In the beginning, going to a yoga class was just about being able to practice. Sure, there were teachers I preferred, but at the time, I would have taken a class with almost any teacher just to have the opportunity to practice.

I remember that it was such a struggle to start a home practice. I needed the external structure offered by yoga classes to make sure that I actually got out of bed and practiced. A yoga class starts at a set time and takes place at a set location. That meant that I had to get up off my behind, get dressed and actually get myself over to the shala (yoga school/studio) in time for class. Once I was there, there was no backing out after I had gone all that way. There was also no chance to be lazy and not do a complete practice, as I was under the watchful eye of my teacher and I had the energy of my classmates to keep me going.

Once I was able to get a home practice going, I noticed that I needed classes less and less. I’ve learned to enjoy the silence of practicing on my own and being alone with myself. I enjoy not having to worry about finishing full primary before the class ends. I enjoy knowing that I’ve learned enough to be able to rely on myself and to know what to do without a teacher present.

Now I love going to a class to share my energy with others and to feel the energy of the community shared with me. That shared energy changes practice. It is not just my practice anymore, it becomes our practice. I don’t need class to force me to practice anymore, I WANT to practice now and I can do that on my own. But sharing of energy and a feeling of community I can’t do by myself. I love my community. I like feeling I’m a part of something. I like the feeling of belonging. I like the new friends.

Sangha. Community. Friends. Yoga Manila. Shared energy, shared practice. Yoga.

Tomorrow, the next step in the evolution of my practice…

I keep telling myself that I shouldn’t aim to jump forward, I should jump diagonally upwards and forwards. This will keep my hips higher so I have more time to swing my legs through and extend them in one nice smooth motion.

During practice the other day, however, I was jumping to standing so I could fold my mat before shoulderstands. As I did so, I noticed that I had succeeded in not just bringing my feet between my hands so I could stand, but that I had actually brought them beyond my hands! I realized that if I actually did this each time, move to jump to standing first then move to sit once my feet and legs had come through my arms, I should be able to come through smoothly. Well, I should, in theory. I’ll try it out and let you know what happens.

In case anyone’s wondering what in the world I’m talking about, below is a video of well-known Ashtanga teacher, Lino Miele, teaching the jump-through.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z5tr5VWVF0

What Ginger Does:

1. helps alleviate nausea (including motion and morning sickness)
2. reduces inflammation (and can therefore help lessen chronic pain due to inflammation)
3. soothes an upset stomach and facilitates digestion
4. eases congestion and helps fight respiratory tract infections (cold and flu viruses)
5. has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties
6. alleviates migraines and menstrual cramping

What Lime Does:

1. has loads of vitamin C (more than lemon!)
2. aids digestion
3. lowers cholesterol levels
4. helps treat peptic ulcers
5. anti-viral (it can kill cholera!)
6. helps with high blood pressure
7. fat-burner (when taken with warm water)

I was really feeling under the weather last Tuesday. My body was exhausted even though I’d just woken up. My back was hurting. My nasal passages were congested. I’d felt nauseous the day before. I was definitely fighting something off.

So I turned to ginger-lime (read: salabat with calamansi) tea.  I immediately felt better the next day and have had no problems since! I was drinking it hot then. It’s been too warm lately to keep this up, so I tried it chilled from the fridge – makes a wonderfully refreshing drink! Try it out and keep the flu bugs away.

References:
http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/product/gteabeni.html
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/ginger/a/ginger_health.htm
http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-ginger.html
http://hubpages.com/hub/Health-Benefits-of-Lime
http://www.helium.com/items/205648-lime-juice-uses-and-benefits
http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-lime.html
http://www.elements4health.com/limes-health-benefits.html

Here’s her story:

(photo by Jordan Ayan and used under the Creative Commons license)

(Sorry, for some reason I’m having trouble embedding the video. For now, please click on the link to view the video: http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html)

“We have the power to choose moment by moment who and what we want to be in the world.” Amazing if we could only consciously decide to switch between our left and right hemispheres.

“I am…These are the sides of me. Which would you choose? Which do you choose and when?”

“I believe that the more time we choose to spend running the deep inner peace circuitry of our right hemispheres, the more peace we will project into the world and the more peaceful our world would be. And I thought that was an idea worth spreading.”

I do too.

photo by Pikku-Kettu

One thing about Ashtanga yoga is that it really makes you sweat. This is great when you’re well-hydrated and you can flush all the toxins out. When you’re like me and don’t always drink enough water, well, you get the symptoms listed above.

When I can feel it starting, I try to drink a lot of water. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t and I notice that I just pee all the water away. I learned in Thailand that sometimes the body can’t absorb all the water even if you’re drinking enough because it’s saline level is too low for the body.

Remember high school biology and osmosis? Water will move from an area of higher concentration to one of lower concentration, in an effort to balance the system. If you add a pinch of salt (best to stick with organic rock salt and not the iodized stuff) to the water, it helps the water molecules to be absorbed by the body.

It also helps to add a squeeze of lemon to the water. You would think that this would make the water acidic, but in fact it makes it alkaline (basic), and thus also easier for the body to absorb. I like the tartness of lemon, but one great thing about practicing yoga in Manila is that I can do this with calamansi! I love the flavor of calamansi.

Photo by CecillePL

So there you go, mix a pinch of salt + a squish of lemon/calamansi + water = helps you stay nicely hydrated and ready for that next class.

Especially when it comes to starting a new habit or practice, we always think that we’ll have time for it later or tomorrow.

I know I used to have 2 things working against me: procrastination and the fact that I can be very OC. I always wanted to have the perfect practice and I wanted to have the habit of practicing 6 days a week, as my teacher said I should. This meant that I needed to have an empty stomach, a quiet practice space, a full 1.5-2 hours of uninterrupted me time, the discipline to actually get onto my mat…and I needed to be able to do all this a full 6 days a week or it wouldn’t be worth it.

Believe me, that is so not the case. I tried it and was completely overwhelmed. Yes, it would be great to do all the above, but unless you’ve got superhero powers of time and mind control, all that probably won’t be happening anytime soon. Instead, take baby steps. Try 10 minutes of practice 3 times a week in addition to your weekly class. When You’ve gotten the hang of that, move it up to 4 then 5 then 6 times a week. After that, start adding onto the duration of your practice. Move it to 15, 20, then 30 minutes.

And about the procrastination? Doing yoga first thing in the morning actually gives you more energy throughout the day to get your “stuff” done. Plus the early hours are usually quieter and you’ll have less chances of being disturbed. The dirty desk, squeaky chair and groceries can wait a while. There’s really no shortcut to this one other than being aware of when you’re procrastinating and telling yourself to buckle down and get going.

So in short, take it 1 step at a time. Remember, you have the rest of your life to develop your practice. Just start it today so you can be sure that you do have the time to develop it.

Let me know if this was helpful!

Now begins the study of yoga.