went to a class in True Yoga in Station 2 with two energy bars as breakfast. Most, if not all, of the other students were foreigners, mostly Caucasians and a couple of Asians. The youngest was a Caucasian little girl, between the age of 5 to 8 years old with her mom. The oldest probably was the Caucasian bloke beside me, but I can’t guesstimate how old he was.
Anyways, the kind of yoga taught by Louise, the Boracay yoga teacher, was Vinyasa, a very physically active yoga unlike the gentle Ananda. It involves continuous execution of poses while the student coordinates his breath and movement. It was my first time to do this kind of yoga. And boy, challenging was an understatement. Sometimes I caught my arms or legs shaking as my muscles try to put up with my weight and the ridiculous contortions and I just smile, recalling Ketut's (Eat, Pray , Love) advice about making the liver smile during meditation. Louise called my attention a couple of times for wrong poses that were straining my wrists and assisted me in slowly coming down from the plough pose one vertebra at a time.
To cut the long story short, it was one grueling but fulfilling final morning in Boracay. Unlike my previous visits in the beautiful island, I did not swim or indulge in the array of food offerings. But still this visit had a special place in my heart because I did what I always wanted to try there. I left Boracay with a few aches here and there, but very gratifying aches. In just one session I felt my flabs tighten and my mood lifted. Too bad I did not have the chance to capture the experience with my camera. I hope though that that wouldn’t be the last.
