Running and bikram

Happy new year everyone! It’s been a month since my last post because after my retreat I immediately went into holiday mode and before everything starts to get crazy again…I just want to say I found a new love – RUNNING. No, don’t you worry bikram lovers, bikram is still on top of my list because as early as now this running thing is already giving me an ache in my left knee but I got this running app that trains me to be able to run 5k in 8 weeks. I am now in week 4 and I hope I finish it on time for my first run ever! I am actually planning to join a 5k fun run because I just can’t force my body to do 10k…just not yet. It’s gonna be on the 15th of Feb. A month from now!

And it’s true what they say, running and bikram yoga make a great combination! I am really excited to challenge myself this year in just every aspect.

xx

2014

This year I will not be making any resolutions but instead I’ll justlet go and lift everything up to the Lord.

Sending light and love to all of you

xx

Cleansing

Last week was a major cleansing experience for me. I did a three-day master cleanse just to cleanse my colon. I was able to find this site that sells organic stuff here in Spore. You order online and collect it at the Raffles mrt station which is quite convenient cos I work nearby. I am totally loving their organic senna tea which really helps me when, you know, my digestive system becomes too lazy to function.

During the latter part of the week, I went to my first ever silent retreat! I have never prayed so much in my life! Haha. Kidding aside, there was a lot of introspection, meditation and reflection. I am grateful that I was able to do that. At the end of the day I practiced yoga to make this whole experience better.

I arrived back in Spore Sunday afternoon but unfortunately didn’t make it to the last Bikram class so I opted for a hot yoga session. I am not sure if I was just adjusting to a new routine but boy did I have a hard time in that practice. The poses were different and so much harder! Well, it’s good to have a temporary change in routine once in a while I guess :p xx

My room in silent retreat. My last name is also Santiago
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Self-doubt

It’s true what they say, “you are your own worst enemy” and I’ve been feeling the horrible effect of it lately.

A lot of times I question my capability. And it sucks cos it hinders me to do new things and/or excel at what I do. I guess it’s pretty normal (and human!) to have some down time from time to time but it kinda gets bad when it happens often…which is what’s happening to me lately in almost every aspect of my life.

The moment our yoga instructor says “standing head to knee pose,” self-doubt instantly creeps in. God, I hate that pose! And the moment I entertain negative thoughts, self-doubt triumphs as I end up not finishing the pose at all! I remember a teardrop falling during the first time I was able to kick my leg parallel to the floor. I was in disbelief as I never thought such thing would happen. So much for trusting my self right?

a poco a poco

Take the yoga off your mat

Yoga is not just a physical activity. It is also mental and spiritual. – rohit, my bikram yoga instructor

Just falling in love with my practice each time.

Pushing the bad vibes away

Being a girl, it is given that I can be very hormonal. I do suffer from hormonal acne and it is very embarrassing and frustrating to have acne at my age. I know it can be related to diet and genes and so far I am doing everything that I can to prevent it. I am taking something that slowly prevents acne and my face has since improved. Not to mention that I look my best every after yoga session. But aside from the acne, it’s the mood swings that usually take a toll on me. Worries and anxieties are on a high. Not to mention the negative things happening in my country now. It is actually really very tough to meditate.

Last night was my third consecutive night practicing and have noticed a large improvement in my Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose. I will be honest, I never saw that pose as something major but as a rest after doing all those intense poses before! As I was pushing my forehead to  my knee I noticed how I was almost able to lock my knee! Bikram yoga has always surprised me with my abilities. It is really about pushing yourself and making up your mind that you can do it. Practising yoga has helped me ease my pms. I do feel great right after each practice. What I need to focus on is actually to try to avoid outside thoughts while doing it. I still think of work and all that shiz even while during practice. Really bad I know!

xx

Yolanda and Yoga

My country is so used to disasters. Being located in the pacific ocean, we are prone to monsoons and earthquakes. Just recently, the central part of the country experienced intensity 7 earthquake which left people homeless dead and our beautiful century-old churches crumbled.

With the numerous typhoons that we face each year, you’d think we are all prepared for ‘just another typhoon.’ But no. We can never be prepared for a disaster coming, I guess. Such is the case of of this super typhoon Yolanda (international name: haiyan).

The super typhoon hit the central eastern part of the Philippines and provinces such as Leyte and Samar were badly hit.

Search operations have just started and the whole world is just finding out about the aftermath of Yolanda’s wrath.

This weekend, I spent my time in the hot room with my motherland on my mind. I offered my practice for them and whenever I felt like giving up on a specific pose (hello standing head to knee) I thought of them. Tomorrow I will again go for a class. That’s three consecutive days and my longest streak so far. I can feel hamstrings sore already. But must I complain? Filipinos are, after all, known to be resilient.

This too shall pass.

Standing Bow Pose

Last night’s practice was a bit of a frustration after my instructor corrected me with my Standing bow pose (Dandayamana Dhanurasana). The standing bow pose is one of my favourite poses in the bikram sequence. I secretly tap myself on the back whenever I could do it for 30 seconds straight. It is very hard to meditate on this pose as there are many distractions in the class but I still love how our bodies turn into a bow whenever we do so no matter how many times I fall I get back straight to attempting to do it again. It’s so beautiful.

But then last night I found out that I have been doing it the wrong way all along. This was very frustrating as my body had to adjust to the correct posture. I kept on falling but as usual got back right away. I could only last for 5 seconds but I hope I could do better next time. Today I found myself watching videos of properly doing it. Haha. Talk about not getting over it.

I guess I can also apply this to life in general. I always find myself getting corrected about a nasty habit and trust me, it sucks. But you gotta do what you gotta do to be better. I continue to be a work in progress. And as I think I’ve read it somewhere but I’m not sure how it goes: you don’t have to the best at something, what’s more important is that you’re doing your best to  be better at it.

Intentions and worries

Going back to the torture chamber tonight and I cannot way to lock those knees and pull. I hope this will somehow cast my worries away. Lately, I’ve been bothered by the looming holidays and am just so scared of spending it here. Christmas is a big deal for us Filipinos. We start playing Christmas carols in September and even some decorating it as early as October. I love the fact that Christmas is almost celebrated globally. My boss, who is not even a Christian, said they do give gifts to one another and celebrate. It is really the spirit that matters. I love the spirit of giving and sharing, of non-stop eating and celebrating the birth of our Lord. There is nothing like spending Christmas with your family and this year I can only hope I could do the same.

got this from pinoypinas.wordpress.com

Tonight I will start offering intentions in my practice. Tonight, I will offer it to my family back home and pray that I get to spend Christmas with them.

Kuliti girl

There is something about my oil glands in the eye lid that make it more prone to getting styes. I remember when I was a kid, I had to attend the annual sagala and I was nursing a stye. Is it me or am I just not hygienic? Ooops.

My current feat with stye made me skip my work for the first time in one and a half years. It’s gross and annoying at the same time. Oh well perhaps I needed that rest over the weekend cos my best friends were in town. So this is what I get when I have too much fun.
Boo.

And it really doesn’t help that it is so expensive to be sick in a first world country. Seriously. I got a young doctor who was not confident enough to give me antibiotics so he referred me to a specialist. Oh please it’s just a stupid stye.

I am self-medicating now because I refuse to pay over a hundred dollars just for this. Grr. Tea bag compress and antibiotics surely help.