Yo-GAGA

We were doing Surys A and B while listening to Lady Gaga. E imported her teenage grand daughter's playlist and blasted it away at hOMe. You gotta love practise at hOMe! Expect the unexpected, really. She wanted us to know that we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously and let our inner free spirit loose at times. So she gave us each wildly-coloured bandanas to wear and encouraged us to shake our booties when we felt like it, even if you are in Uthita Hasta Padangusthasana--which was when I got the sillies out as I heard, "Like A Virgin", the Glee version. If you want to be over-analytical about the whole exercise, it can also be viewed as a challenge to stay focused on your breathing and remain in equanimity even with crazy music playing.

It was great FUN, I have to admit. And I enjoyed semi-sychronised yoga with Saar who was beside me and who I lost somewhere in the seated poses. Hope we do this again, Art wants to play music from Feist next time, while Chinky brilliantly suggested some Black-Eyed Peas. Yeaaahhh!

hOMey

I want this. Supposedly made from old yoga mats, the Sanuk Yoga Mat sandal is as comfortable and grippy as a...yoga mat. Truth in advertising or plain marketing? I have a pair of Sanuk slippers that Angelina Jolie supposedly wears too. Below is Halle Berry in the Sanuk yoga mat sandals.

Snuck in some “me” time one Thursday evening as my son had no classes the following day. Got to hand it to Guru E for always making practice so enjoyable, so memorable at hOMe. As we settled on to our mats to come to Samasthiti she announced that night that we would be practicing to music softly playing in the background. Also this time she would be enforcing the “no talking during practice” rule (on cue, our gaze point shifts to Art).

Guru E knows astutely and is so attuned to the practice of each and every individual at hOMe. For me, the music was so calming and helped de-stress me as well. E’s playlist also set the pace for synchronised yoga with me, Art and Lai. And with Art muzzled from making any snide, I mean, side comments, we seemed to be fully concentrated on the asanas. “Practice with integrity,” E encouraged.

On Tuesday, during the onset of a recent typhoon (yes, we practiced even with alert levels raised), we practiced with our eyes closed which yielded the best yoga practice for me to date. Of course, I moved very tentatively at first but fear quickly dissipated as movement and breathing became one just like the time we did the “one breath per vinyasa” practice.

Since I only get to practice an average once every week I try to maximise, optimise my time at hOMe. So I felt very connected to the breath and in the end so convinced about keeping my eyes shut throughout except perhaps when jumping through for Bhujapidasana or going to Bakasana. With eyes closed, it was also wonderful to simply feel those micro-adjustments from E.

What else is new? I met newcomers, Arthur another Ashtanguy who I used to see at Yoga Manila, and Sabrina, a model, so tall she seemed much longer than her yoga mat. I am now also more at peace. As it turns out, spending more time with my son everyday and working together on his homework has produced very positive results in such a short time. I once thought that he would not take to reading books the way I did when I was a little girl. Or the way his 4-year old sister has already begun to read (note: she is learning ballet terminology which is French). But the other night he read the book, “You Can’t Catch Me” all by himself. *Sigh* Bliss!

Om.

Ashtanguys

ASHTANGUY n.

Ashtanguys plural

Pronunciation: \ash-tang-guy\

Function: noun

Date and first usage: 06 May 2010 this blog

Definition:
1. One of Edith Tobias’ male yoga students of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga.
2. A practitioner of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga who is male.

Photo courtesy of Stuart B. Watkins

In E’s shala there is Art, my breathing buddy, who has made an honest living earning tons of money “writing fiction” (his words, not mine) as a consultant for many foreign and domestic organizations.

Then Saar, from Israel who is CEO of a global ecological content and research company headquartered in Hong Kong. He also practices some second series poses and Tai Chi.

Benjie, whose many years as a seaman have given him bodily aches and pains which have been recently relieved by practicing Ashtanga. He is married to Lai.

Together with Jing, E’s husband, and Jem my husband these fabulous five form our core group of Ashtanguys at the shala who share their strength and energies during practice.

In this country the women practitioners of Ashtanga normally outnumber the males. Why is that? Baffling really, when historically yoga was created in India originally and exclusively for men. After trying it out all the way through the seated poses, Jem can’t figure out why Ashtanga hasn’t caught on among Filipino men yet. It IS such a strenuous work out for him.

But in E’s shala there is almost an equal ratio of--or should I say a good balance between girls and guys. One night there were 4 guys out of the 9 practitioners in total. Of course Jing skips practice and goes downstairs for some sub-zero beer at the resto on the ground floor when space gets too tight.

Because I can’t make it to the shala this week, I’ve convinced my husband to do yoga at home as cross-training for his running. The result: so far he hasn’t put on his running shoes because we have been practicing every morning since Monday.

On the advice of one of my teachers, Jon Cagas, doing Suryas A & B and closing everyday can constitute a “daily practice”. As long as it’s done with integrity I suppose. Never one to be shortchanged, hubby and I did not only that but also some seated poses (no backbends though, I can only do UDs with E.) Woo-hoo!

A round of sub-zero for our Ashtanguys and an article on Filipino businessmen who practice Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga and another  article on yoga for men by Rodney Yee. Om.