Mitahara

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T19:10:00.001+02:00

It has been a wonderful journey and I thank you for being a part of it.

Each soul that we meet along the way brings different colors into our lives which makes this whole journey bright and meaningful.

From each soul we learn something... so we continue our journey until we find what we are looking for.

The journey never ends...

But hopefully, we still know how to find our way hOMe.

Namaste.

Merry Christmas from North Pole

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000+02:00

Photo taken by Jessica Ho.

Asking for peace and healing this Christmas season...

2011-12-22T16:27:00.000+02:00

This is in response to "Help Heal Our Land".

***

Don't you notice anything
In your environment?
The air is has gone polluted
Even so our children..

Progress isn't a bad thing,
and we've come a long way for it
But look at the waters of the seas
before were blue but have already turned to black
Don't let all the dirt we have made and scattered into the air to reach the heavens
So when we are gone, we will only have fresh air to breathe in heaven

There is only one thing I'm asking for,
that when I die I hope it will be during the rainy season
With me, I'll bring my guitar, so together, all of us will sing upon the clouds

Those children that are born today,
Will they still have the air to breathe?
Will they still have the trees to climb up on?
Will they still have rivers for them to swim onto?

Why don't we think about what's happening to our environment?
Progress isn't a bad thing if it does not harm our nature
There will come a time, even those birds will have nowhere to perch on
Look at that tree that has stood there robust for a very long time, now dying because of our foolish actions

All of the things that exist on this earth are all blessings from God even when you're still not here
Let us take care of it, and protect it because if He will take it back from us, we will all be gone.

***

Credits:

Video originally posted by youtube user joennika214.

English translation from lyricstranslate.com

http://lyricstranslate.com

The Perfect Chana Dhal

2011-12-12T19:43:00.004+02:00

The term is almost over but I still have to finish two essays on psychology of coaching. It's been a wonderful 3 months in Finland and while most of my new European friends are going back to their home countries, most of the Asians are staying either to travel within Finland or around Europe. The snow showers have been frequent the past few days so we will definitely see a lot of snow soon.

This evening, I made perfect chana dhal... at least for my standards. I was reluctant to use the chana dhal spice mix that I bought from the Pakistani shop the first month that I was here because it was too spicy and I didn't really liked the taste when I added it to the regular dhal. But today, the "feeling" was good and I was in the mood to cook. Here's what I did.

I sauteed 3/4 cups chopped onions in oil until translucent. Then I added about 1 cup of chopped tomatoes and mixed it to the onions. Turned the heat down and let it cook until it became pulpy for 1-2 minutes. I turned off the heat so as not to overcook the tomato-onion paste, then I stirred in 1 tsp of the chana dhal spice mix. Added 280g of cooked chickpeas, 5 pods of cardamom, about 1.5 cups water, stirred everything well, and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve over steamed white rice and top with crispy fried onions. YUM!!!

I think the onion-tomato paste made the difference plus I didn't put a lot of spice mix. It was deliciously spicy. It was also good for three servings but I ate two. What remains will be breakfast tomorrow.

Oh, and I passed Suomi Yksi!!! Yey! Can't take Suomi Kaksi next term though as I will be in Germany from April to June. The Suomi Kaksi will start in January and will continue until May so I don't think I can really miss a lot of classes and still pass it.

Ok, time to finish those two remaining essays. Heippa!

Suomen itsenäisyyspäivä

2011-12-06T23:53:00.001+02:00

Happy Independence Day Finland!

Pinaattiohukaiset

2011-12-03T17:27:00.001+02:00

Spinach pancakes!

You easily get it from the supermarket and in the first month that I was here, I eat it like vegetable patties. As you can see in the photo, I ate it with fried rice and topped it with chilli garlic sauce. It's not the Finnish way of eating it but it went well. I think the "proper" way is to eat it with lingonberries.

It's actually easy to make. Here's a recipe that I found online.

Will kangkong work as well?

***

I practiced at the shala this morning and I think I was a bit distracted because I was conscious about the time. Nevertheless, it was a good one and I enjoy being a student. The whole afternoon was then spent looking for winter boots. I found a pair that I like but it's 100 euros. When I went to another shop, I found one that I liked also but there was no more size 42. Will continue boots hunting tomorrow.

Time to do one assignment then I'm off to sauna.

Moi.

Piirakka

2011-12-02T23:56:00.001+02:00

Breakfast this morning.

That's piirakka, a traditional Finnish pastry made with rye crust and filled with rice, potato, or barley. It is usually eaten with cheese or boiled egg. But you can always be creative and top it with anything you like. I have tried it with tomattia ja kurkkua (tomatoes and cucumber) and it was delicious.

***

The term is almost over and time does fly really quickly. I still have assignments to complete, Finnish written exam, and thesis topic presentation next week, but it feels a little more relaxed now that I'm done with the puhu tentti suomeksi. This is how it sounds when a Filipino speaks Finnish.

***

This weekend I plan to attend Jura's class and maybe look for a winter boots. The weather forecast says that it will snow in the next two days. I better get ready and gear up for more snowball fights.

Hyvää viikonloppua!

Heippa!

The First of December

2011-12-01T22:09:00.001+02:00

Three months have passed and still everyday I am grateful to be here. Somehow, I know that I had to be here and experience life from the other side of the spectrum. I sometimes wish that my dreams are simpler and smaller... that at my age, I should really just be focusing on earning as much money as I can so I can have a comfortable retirement later on. But no, my mind has never thought of that. My mind is always looking for ways to make this life more meaningful... more useful.

I already had 3 cans of beer and I decided not to write anything more than what's necessary. I thought I'd chill out the rest of the night because I had been a good student the whole week and maybe a little reward won't hurt. I believe I did well in my Finnish speaking exam today and did my weekly karma yoga. As a gesture of gratitude for the opportunity to be here, I have been teaching yoga for free at the University. Next week will be the last for this year but hopefully the venue is available again next year so that the program can continue.

The Christmas season is here. I believe that this will be the first time that I will be celebrating this season away from loved ones. Even when I was in Saudi, I was able to go home to the Philippines and celebrate the season with my family.

This year, however, it won't be very practical to go home so I'll just stay in Finland. I will be celebrating Christmas in Lapland though and just might be able to see Santa himself. I thought it was time to grow up and celebrate Christmas like an adult but hey, it's my first time to see snow and probably see Santa so who cares about being an adult?

And as a genuine university student in Finland, what can be more appropriate than ending one's day with sauna, beer, and pizza.

Not very yogic but allow me to celebrate my 3rd month in Finland like "normal" graduate student.

Tomorrow I will do vaman.

Hyvä yöta!

Winter is definitely here

2011-11-27T12:51:00.001+02:00

Two days. That's how long the snow stayed last week. After 48 hours, it melted and it just rained days after.

Winter is late this year in Finland. The Levi World Cup in Lapland was canceled because there was no snow.

As I ride my bike every day, I can't help but be grateful for this experience. I am in an environment where my both academic and yogic growth are supported. In the midst of this impending darkness (I have been told that at the peak of Finnish winter, the sun comes out for only 4 hours a day), the mind is clear and the future looks bright.

***

This weekend, Astanga Jyväskylä had Magnus Appelberg as visiting teacher. He had a similar aura with Paul. The energy was light and he was always smiling. I also stayed after practice to listen to him explain some practice points. Although he spoke mostly in Finnish, Susanna was very helpful that she explained everything to me in English.

***

Yesterday, two more animals were released, the crocodile and the horse. Today, the gate was opened and Nandi appeared. And then the sleeping thunderbolt was awakened to welcome the 7 kings.

***

Went to our sunday meditation group and on my way back, the snow was 6 inches deep! I was ecstatic and began throwing snow balls at friends. It was amazing.

Thank you Finland.

***

Today must be a very special day. I completed the intermediate series, the UP Pep Squad represented the country in the 6th Cheerleading World Championships in Hong Kong and they won the bronze in the cheer mixed category, a first for the Philippines in this competition, and, I experienced my first true winter.

This heart has nothing but gratitude.

OM

The Correct Method

2011-11-18T07:01:00.001+02:00

The Ashtanga Police
by: janbaggerudlarsen

We sometimes get too attached to the method that we become like the ashtanga police.

Traditionally, students from the East are taught to obey the teacher and follow whatever is being taught.

Students from the West are taught to think independently and always ask why.

But time has changed.

In terms of achieving well-being, balance has always been advocated.

Yoga itself teaches balance, samatva (Bhagavad Gita II:48).

But how do we achieve balance?

Experience both extremes, I would say.

Learn and take the best from both worlds.

Somewhere along the way, the correct method will find you.

***

Gratitude to Bela Lipat for sharing this video on youtube.

Enjoy the journey

2011-11-17T17:19:00.001+02:00

This photo was taken by Ben in 2008.

Ithaka

Constantine Cavafy (1911)

As you set out for Ithaka

hope the voyage is a long one,

full of adventure, full of discovery.

Laistrygonians and Cyclops,

angry Poseidon- don't be afraid of them:

you'll never find things like that on your way

as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,

as long as a rare excitement

stirs your spirit and your body.

Laistrygonians and Cyclops,

wild Poseidon- you won't encounter them

unless you bring them along inside your soul,

unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope the voyage is a long one.

May there be many a summer morning when,

with what pleasure, what joy,

you come into harbors seen for the first time;

may you stop at Phoenician trading stations

to buy fine things,

mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,

sensual perfume of every kind-

as many sensual perfumes as you can;

and may you visit many Egyptian cities

to gather stores of knowledge from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.

Arriving there is what you are destined for.

But do not hurry the journey at all.

Better if it lasts for years,

so you are old by the time you reach the island,

wealthy with all you have gained on the way,

not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.

Without her you would not have set out.

She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won't have fooled you.

Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,

you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

***

Translated by Edmund Keeley/ Phillip Sherrard

Source: http://www.greeka.com/ionian/ithaca/ithaca/ithaca-poem.htm

***

Many of us felt anxious about what was expected from us in our master's thesis. Many have difficulty finding topics that interest them. Some has already identified topics but realized that the possibility of pursuing it might be difficult because the faculty are not experts in those fields.

One of our thesis supervisors shared parts of this poem during her presentation earlier this afternoon. I thought it applies not only in finding a research topic but in life and our yogic journey as well.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.

Arriving there is what you are destined for.

But do not hurry the journey at all.

Achieving a certain pose is what most of us aim for in our asana practice. But as the poem says, do not hurry. One of these, we will get there.

Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,

you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

Winter is coming

2011-11-11T00:04:00.001+02:00

Indian Congee

2011-11-01T21:29:00.000+02:00

After doing cartwheels, bridges, and handstands for one hour at the local high school gymnasium, I rode my bike in leisure on my way back to the flat.

No, I did not join the local cheerleading squad. I did enroll in an acrobatic class though with an intention to learn the basics of arm balances from a non-yogic pedagogical perspective. It's a bit difficult because I am asked to do handstands with the chin on the chest and gaze to the direction where the nose is pointing. It's hard because I'm used to looking down at a point in between my hands and use the gaze as a counterbalance. It's something new and I'm like a kid learning a new trick.

***

When the cup is empty, there is space for learning.

***

I had a huge lunch and wasn't really very hungry so I thought, "Hmnnn... I should make dhal."

Being Pinoy, I had to have some rice but I didn't want to cook it separately so the dhal came out as lugaw (rice porridge) and it's very tasty.

Here are the ingredients.

One clove garlic, minced. 1/2-1 white onion, chopped. 1 tbsp olive oil. A teaspoon of Madras curry powder. 1 vegetable cube. 3/4 cup yellow dhal. 1/4 cup rice. 5-8 cups water. Salt and pepper to taste.

Saute onion in olive oil for 1-2 minutes until translucent and fragrant over very low heat. Add the garlic and saute for maybe 1 minute. Add the curry powder and mix well. Add the dhal and rice. Mix well. Add water. Turn heat to high and wait until it boils. (Don't leave the on high heat like I did otherwise it will come to a rigorous boil and the water will spill over the pan). Once the water is boiling, turn the heat to the lowest and simmer for 15-20 minutes. You may need to add more water in the process so have a pot of hot water ready. Stir occasionally to make sure the rice or dhal doesn't still at the bottom of the pan. When almost done, add the vegetable cube. Once it's dissolved, mix well into the porridge. Have a taste. I added a few more dashes of salt. And then it's ready. Serve on a bowl and top with crispy fried onions. I'm not sure if you can easily find a packed crispy fried onions in the Philippines. I was first introduced to this crispy fried onions in Riyadh and I really like it. Not very sattvic though.

I'm just finishing the last of the porridge as I type this entry. This recipe can easily feed 2 hungry yoginis but in my case...

I think I just discovered my winter food.

Let me know if you're trying this and if you like it.

Terve!

Lazy as a lazy cake

2011-10-31T22:19:00.000+02:00

Two months in Finland and I haven't cooked anything worth blogging except for that failed attempt at dhal and that never ending fried rice.

It's deep autumn and it's getting colder. I like it though. Four sets of thermal top and long pants from friends in the Philippines should keep me warm during my first Finnish winter.

And like a child waiting for the first snow to fall, I eagerly await for my first experience of snow and of white Christmas.

When all my coursework for this term is done, I will have time to plan my travels. I want to see more of Europe. Another goal is to have set foot in all major continents before I hit 40.

Asia - check
Europe - check
Australia - check
America - hopefully next year
Africa - possible now that I know someone from Uganda.
Antartica - ok, maybe except this one.

And because I'm lazy to cook anything to celebrate my 2nd month in Finland, let me share with you this Lazy Cake recipe. It was introduced to me by my Lithuanian classmate. She made this twice already and I like it. Last Sunday, she brought some for our Sunday meditation group which was organized by a Finnish classmate. We're doing Diamond Way meditation and I believe it's japa meditation, or mantra repetition-type of meditation. We had tea and lazy cake after the sitting practice. It was great. I will prepare Swedish chocolate balls for the group in 2 weeks. It's the Russian classmate's turn next week and she will bring her famous brownies.

Sunday sangha: meditation + tea + chocolates = Nirvana.

This is not the exact recipe. Lithuanian friend said hers is easier. She'll teach me how next time so you can be as lazy as this version for now.

Chocolate Lazy cake (easiest ever) Recipe : Huda Abu Hamdia Recipes | LifeStyle FOOD

Turn back the clock...

2011-10-30T22:35:00.000+02:00

Daylight saving time started this morning at 4am.

Let's learn some Finnish phrases

2011-10-23T22:17:00.001+03:00

Moi! Hyvää iltaa.(Hello! Good evening!)

Mitä kuuluu? (How are you?)

Mun nimi on Jonni. Hauska tutustua! Mä oon Filippiiniläinen. Minkämaalainen säolet? (My name is Jon. Glad to meet you. I'm a Filipino. What's your nationality?)

Mä oon kolmekymmentäneljä vuotta vanha. Mä asuin Manilla,mutta mä olen kotoisin Davaosta. Missäsä asut? (I'm 34 years old. I lived in Manila, but originally I come from Davao. Where do you live?)

Mä puhun englantia, filippiiniä, ja vähän kiinaa. Mitä kieliä sä puhut? (I speak English, Filipino, and a little Chinese. What languages do you speak?)

Mä opiskelen yliopistossa liikunta psykologiaa. Mitä sä opiskelet yliopistossa? (I study sport psychology at the university. What do you study at the university?)

Mun puhelinnumero on nolla-neljä-yksi-seitsemän-nolla-yksi-seitsemän-kolme-neljä-yksi. (My telephone number is...)

Mikä sun puhelinnumeroon? (What is your phone number?)

Vapaa-aikana mä harrastan joogaa, pelaan sulkapalloa, ja mätykkään laittaa ruokaa. Mitä sä tykkäättehdä vapaa-aikana? (On my free time I do yoga, play badminton, and I like to cook. What do you like to do during your free time?)

Minulla on kaksi kämppistä,hollantilainen ja japanilainen. Onkosulla kämppis? (I have two flat mates, a Dutch and a Japanese. Do you have flat mates?)

Mulla on pikkusisko ja pikkuveli. (I have a younger sister and a younger brother.)

Mä oon surullinen. Mulla ei ole vapaa päivä tällä viikolla! (I'm sad. I don't have a free day this week!)

***

I'm supposed to be studying for my Finnish 1 midterm exam tomorrow but I'm just not motivated enough. I was very enthusiastic about learning it in the beginning but when the presentations and due dates for the major courses came, I didn't have time to "enjoy" the language as most of the time I was reading sport and exercise psychology articles.

Learning language is fairly manageable for me maybe because I grew up quintilingual. At home, I spoke to my mother spoke in Hiligaynon, while to my father Bisaya/Cebuano. In school, we had to learn English, Tagalog/Filipino, and Chinese. Oh, and I had to learn Hokkien-Chinese and Mandarin-Chinese. When I was in Saudi, I wasn't too motivated so ana mafi malum Arabi.

***

Tykkäätko sinä suklaasta? (Do you like chocolates?)

Joo. Paljon tykkään. (Yes, [I] like it a lot.)

Mitä sä syöt tänään? (What will you eat today?)

Mä olen kaskisruoka. (I'm vegetarian.)

Sinä syöt nakkileipä ja sulate juusto. (You eat crispbread and cheese spread.)

Ei se mitään. (No problem.)

Moi moi! (Bye bye)

***

Ok. This will be enough for tonight. I will sleep it off and read my notes again tomorrow morning. I just need to pass this course and then I have 22 months to practice it without pressure.

Here's a cool video on Finnish pronunciation.

***

Hyvää yötä!!! (Good night!)

In pursuit of excellence

2011-10-22T21:29:00.001+03:00

In our asana practice, do we see it as a pursuit of pleasure or a pursuit of excellence?

I posted this on twitter two weeks ago and it made some of my friends reflect back on their own practice. I was reading an article on leadership in sport and one section talked about the purpose of sport participation.

Pursuit of pleasure refers to participating in a physical activity for thesake of fun and pleasure. “It’s not whetheryou win or lose but how you play the game” would be the favorite cliché ofsomeone engaging in sport for pleasure. To put it simply, pursuit of pleasure is focused on the process ofparticipation in one’s chosen activity.

On the other hand, pursuit of excellence means striving to perform at thehighest level in comparison to one’s peers. While it requires a very high level of dedication, sustained efforts,and great amounts of sacrifice typical of an ashtanga practice, it would alsomean establishing superiority, attaining a certain status, and thus, competing withothers. Yoga stressesnon-competition. When we think of our asanapractice as a pursuit of excellence, does it mean we want to show our masteryin the asanas thus establish our superiority?

In either pursuits, we as students of yoga need to acquire and practice theskills or the asanas. The pursuit of pleasure in yoga would mean focusing onthe process of moving in, staying in, and moving out of asanas. The goal is to simply focus on each breathand being contented with where the body takes us. In sport, the pursuit of excellence is also focusedon winning the prize. In yoga, I believethat would mean focusing on the outcome and striving to perfect the asana.

So what should be our mindset?

Here’s what the Bhagavad Gita says:

yoga-sthah kuru karmani
sangam tyaktva dhananjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva
samatvam yoga ucyate

“Equanimity of mind is Yoga. Do everything, Arjuna, centered in thatequanimity.

Renouncing all attachments, you’ll enjoy an undisturbed mind insuccess or failure.”

durena hy avaram karma
buddhi-yogad dhananjaya
buddhau saranam anviccha
krpanah phala-hetavah

“Work done for the sake of someresults is much lower than done in mental equilibrium, Arjuna.

Wretched arethose motivated by the fruits of their actions.”

– B.G. II:48-49 (translation by SwamiSatchidananda)

Clearly, if we take our yoga practice as a spiritual pursuit, then if we putit in the context of the pursuit of pleasure-pursuit of excellence dichotomy, weshould be more process-oriented and practice yoga for the sake of enjoyment, pleasure,or in other words, for the love of it.

But isn’t yoga a physical discipline as well?

Yes. Because yoga is also adiscipline, it has some elements of pursuit of excellence. To practice yoga also takes dedication,commitment, and hardwork, which are characteristics of pursuit of excellence. In order to advance in one’s yoga practice,both physical or spiritual, it would require regular, deliberate and meaningfulpractice, typical of the excellence pursuit. I think here it is important to reflect on Patanjali’s words.

Abhyasavairagyabhyam tanirodah – Yoga Sutras I:12

To master the mind requires that the we perform deliberate practice but notget attached to the outcome of such practice. It is difficult. At some point, wewill ask ourselves why we get up early in the morning and twist our bodies inall sorts of position. I think the keyis to be clear with what we want to get out of our yoga practice. If we take it as physical exercise for healthand well-being, then some external motivation is required. But if we practice yoga for spiritual reasons,to breathe would be enough.

***
Thanks to Au for the beautiful photo.

A hot soup to end a long and cold day...

2011-10-03T20:07:00.002+03:00

Mitä kuuluu? Kiitos hyää. Entä sulle? Ei mitään erikoista.

(How are you? I'm well thank you. And you? Nothing special)

But it was really cold this morning and it's not even winter yet.

This day was really long and to think it's only the start of the week.

So when I got 'home', I opened a can of ice cold beer while preparing dinner... creamy vegetable macaroni soup.

And I have a new discovery! Single bulb or elephant garlic. I've never seen it before. It is apparently not a true garlic but a cousin of leek.

Anyway, I sauteed the garlic, 1/4 of a big white onion chopped, until translucent and fragrant. I then added 1 cup of dried macaroni, stirred it into the garlic-onion mixture, added 3 cups of water and allowed to boil.

When the water started boiling, I turned the heat low and added chopped potatoes about 1 medium size or the size of an Asian fist :-p. Adjusted the heat to high until it has returned to boiling and then turned it low again.

When the pasta and potatoes are half-cooked, I added 1 cup of mixed veggies (carrots, peas, red peppers, corn), about a cup of diced tofu (I used the marinated one that tasted like sausage. I bought it from the organic shop in the city center, and I'm still trying all the available varieties), and a veg stock cube. I added more water from time to time to prevent the mixture from drying out.

When the vegetables and pasta are cooked, I seasoned it with salt, black pepper, and some dried herbs. To finish, I added one cup of fresh milk, and a tablespoon of butter. I think it could serve 2-3 persons but I just had the last of it.

Se oli herkullista (It was delicious!!!)

One month in Finland

2011-10-01T13:01:00.006+03:00

Grabe, time flies fast when you're enjoying it. I've been in Finland for one month and it seems like I've been here for so long. University life has been amazing and I'm learning a lot from the best professors in the field of sport and exercise psychology (SEP). My mind was already thinking about sharing all these new knowledge to my dear UP. For sure, I will first share it with my beloved UP Pep Squad and then I was thinking maybe it will help the UP Fighting Maroons to have a better mental attitude. I'm not a basketball fan but my colleagues back home used to say that they have the talent. It's just not working. This topic should be discussed in the other blog but couldn't decide yet if I should make that blog a little more formal or should I keep it similar to this but just focus on SEP.

To open each day with heart full of gratitude and thanksgiving.

That is one of the many things that I learned from Paul. I am grateful to be here in Finland. It's a beautiful country and for a student of ashtanga and sports, it is the best place to be.
When I was still doing my bachelor's, my friends called me "Jogas", taken from the first syllable of my first name, and last syllable of my family name. In the Philippines, it sounds a bit funny because it means something else when you drop the "s". I searched for the meaning of "Jogas" in other language and later found that it means "yoga" in Latvia. Then if you drop the "s" and add another "o", it becomes 'yoga' in Finnish. Of course, we can consider these things to be as simple as coincidence. But somehow, it's a very meaningful coincidence. "Jogas" also means 'yoga' in Lithuania. Then there's "Jogos" which means games in Portuguese.

So I guess the nickname that my friends back in college gave me sealed my destiny. Funny, isn't it? But it bears some truth in it.

Here's a video that my Finnish friend Anna shared on her fb wall last week. It's a promotional video of the University of Helsinki but most of it really is about Finland. As winter comes, I might get depressed and start hating being here, my thought is that I will go back to this video and remember the reasons why I am here... por da kawntri en por may pipol.

My university, Jyväskylän yliopisto (University of Jyväskylä) is 4 hours away from Helsinki. Here's my university's video.

And to celebrate my first month in Finland, I attended Frank Kappas' mysore classes at Ashtanga Jyväskylä. One of the reasons why I chose Finland over Greece and Sweden is the yoga. The SEP programme is offered in consortium with universitires in Greece, Sweden, Germany, and Finland. During the application process, I had to choose my home university. There's an ashtanga studio 3 minutes from the university and that made my decision. I've been there 4 times before yesterday and I loved it.

Talking about practice, I've only been practicing until laghu vajrasana the past few weeks and yesterday did until bakasana B. This morning, Frank asked me if I have done the succeeding poses and I told him I've been taught until pincha mayurasana.

Ok, I'm lying. I've been taught the whole 2nd by JS but I feel it's unofficial because Paul didn't "give" it to me. Plus, I practice until pincha only for two reasons: first, I'm still trying to refine kapotasana, and second, I want to keep my asana practice under two hours. Common, I still have life outside the yoga mat. When I was in Manila, I had to earn a living, spend a lot of time commuting. Now, I have articles and books to read.

So going back, after bakasana B, I did the poses until pincha. Then he helped me into karandavasana and taught me how to flip to chatvari/chaturanga. I was surprised that I was able to do it. Bandha is definitely coming back. Then he told me to do mayurasana, and when he noticed that I couldn't lift my legs off the ground and balance, he said something like, "That's your last pose. Ok? Work on that."

"Ok."

Oh wait, there's more. Urdhva dhanurasana, drop backs, and assisted tick-tocks.

I'm definitely enjoying being a student here. I feel blessed for this opportunity to focus on both SEP and yoga. The responsibility for now is to experience life one season at a time.

Moi,

Jogas

First Indian dish in Finland... a flop

2011-09-28T22:54:00.000+03:00

Two weeks ago, I was happy to find an Arabic shop in the city centre which sells South Asian spices. So I bought dhal spice mix and cooked my first dhal in Finland. Our kitchen had ventilator and I had turned it on. However, the aroma of Indian spices still filled the small kitchen that my Dutch flatmate immediately opened the balcony door to allow the smell to dissipate.

It has been a long time since I used Indian spices so I forgot that I only needed to use half a teaspoon, or even less, of the spice mix. So the dish ended up too spicy. It was a flop. I still ate some for dinner and discarded the rest.

As I was at another video on youtube, I found this. Hope this will help in reviving my Indian cooking skills. An inspiration from the "mother" of ashtanga herself.

Proud to be my father's son

2011-09-27T20:13:00.000+03:00

Vegetable au gratin... and the UP Pep Squad

2011-09-18T13:04:00.001+03:00

Vegetable au gratin is French style baked casserole. This was served at Lozzi the previous week. As I mentioned in the previous post, student meal is cheap at the University I have always eaten lunch on campus on weekdays. They had a beautiful vegetable-filled pancakes and veggie patties last week but I didn't have the courage to take out my camera to take a photo of my food. The cafeteria was full of people and I didn't want to look like an geek taking photos of his food. Talk about self-presentation issues.

For 2.50 euros, I had two scoops of the vegetable au gratin and took as much salad as I wanted. I also mentioned that bread is unlimited but I saw a sign in Lozzi that you can take only 3 slices of bread. It didn't say how big a slice should be so it's rather relative. Two slices are usually enough for me.

What I learned last week was that you can take coffee for only 80 cents if you pay it with your meal. The normal price of a cup of coffee is 1 euro. Coffee is rather expensive here so I had decided to pay for the coffee with my meal and just have it for take away after lunch.

With the academic load, I'm not really keen on cooking elaborate dishes so I have only been making stir fries and fried rice. I stir fry vegetables and tofu in the evening and what's left becomes fried rice in the morning. Now that's convenient. I need to spend more time reading as some of the required articles are too abstract for my PE mind to comprehend. Can I just go back on my mat and do asanas instead? Or maybe I can go back to dancing.

***
Talk about dancing, the UP Pep Squad retained their title in the recently concluded 2011 UAAP Samsung Cheerdance Competition. I am proud to be a part of this group. Truly, this group is an icon of reinvention. As I posted in my fb status, people used to think that stunting is UP Pep Squad's weakest skill. Ten years ago, UP Pep won its 3rd straight title through a dance-filled routine. The stunts were creative but lacked difficulty in transitions. Now, the squad has developed into a full fledged cheerleading team. They even earned the right to represent the country in the upcoming World Cheerleading Championships to be held in Hong Kong this coming November.

Kudos to Coach Lala and the rest of her coaching staff for making UP Pep Squad truly the "Pep Squad ng Bayan."

Here is the 2001 UP Pep Squad routine...

Be amazed at how they are now...

***
Oh, and here's a basic Vegetable Au Gratin Recipe.

Enjoy!

Life in the City of Lights

2011-09-11T09:37:00.003+03:00

Jyväskyl ä is a city in Central Finland surrounded by lakes, hills, and forests. It is known as the Athens of Finland because it is home to many schools, universities, and research institutes. Out of the 130,000 people living in Jyväskylä, almost 40% of which are students. Jyväskylä, Finland's City of Light, is where my journey continues.

I am here as a masters degree student at the University of Jyväskylä's Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences. The Faculty is composed of three departments, the Department of Health Sciences, the Department of Biology of Physical Activity, and my home unit, the Department of Sport Sciences. I am here to study sport and exercise psychology, a relatively new but exciting field which aims to understand the effects of sport and exercise participation on psychological processes and well-being, and how psychological factors such as stress and concentration affects sport and exercise performance. I am planning to blog more about this area here.

Ten days have passed and I am slowly establishing my daily routine. Finland is a great country to have a healthy lifestyle and be vegetarian. The food is also cheap, at least for a student. A full meal at any of the Sonaatti cafeterias costs only 2.50 euros. That's about 150 pesos. And with that amount, you get salad, drinks, bread, potatoes/rice/pasta, and the main dish. The bread is unlimited so you can always go back to the bread station to get more. Hopefully I can post some photos of the cafeteria food soon.

In the first few days that I was here, lunch was enough so dinner was just a small cheese and tomato sandwich. But now with all the biking, I have felt the need to eat in the evening. Nothing fancy has come out of the kitchen so far... well, if you consider the many variations of fried rice fancy... then I'd say that's the best I had so far.

Here's my meal plan this week.

Breakfast at home

coffee
muesli and yoghurt

Lunch at Lozzi. Here's their menu for this coming week.

Monday - cauliflower au gratin
Tuesday - kuskus-vegetable patties
Wednesday - mushroom and bean stew
Thursday - stuffed pancakes
Friday - ratatouille

Dinner at home

fried rice

This will be all for today. I need to start reading. We are required to do four 40-minute group presentations on assigned topics in our advanced knowledge in sport and exercise psychology class, and our group will present first. Being a full time student again is exciting.

Siihen asti. That means "until then" translated from google. I am not sure though if they use that in the same context. The Finnish 1 course which I am taking this term will start tomorrow so I should be able to learn proper Finnish words in the coming days. Ciao.

The Journey to Finland

2011-09-04T21:51:00.001+03:00

Twelve hours. That's how long I slept last night. I think my body hasn't fully adjusted to the time difference that I found myself feeling sleepy at 5pm for two days. The time difference between Finland and the Philippines is +5 hours. I feel better now so I guess my internal clock has adjusted.

The Erasmus Student Network organized the "Ultimate Sauna Experience" yesterday but I decided to skip it because I got tired from walking the whole day. It would have been a wonderful way to end the day but unfortunately, I would have to walk back home as I haven't bought a bike yet. I walked a total of 16428 steps according to my pedometer. My flat is about 3km from the university and it took me about 30 minutes to cover the distance.

Allow me to backtrack to Thursday, September 1. I took the midnight flight from Hong Kong and arrived in Helsinki at 6am. The flight was 10.5 hours long and it was surprisingly pleasant. I couldn't help but notice though that the cabin crew weren't as warm as I expected. Is the hospitality of a cabin crew related to the airline which he or she serves? I don't know but 9 out of the top 10 best airlines in the world in 2011 are from Asia. Technically, it's 9.5 because Turkey is part of Eurasia. The hypothesis is the hospitality of the cabin crew is correlated to the average annual temperature of the country from which the airline is based. Or is it?

1 September 2011. 6am. Helsinki International Airport. I realized that I was finally back in Europe after 11 long years.

20 July 2000. That was the first time I set foot in Europe at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

It's a good thing that Helsinki Airport had free wifi so I passed time chatting with friends online. The connecting flight to Jyväskylä was 12:45pm. The flight was short but the cabin crew were smiling more. Maybe because they didn't have to serve 200+ passengers on a midnight long haul flight. I will never know for sure.

The Jyväskylä airport was small. It reminded me of the one in Nelson, New Zealand. The airport is located 20km from the city center and one has the option to take a bus to the city center, or taxi straight to one's desired destination. The decision was between (1) taking the bus to city center, dragging 30kg worth of luggage along, and taking another bus to the student apartment building, but paying only 8.10 euros total, or (2) taking the taxi straight to the apartment and pay 24 euros. I decided not to be a prince.

The Finns are very organized. They have arranged student tutors for the incoming international students and these tutors help the new students to get settled in their new home. My tutor, Lisa, is from Moscow and a 2nd-year student under the EMSEP program, the same program that I am in. Thanks to Lissa, all the logistics have been ironed out already on my 2nd day here.

Thursday was to help me get settled in the apartment, including the forms to fill out, the key which can open doors in the building, flat, bedroom, laundry room, etc., and taking me to the nearby supermarket so I could start buying the essentials.

Friday was showing me the campus/city/2nd hand shops/bicycle store, activating the email account, paying the student ID, showing me the cafeteria, submitting the form to KOAS, the student housing office, and having my apartment internet connection activated. There were so much information to deal with but it was good. There was a lot of walking as well.

Saturday was more walking for me as I wanted to explore the city and to figure out the routes by myself. I also wanted to know where the Ashtanga studio and how far it is from the campus. I know where it is now so I will try to catch the 4:30pm mysore class this week.

As for practice, I did my 2nd asana practice in Finland this morning. Like the first one on Friday, it was nice and easy. Sweat wasn't pouring but the body was warm enough to bind and bend like a 10-year old kid.

I'm still warming up the kitchen so today I cooked my first dinner.

A simple scrambled egg with Finnish bread and spinach patties on the side. The patties were ready-made.

Saute 1 clove garlic, minced, handful of slide onions. Add the bread. I used 2 slices of Finnish rye bread cut into small pieces. Stir occasionally until lightly toasted. After 1-2 minutes, add a basic scrambled egg mixture (2 eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and herbs) into the toasted bread and let it set for a bit before mixing it thoroughly. I will try to make spinach patty from scratch in the future so I will end with that.

Here are some photos of my room and kitchen. For now, nakemiin!

Tervetuloa Jyväskylään

2011-09-03T17:10:00.002+03:00

Welcome to Jyväskylä, my "home" for the next two years.

Jyväskylä (JYV) is the capital city of Central Finland and is located 270 kilometers north of Helsinki. I embedded the map below to show you how I got here. Google couldn't calculate the distance so the map just showed the travel points. From Davao, I flew to Manila, then to Hong Kong, Helsinki, and finally Jyväskylä. Total flight minus layovers would have been 15+ hours. 2 hours to Manila, 2 hours to Hong Kong, 10.5 hours to Helsinki, then 45 minutes to JYV.

View Larger Map

I have taken photos using my itouch since yesterday but because I don't have wifi connection, I am not able to upload the photos through itouch. Hopefully soon I will be able to share with you the beauty of this place.

I've been here for three days already but haven't done any major cooking yet. I do have a small and nice kitchen so for sure, more food posts will come soon.

For now...

näkemiin

Practice with awareness

2011-09-02T23:58:00.001+03:00

My teacher Paul has a new practice guide to the primary series.

Check it out from Ashtanga.com

Namaste.

The Heart Sutra

2011-08-30T07:54:00.001+03:00

Homage to the perfection of wisdom, the Lovely! the Holy! Avalokita, the Holy Lord and Bodhisattva, was moving in the deep course of the wisdom which has gone beyond.

He looked down from on high, he beheld but five heaps, and he saw that in their own-being they were empty.

Here, O Sariputra, form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form.

Emptiness does not differ from form. Form does not differ from emptiness. Whatever is emptiness, that is form, the same is true of feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness.

Here, O Sariputra, all dharmas are marked with emptiness. They are not produced or stopped, not defiled or immaculate, not deficient or complete.

Therefore, O Sariputra, in emptiness there is no form nor feeling, nor perception, nor impulse, nor consciousness.

All those who appear as Buddhas in the three periods of time fully awake to the utmost, right and perfect enlightenment because they have relied on the perfection of wisdom.

Therefore one should know the prajnaparamita as the great spell, the spell of great knowledge, the utmost spell, the unequalled spell, allayer of all suffering, in truth-for what could go wrong?

By the prajnaparamita has this spell been delivered, it runs like this:

Gone! Gone! Gone beyond! Gone altogether beyond! O what an awakening, all-hail!

Kimchi Bokumbop

2011-08-28T16:46:00.003+03:00

아주 맛있었어요. (a-ju ma-si-sseo-sseo-yo).

It was delicious!

(The image is not mine.)

Kimchi fried rice is my standard order when I eat at the Japanese-Korean stall in the UP Shopping Center. It's one of the places in the campus which is vegetarian-friendly.

To be vegetarian in the Philippines can simplify one's life because usually you only have very few choices if you eat out. If you cook your own food, you have to be creative otherwise you'll end up getting sick of what you eat.

I had dinner with two UP Filipiniana alumni friends and one commented that being vegetarian is boring. I begged to disagree of course. We were in the produce section of the supermarket when he said that.

"Look at all these vegetables," I said while pointing to all the fresh produce. I get excited whenever I'm in Hong Kong because of the abundance of fresh vegetables and the wide variety of seasonings available in the market. Unfortunately, one week is the longest time that I've stayed here so buying big bottles of vegetarian stir fry and chilli-garlic sauces is unwise.
So back to the kimchi fried rice, I liked it because it's easy to make and can be nutritious if you add more fresh vegetables in it. Because I ran out of other fresh ingredients, I only had the simple kimchi fried rice for lunch.

I sauteed minced garlic (2 cloves) in 1 tbsp vegetable oil, added about a 3/4 cup of cabbage kimchi, and let it cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Then I added the rice and mixed it thoroughly. Seasoned it with salt. I topped it with one sunny side up egg prepared previously, and added two dashes of sesame oil on the egg. It was good.

I took a long nap after lunch and decided to go to Sham Shui Po to upgrade the RAM of my HP-mini to 2gigs. After the new memory card was installed, I walked a little bit and explored the street market. Didn't find anything I really need so I decided to head back to Tung Chung. I passed by the supermarket before heading home to buy vegetables and I thought I'd cook the rest of the kimchi for dinner.

It was like a Korean version of the tofu bokchoy fried rice. The ingredients were the same but with the addition of the kimchi. That was dinner and it was delicious! I had one and half bowls! Oh, and I bought crispy nori sheets for garnish. The seaweed taste really made the dish distinct.

I wonder if there's a good Asian store in Jyväskylä. I searched on google and found this Asian Food website. It's about about 15 minutes from my soon-to-be apartment so I guess it won't be that difficult to visit the place. I'm thinking of bringing some Chinese essential ingredients though like vegetarian stir fry sauce, sesame oil and nori sheets.

Here's the map from the apartment to that Asian food store.

View Larger Map

Tofu and Bok Choy Fried Rice

2011-08-27T05:46:00.000+03:00

Cooking for one can be a challenge but it is a skill that I have learned when I was living in Riyadh. Most of the time, the resulting dish is good for two servings so half of it will be for the next meal.

I had half a bag of baby bok choy and 5 pieces of tofu puffs left in the fridge. So to transform the bok choy tofu stir fry into something a little different, I thought I'd make fried rice.

5 tofu puffs cut into small cubes
baby bok choy chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cups cooked rice
2 eggs
salt and soy sauce to taste
vegetable oil for stir frying
dash of sesame oil for additional flavor.

I think adding vegetable powder or freshly grated ginger would add more flavor to it. But last night's dinner was already delicious as it is.

A simple stir-fried dinner

2011-08-25T17:06:00.001+03:00

Stir-fried baby bokchoy with fried tofu puffs. That was dinner this evening. (The photo is not mine but the one I made looked like that except that it had more greens.)

Saute garlic (2 cloves, minced) in 1 tbsp vegetable oil, add the fried tofu puffs (basically fried tokwa prepared in advanced), stir fry for one minute. Increase heat and add two handfuls of baby bokchoy, agan stir for 1-2 minutes until the leaves are slightly wilted. Add 1-2 tbsp of light soy sauce and a dash or two of sesame oil. Mix well and serve over a bowl of fresh steamed rice. (I've eaten so much rice when I was in Davao so I decided to skip the Asian staple this time.)

***

I'm in transit at the moment and will be moving to Europe next week for grad studies. Two different but equally wonderful opportunities were laid before me earlier this year. Both offer growth and opportunity to travel... each has its consequences... but I can only pursue one.

It has been said that life is full of choices. Indeed it is. Making the decision was difficult. In the end, I had to choose what I believe is best and I take full responsibility for that decision. Whatever the outcome of this decision, for sure, it will present itself in time.

Namaste.

Death by Durian

2011-08-13T16:58:00.000+03:00

Kablon Farm's food products are just some of the more popular pasalubong items from Mindanao. I usually buy some from the Davao international airport for last minute pasalubong shopping for friends in Manila. Last week, I bought a bottle of the durian jam. A teaspoon of that jam and you have a dessert.

"Life is unsure... (so) eat your dessert first!" That's the slogan of Margie's Kitchen. I first had their oatmeal thins in Manila and I think I had the whole canister in one sitting. Their brownie thins is also good. It's not a good idea to stock up on these items as you'll end up eating everything in one go.

So I tried their durian buttercake last week and thought it was great. My mother, a durian lover herself, wanted to try the buttercake so after teaching a pilates class at a local gym last thursday, I passed by Margie's kitchen in Torres and bought a loaf of the durian buttercake.

When boredom sets in, creativity blossoms. I thought, "hmmmnnn... why not make the durian buttercake more sinful?" I took two thin slices of the buttercake, spread a teaspoon of the Kablon's durian jam on one of the slices, put the other slice over, cut it in half, placed it on the center of a dessert plate, zigzagged condensed milk on one side of the plate, and voila! Death by durian.

If you see Death by Durian in one of the dessert menu in any of the restaurants in Mindanao, know that it was first published here. :-p

****
I received my student number this morning. That means I'm officially a grad student at JyU. I still don't have my resident permit though so exact departure date is still pending. It will be 2 months on monday since I submitted my application so it should come anytime next week.

It should be an exciting week.

Happy weekend!

It's DURIAN SEASON!!!

2011-08-03T15:14:00.002+03:00

I can't believe it's already August. We just got back from a quick but wonderful trip to Manila. On our way home from the Davao International Airport, I saw a big billboard announcing the start of Kadayawan Festival. This month-long celebration also signals the start of durian season.

Come!

For more details about the festival, please visit http://www.davaotourism.com

An afternoon tea at the mall...

2011-07-31T14:29:00.000+03:00

A slice of maja blanca and a cup of freshly brewed coffee for less than 1 US dollar.

Sweet.

Durian Madness

2011-07-30T07:48:00.006+03:00

The madness began with a cheesecake... I was in Bo's Coffee in Torres to meet a college friend and I had this with cappuccino. Once the plate was served on my table, I immediately took the fork, sliced a piece of the cheesecake, and was ready to have a taste of this heavenly treat when I thought, "Wait, I have to share this to everyone." I returned the piece back to the rest of the cake, brought the ipod out of my pocket, and took this photo. This was last friday.

After the coffee and cheesecake, my high school buddy picked me up from Bo's. He asked me where I wanted to have dinner but I wasn't very hungry so I said, "Let's go to Merco."

We had halo-halo and cheese pizza while we waited for another high school friend. Two hours after, my high school buddy ordered more food for him, while I ordered extra creamy durian shake. Nice!

Then monday, I had to go to Davao Doctor's Hospital for Johann's travel clearance. After I got the document from his doctor, I passed by the mall and saw a Cecil's booth at the food court. I ordered a piece for take away.

Directly in front of the booth was an Emerald Durian Palace book with a wide range of durian products. I saw a mini-durian pie so I ordered one so I could compare it with the one from Cecil's. It never came close.

Then two days ago, after watching Captain America in Abreeza, I had durian sansrival and espresso macchiato at Bo's. It was heaven.

C asked why I didn't order durian-flavored coffee to go with the cheesecake. I thought it would be too much to order durian-flavored coffee to go with a durian-based dessert.

This durian madness willl continue...

Oh My Ginataang Gulay

2011-07-26T09:56:00.001+03:00

This is probably one of my favorite dishes from home. One of my father's relatives, Uncle Remy, lives with us and cooks our meals. He makes this dish beautifully and I had this twice already since I moved back to Davao 11 days ago. I'm here temporarily while I wait for the decision on my resident visa application in one of the coldest countries in the world. The decision should be positive but I just don't want to talk about it until I have the permit in my hands.

Farewell lunches and dinners had been made but I'm still here so I'll talk about it when it's time to board the plane.

So back to the dish. It's called ginataang gulay or simply vegetables in coconut milk. The vegetables used in this dish are almost the same as the ones used in pinakbet minus the ampalaya or bittergourd. Squash, string beans, eggplant, okra, and pako (fern), and coconut milk are the main ingredients. Essential ingredients in Filipino cooking are garlic, onions, ginger, and tanglad or lemongrass. Uncle Remy said that tanglad is an important ingredient in dishes which have coconut milk because it gives the dish a really nice aroma.

I don't exactly know how much of each ingredients he used in his cooking but the steps are very simple. Saute the garlic and onion until soft and translucent. Add the coconut milk, ginger, and lemongrass, then let it simmer over low to medium heat. Add the squash first and let it soften for a few minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. Simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

One comment I received from an Aussie friend who frequently visits the Philippines is that Filipino vegetable dishes, especially homecooked ones, are most of the time overly done. I think I also heard this comment on Indian food from one of my friends I met in Mysore. Well, it shouldn't be. Anyway, I believe it is important that the vegetables are not overly cooked lest it loses its nutritional value.

I'm officially temporarily out of the labor force and I decided spend time on my personal practice while I'm here. So far so good... asanas and pranayama are getting back... hopefully mitahara comes back soon. As I tweeted a couple of days back, with the amount of rice that I've been eating here I don't think I'll be needing it for the next two years. Let's just wait and see.

Authorized and Certified Ashtanga Teachers Visit the Philippines

2011-07-20T05:53:00.001+03:00

One of the more popular posts of this blog got to be the "Philippines: An Ashtanga Country." With five ashtanga teachers (three authorized and two certified) coming to conduct classes, workshops and retreats in the country this 2011, ashtanga in the Philippines is definitely growing. To know about the difference between an authorized from a certified ashtanga teacher, read here.

Govinda Kai, my lovely friend Tesa's teacher, will hold mysore classes on July 26-27 and August 1-4 at Bliss Yoga Manila. The weekend in between (July 27-31) will be a yoga retreat in Nasugbu. Details are posted in Tesa's blog.

Also on the first week of August, Jessica Blanchard will be teaching mysore and led classes at Yoga Manila Ortigas (August 1-7). She will also conduct a weekend workshop on ayurveda and will be available for private consultation for the duration of her stay. The details are posted here.

In September, John Scott will be back in Manila and will teach mysore classes at Stillpoint Manila. Because John limits the number of people in his mysore classes, the slots fill up fast. Fortunately, he will also have a workshop on the Alchemy of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga from September 2 to 4. You may contact Stillpoint Manila through their FB page. Also in September, Mark Robberds will be teaching at Mandala Spa in Boracay for one week.

Then in October and December, Clayton Horton will be conducting ashtanga intensives also at Mandala Spa. Mark Robberds' and Clayton Horton's program details are posted here.

I gathered these information mostly from the web. If you know of any other KPJAYI-authorized/certified teachers visiting the Philippines this 2011, please let me know so I can update this post.

***

Where/With whom to study or practice ashtanga in the Philippines?

Yoga Manila - teachers are long-time practitioners and are trained by Paul Dallaghan. He owns and operated Yoga Thailand, a beautiful yoga retreat and training center in Koh Samui. Paul received his certified status from Guruji in 2007.

Stillpoint Manila - the main teacher, Becky, is a devoted student of John and Lucy Scott. John is a world-renowned ashtanga teacher and author of Ashtanga Yoga: The Definitive Step-by-Step Guide to Dynamic Yoga. He is a long-time practitioner of ashtanga and received blessings from Guruji to teach the method in 1993.

Yoga Malate - Tesa teaches here every Monday. In 2007, Tesa received her 200-hour training from Alex Medin, also an KPJAYI-certified teacher. She now considers Govinda Kai her primary teacher. Tesa is a devoted student of the ashtanga method and has been practicing yoga for more than a decade. She has a beautiful practice and does an amazing kapotasana.

Echo Yoga - most of the teachers also received their training from Paul Dallaghan. Tesa also teaches here regularly.

Boracay Yoga - the teachers are also long-time practitioners who received their training from Clayton Horton.

*Here is a list of other places/teachers who offer/teaches ashtanga:

Ashtanga Yoga by Polly Vasquez

Pulse Yoga

*Let me know if I missed anyone.

Back in the Durian City

2011-07-19T15:32:00.000+03:00

It's been two weeks since my last post. I was planning to be more active now that I'm back in Davao but so far I haven't done anything except eat, sleep, and do asanas.

Tuesday, July 12. I was supposed to fly home that day but I wasn't able to finish packing and clearing my rented room monday morning that I decided to rebook my flight so that I didn't need to rush and stress myself. There were so much stuffs. I couldn't believe the amount of things that I've accumulated in the last 2.5 years in Manila! I was able to fill in 12 big garbage bags with papers, shoe boxes, old-not-worn-again clothes, etc. My landlord even wondered how I was able to manage to put those things inside my small rented space. I also wondered.

The extra free days really helped though because I was able to organize my thoughts and decided to ship some stuffs home. I thought I'd be able to carry it all in the plane since I bought extra luggage allowance. In the end, it was just too much so I had to send two boxes through a local shipping company.

Letting go... it's not really that easy.

So now it's been four days since I arrived.

Johann was excited to see me and was very keen on helping me download the 2010 FIFA opening ceremonies and ALL the games from day 1. I didn't promise him anything but told him I'd do my best to get whatever I can from the internet. With the speed of the internet here, I will need 48 hours to download one 10-minute video. Standing on my head for one hour seems an easier task... but aren't we practicing yoga so that we can maintain the equanimity of the mind when faced with situations such as this one?

It's been more than a week since my last class in Yoga Manila. I taught my last class two saturdays ago. Although despedida lunches and dinners had been done, my mind isn't ready to process the transition. Everything is so transient at the moment that all I could do is to try to keep my mind in the present and enjoy it. Maybe in the next couple of days, I'd be able to process something and put it into writing.

Thanks to Joji's student Aurora Lim for the wonderful photo. C blogged about this photo shoot here.

Mysore classes and Ayurveda workshop with Jessica Blanchard

2011-07-03T07:10:00.002+03:00

Visit Yoga Manila website here for reservation.

Power Breakfast and International Handstand Day 2011

2011-06-26T10:56:00.003+03:00

Nutty Oaty

That's the name of the power breakfast shake that I usually order from one of the fruit juice/shake stalls in the malls. It has peanut butter, oats, yoghurt, whey protein, and bananas. I like it. It's filling and simple to make. Here's my version.

Ingredients:

1 medium banana

250ml nonfat milk

1 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp oats

1 scoop (26g) whey protein

Put everything in the blender. Blend and serve.

***

International Handstand Day

It's called adho-mukha-vrikshahsana (downward facing tree). It's a good way to conquer your fear of falling and to learn how to trust one's self. The key is to learn how to shift the center of gravity forward over the arms. Of course it will be difficult to do this if our arms and the upper body are not strong enough to carry our entire weight. Hopefully, with correct practice we can develop muscle strength and endurance to be able to do this pose.

Practice with non-attachment. So what if we cannot do it today? There's always tomorrow. I always say, always work with 3. Three repetitions. Three try's. After that, move on.

The benefits of handstand includes stronger shoulders, arms and wrists, improved balance, calmness in the brain, stress reduction, and may alleviate mild depression (Yoga Journal).

I was browsing through my fb newsfeed when I saw this link. Some of the UP Pep members are already "attending" so I thought of sharing my pics here.

Standing upside down makes us experience the world in another perspective. Maybe by looking at things in a different perspective, can help us make this world more peaceful.

Did some handstands during practice this morning but I only read about this a couple of minutes ago so I'm re-sharing some of previous handstand pics.

Davao, Philippines

Snake Island, Palawan

Gumasa Glan, Saranggani Province

Anvaya Cove, Bataan

University Theater, UP Diliman

Visit the Official International Handstand Day website here.

How bitter can you get?

2011-06-21T16:24:00.003+03:00

You are bitter. That's why I used to hate you. But since adopting a plant-based diet almost a decade ago, I've learned to love you ampalaya (bitter gourd).

I had a traditional Filipino favorite breakfast dish, ampalaya with egg, for dinner. After the practice with the university swim team (they will have their pep rally in 2 weeks and I was asked to choreograph their number... it's pro bono), I decided to run for 30 minutes around the academic oval.

Running can be very liberating. It never really became a habit to run regularly. The last time I ran was last April 13. I know because that's was the last record in my HR monitor, and I don't run without it. And why am I running now? That's another story.

Let's fast forward to the dinner. So after the run I passed by the alumni center cafeteria to buy a bottle of water when I saw the ampalaya with egg on the food counter.

"How much is an order?" I asked.

"30 pesos." The lady behind the counter replied.

"Give me two orders of that please and a cup of rice. Please re-heat the ampalaya also. Thanks."

"That will be 85 pesos in total."

Great! A healthy dinner for less than 100 pesos. My meal is usually somewhere between 110 to 300 since I've stopped cooking. Eating out can be very expensive and predictable. I only have a handful of choices, Italian spaghetti with tomato sauce, vegetable pizza, Chinese mixed veggies, fried tofu, eggs, vegetable burrito, veggie bibimbap, or kimchi fried rice. Having that ampalaya with egg for dinner was a welcome change to the usual routine.

It's really easy to cook ampalaya with egg. They said that you have to either squeeze the sliced ampalaya in salt or slice it really nicely so that it won't be bitter when cooked. I haven't prepared this myself so I really wouldn't know. Maybe when I get home to Davao I'll try to cook this. It's basically just sauteing garlic, onion, tomatoes, then the sliced bitter gourd, maybe a dash of water, it should cook in a few minutes. Add the egg, mix well, like you're scrambling eggs, season with salt and pepper.

Here's a simple recipe and instructions from Lutong Pinoy. Enjoy!

Long Hair... Father's Day

2011-06-19T15:46:00.002+03:00

A young boy had just gotten his driving permit. He asked his father, who was a minister, if they could discuss the use of the car. His father took him to his study and said to him, "I'll make a deal with you. You bring your grades up, study your bible a little and get your hair cut and we'll talk about it."

After about a month, the boy came back and again asked his father, if they could discuss use of the car. They again went to the father’s study where his father said, "Son, I've been real proud of you. You have brought your grades up, you've studied your bible diligently, but you didn't get your hair cut."

The young man waited for a moment and replied, "You know Dad, I've been thinking about that. You know, Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, and even Jesus had long hair!” to which his father replied, "Yes, you're right, and they also WALKED every where they went! (reposted from Loveyoufather).

***
I've brought my grades up (never studied so hard in my entire academic life until my first year in phd). Read the entire bible back in high school and have downloaded the bible app in my ipod touch, have read the Bhagavad Gita and the some parts of the Koran as well. And have cut my hair short.

Unfortunately, I still cannot use the car because I still don't have my driver's license, hahaha. At 34.

***
It was lovely to talk to loved ones from Oz over Skype earlier.

***
The father of ashtanga yoga in the Philippines is back in Manila. I think he's teaching again. Hope to see him before I leave.

***
To Patanjali, the Father of Yoga, I bow.

***

Happy Father's Day

Bbq Tofu Salad with Chinese Sesame-Soy Dressing

2011-06-19T01:14:00.000+03:00

Dinner the other night... Bought ready-to-eat mixed greens from the supermarket, bbq tofu, and McCormick Chinese dressing.

Everything nice...

2011-06-03T14:41:00.001+03:00

Thought of having a couple of ice cold beer after a long day of talking but opted for something more sinful instead... A slice od super moist chocolate fudge and a cup of capuccino...

Remembering Guruji

2011-05-18T03:07:00.000+03:00

To be vegetarian shouldn't be expensive

2011-05-17T03:59:00.003+03:00

The last time I went to Hong Kong, we had dinner in this restaurant. The menu made me very excited and I wanted to try everything. How I wish the price was in Philippine peso though. Sigh.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining about the price as the food was really good and the effort put to prepare each dish was tremendous. I've spent a good amount of time in the kitchen preparing food for friends and family, and let me just say that it takes a lot of time, energy, and focus.

I started cooking when I was around 12. When I was in primary school, my parents would send me to my paternal grandma's place in Davao for summer holidays. There I learned how to cook from an older cousin. She said, "if you know how to saute and to fry, then you can cook anything."

The first dish was nothing fancy. I think it was instant noodles with egg. Then the typical Filipino breakfast of fried egg, corned beef with garlic and onions, and fried rice. Eventually, I learned how to cook pasta dishes and Chinese stir-fries.

I became vegetarian about 10 years ago at the same time I started practicing yoga. My teacher Sandy Carmona was a strict vegetarian and very militant about it specially to those who wanted to start teaching yoga. Being a great cook herself, Sandy taught me a lot about how to become a proper vegetarian.

A lot of Filipinos, I think, used to think that vegetarian food is bland and lacks protein. Another common notion is that gulay (vegetable) is not a sud-an (viand). Sud-an can be beef, pork, chicken, or fish, but never gulay. My father would jokingly say, "adto lang sa gawas kaon kay daghan sagbot didto (just go eat outside, there are plenty of grasses)."

In theory, eating vegetables can be very inexpensive. One can plant several vegetables in their own backyard and just pick whatever one needs for lunch or dinner. Living in big cities, however, doesn't allow people to have big enough space for planting their own vegetables. Vegetables don't store very long also so I guess most prefer to buy food items which have longer shelf life. One of the reasons also why people think that to be vegetarian is expensive. Ideally, it shouldn't be. But it sometimes is.

Tesa Celdran for Yoga for Life

2011-05-15T00:51:00.001+03:00

http://www.tesaceldran.blogspot.com/

No wonder yogis look young and live long...

2011-05-11T17:46:00.001+03:00

~Next week, another year will be added to this mortal's body.

Slow metabolism seems to be related to longevity according to this study. How do we reduce our metabolic rates? The article suggests that we can do that through low calorie diets. For the yogis, it is called mitahara.

According to exercise scientists, regular moderate intensity exercise is enough for good health. Now the physiologists are suggesting us to slow down our metabolism by eating moderately. Isn't that what the ancient yogis have been advocating?

Read the article, "Increased metabolic rate may lead to accelerated aging."

The photo on the left was taken by a famous blogger/ashtangi/UP Prof. Gratitude.

Ma Durga

2011-05-08T13:57:00.001+03:00

Surround me with your loving arms...hold me in your heart.
Let me know that I am loved
and that I can love.
Show me that no matter where I go
That I come and go in You.
I am never out of your loving presence.
That you are the smile behind the smile,
the touch behind the touch
The kiss behind the kiss...
You are the constant presence that I forget until I remember
and when I remember my Self, I remember You.
I sing your Name. What else can I think of? You ARE Love.
And I AM You.

- Ma Durga by Krishna Das

Happy Mother's Day!

Heart Rate Response to Basic Ashtanga Practice (Part 2)

2011-05-04T17:27:00.000+03:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, I wanted to observe how my heart rate responds to a basic ashtanga practice. One of the many definitions of yoga is integration. Thus, allow me to integrate what I've learned from grad school in answering my question.

Methodology

The subject was a 34 year old Asian male who had been practicing ashtanga yoga regularly for more than 5 years. The subject has normal BMI (22.0), resting heart rate of 60 bpm, and an estimated VO2max of 37mL/kg/min. The subject reported no other moderate-to-vigorous physical activities except for ashtanga which he performs 60-120 minutes of ashtanga yoga 3-4 times a week. Recommended age-predicted training heart rate for the subject is 112bpm-167bpm. Based on heart rate reserve, his recommended training heart rate is 123bpm-167bpm.

Instrumentation. I used my Polar RS300x to monitor my heart rate during the asana practice. The heart rate (HR) monitor has a chest electrode transmitter and a wrist receiver which records the exercise data such as total energy expenditure, exercise time, lap time, maximum heart rate, and average heart rate. It can record up to 99 laps. It is actually designed for running so it doesn't record energy expenditure per lap. The HR recording was started at the beginning of the first surya namaskar and stopped after the last vinyasa prior to savasana, the final relaxation pose.

Procedure. After doing my morning rituals, the idea came into my mind. I had a good night rest and I felt that the coffee could wait until I finish practice so it was a good time to observe the heart rate. Caffeine affects the heart rate and blood pressure during exercise so subjects are asked not to ingest caffeine or drink coffee prior to exercise testing according to standard protocols. The "lap" button was pressed at specific points during the practice. Maximum HR, average HR, and duration of the "lap" was recorded every time the button was pressed. A total of 47 laps were recorded. This will be explained in details in the next entry.

Results and Discussion

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that the intensity of any sustained physical activity has to be between 60%-90% of an individual's age-predicted maximum HR or 50%-85% of his/her heart rate reserve in order to have some cardiovascular benefits. It also has to be sustained for at least 10 minutes at a time. An mentioned above, the aerobic training recommendation for our subject is 112bpm-167bpm (APMHR) or 123bpm-167bpm (HRR).

The graph below shows that, based on APMHR training recommendation, the subject's HR did not reach the minimum 112bpm except in the 9th lap (i.e., warrior [utkatasana-virabadhrasana 1-virabadharasana 2] sequence). The sequence was also only 2min 32.8sec in duration and thus can be considered anaerobic.

Figure 1. Heart rate in bpm during the basic ashtanga practice.

Figure 2 shows the same data but in percent of age-predicted maximum heart rate, %APMHR.

Figure 2. Heart rate in %APMHR during the basic ashtanga practice.

Based on the HRR training recommendation, it did not reach the minimum at all. Target training zone based on HRR or heart rate reserve is computed using the Karvonen's formula, which is %targetHRzone[(220-age)-restingHR] + restingHR. For example, since my resting heart rate is 60bpm. Using this formula, my recommended training zones is 123bpm to 167bpm as mentioned previously.

Figure 3. Heart rate based on %HRR during the basic ashtanga practice.

Total practice duration was 51min 30sec. Total energy expenditure was recorded at 139kcal. MaxHR was 115bpm (62% of APMHR) and AvgHR was 88bpm (47%). On average, the activity required 2.70 kcal/min or 2.65 METs which is categorized under light intensity activity. Interestingly, this is way below the average 6kcal/min that I observed three years ago (Mitahara, 2008). In the previous study, however, the routine observed was the entire primary series. Also, I believe that the performance of yoga asanas require skills like swimming. The more one practices, the more one becomes proficient in the movement, leading to a lower energy requirement because one has learned how to execute the skill efficiently.

On the psychological level, as one becomes more proficient in the performance of yoga asanas, does the mind become steadier also? Is there a relationship between the state of mind and heart rate in the performance of yoga asanas? It would be interesting to know. I wonder if studies have been done already regarding this. Most of the previous studies had investigated the effects of aerobic exercise on psychological states. I'm just beginning to understand all these things.

For now, it appears that the intensity of ashtanga yoga practice varies. In this study, the basic ashtanga practice is not intense enough to elicit cardiovascular benefits. At least for someone who's been fairly active.

References

American College of Sports Medicine (2007). Physical activity and public health guidelines.

Mitahara. (2008, February 11). Re: Energy expenditure of ashtanga yoga (Web log message).

RS300X [Heart rate monitor]. (2011). Polar Electro.

Heart Rate Response to Basic Ashtanga Practice (Part 1)

2011-05-02T18:03:00.001+03:00

A few years ago, I wore my Polar F4 heart rate monitor while I did my ashtanga practice just to see how my heart rate responded and how much calories I'd burn. There was this idea that ashtanga will help you lose weight and has some cardiovascular benefits (In what I've read lately, asana practice should not be like exercise otherwise it defeats its purpose).

My knowledge about the body and how it works is based on my training in sports science. Conventional knowledge tells us that in order for us to improve our cardiovascular endurance, we have to train the heart to beat up to a certain rate and maintain that for at least 10 minutes at a time. Below that, the benefits are minimal.

So I wanted to check if the intensity of an ashtanga yoga practice is high enough to be considered moderate and if the heart rate can be maintained in the prescribed training zone for at least 10 minutes. The results of initial observation was here.

A couple of months back, I decided to observe my heart rate again using my new Polar RS300x. It has more memory than F4 but it won't tell you exactly how much time you've spent in your training zone. It has a graph however that shows you which training zone you spent most of your time in.

My primary objective was to see how the heart rate fluctuates during a basic ashtanga yoga practice. The secondary objective was to know how much calories are consumed during a basic practice and determine its metabolic equivalent.

to be continued...

To the Sky

2011-04-29T06:28:00.003+03:00

Shipwreck in the sea of faces, There's a dreamy world up there,

Dear friends in higher places, Carry me away from here,

Travel light let the sun eclipse you, 'Cause your flight is about to leave,

And there's more to this brave adventure, Than you'd ever believe,

Birdseye view, awake the stars 'cause they're all around you,

Wide eyes will always brighten the blue,

Chase your dreams, and remember me, speak bravery,

Because after all those wings will take you, up so high,

So bid the forest a fond goodbye, as you brace the wind and,

Take to the sky,

On the hills of lore and wonder, There's a stormy world up there,

You can't whisper above the thunder, But you can fly anywhere,

Purple burst of paper birds this, Picture paints a thousand words,

So take a breath of mist and mystery, And don't look back!

Birdseye view, awake the stars 'cause they're all around you,

Wide eyes will always brighten the blue,

Chase your dreams, and remember me, speak bravery,

Because after all those wings will take you, up so high,

So bid the forest a fond goodbye, as you brace the wind and,

Take to the sky,

There's a realm above the trees, Where the lost are finally found,

Touch your feathers to the breeze, And leave the ground,

Birdseye view, awake the stars 'cause they're all around you,

Wide eyes will always brighten the blue,

Chase your dreams, and remember me, speak bravery,

Because after all those wings will take you, up so high,

So bid the forest a fond goodbye, as you brace the wind and,

Take to the sky,

Birdseye view, awake the stars 'cause they're all around you,

Wide eyes will always brighten the blue,

Chase your dreams, and remember me, speak bravery,

Because after all those wings will take you, up so high,

So bid the forest a fond goodbye, as you brace the wind and,

Take to the sky.

Music and lyrics by Owl City

Yoga practice then and now...

2011-04-27T16:55:00.001+03:00

Then...

Yoga practice = asanas (exercise) + pranayama (breathing) + kriyas (cleansing techniques) + bandhas & mudras (energy direction manipulation) + dhyana (meditation) + yama/niyama (attitude training)

Now...

Yoga practice = branded asana + scented mat spray + meditation timer on Ipod touch + organic post-asana drink + paid ticket to the next yoga conference + latest yoga paraphernalia

"Minds are like parachutes. They only function when open" - Anonymous (source: Spiritual Humor)

Asanajaya

2011-04-26T17:13:00.000+03:00

Asanajaya is a Sanskrit word which means "to conquer or master the pose" or "victory over the pose". It has been said that when one has mastered the practice of asana, then he is ready for the higher practices of yoga such as pranayama and meditation (Krishnananda, 1981).

Asana is one of the six categories of practices under the discipline of yoga (Gharote, n.d.). Asanas (postures), pranayama (energy control through breathing exercises), bandhas (energetic locks) and mudras (gestures), kriyas (cleansing practices), pratyahara-dharana-dhyana (withdrawal of the senses, concentration, meditation), and yamas and niyamas (attitude training) comprise these six categories.

The purpose of asana practice is to prepare both body in mind for the higher practices of yoga. The purpose of yoga is to make the mind still and peaceful so that the one who practices yoga becomes selfless and useful member of society. Some of the goals of physical education is to develop an individual's personal and social behavior, and his understanding and respect for differences among people (National Alliance for Sports and Physical Education, 1992). These goals are somehow similar to the goals of yoga.

Gharote (n.d.) identified two most common objectives of yoga and physical education: health and physical fitness, and emotional stability. While yoga is somewhat limited to the six categories of practices mentioned above to fulfill these two objectives, physical education offers a wider variety of activities. Health and physical fitness, and emotional stability can be achieved in the study and practice of dance, martial arts, sports, exercise, and recreational games. It has been argued, however, that the method of physical education should be few because practicing many different methods will only disturb the body (Mao, 1917), hence, disturbing the the body-mind complex.

As a practitioner of yoga and a teacher of physical education, my goal is to be able to share my journey, experiences, and learnings, and hopefully become an inspiration to those who might come across this blog.

Conquering body and mind to let the spirit free.

Namaste.

References

Gharote, M.L. (n.d.). Yoga Applied to Physical Education (p.19). Lonavala, India: Kaivalyadhama Ashram.

Krishnananda, S. (1981). The Yoga System (pp. 22-23). Rishikesh, India: The Divine Life Society. Retrieved from http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/yoga/Yoga_System.pdf

National Alliance for Sports and Physical Education (1992). Moving Into the Future: National Physical Education Standards: A Guide to Content and Assessment. Saint Louis, MO: Mosby-Year Bk.

Mao, T.T. (1917 April). A Study of Physical Education. Retrieved from http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-6/mswv6_01.htm

Conquering the pose

2011-04-24T14:16:00.004+03:00

Asanajaya comes from two Sanskrit words (i.e., asana, jaya) which means victory over a pose.

The yoga sashtras say that in order for us to conquer to mind, we have to first conquer to body. We do that by practicing asanas. It has been said that once we are able to practice daily for three hours with stillness and steadiness, then we have achieved asanajaya.

One of my students asked, "How can I improve my practice? I've been practicing for some time now and still I am not able to do certain poses."

"Why do you practice yoga?" I asked.

People practice yoga mainly for two reasons: health and fitness, and spirituality. People first come to yoga for health, stress relief, or general fitness. Spirituality comes to those who seek deeper. If we practice yoga for health and fitness reasons, and we want to improve our asana practice, then we have to remember the FIT principle. Frequency of practice (i.e., how often do you practice?), intensity of practice (i.e., how intense do you practice?), and time spent on the mat (i.e., how much time do you spend for your practice?). There's another T in that principle which stands for "type" or "mode" of exercise, or in our case, asana. Are we doing prep poses that will eventually help us get to the final pose?

To those who practice asanas for spiritual purposes, the goal is not to always improve in the postures but to be in the poses, however it may look like. There will be days when the body is tight and we might not be able to bind in marichyasana D. So be it. The question is, where is the mind?

To conquer the pose may sound that we're supposed to perform the asanas perfectly. This perfection, however, is not in how the asanas should look, but in its steadiness, ease, and stability. When the asana is steady, comfortable, and stable, then it has been conquered and the mind becomes still. Then, victory is ours! Jai!

Namaste.

Practice and Non-Attachment

2011-04-24T06:57:00.004+03:00

Abhyasa Vairagyabhyam Tannirodhah (By practice and non-attachment, they [mental fluctuations] are restrained) - Yoga Sutra I:12.

The Yoga Sutras I:12-16 talks about practice and non-attachment. These sutras say that the mental modifications or fluctuations of the mind can be controlled through practice and non-attachment. Practice means to keep the mind steady or calm. The steadiness or calmness of the mind happens only when practice is done regularly and with deep sincerity over a long period of time.

I believe these teachings are very important for the hatha yogins, especially those who focus too much on the asana practice. With consistent and regular asana practice, we gain physical strength, stamina, flexibility, and even better bodies. Without vairagya, we can get stucked in the physical aspect of the practice and fail to experience the true nature of yoga. We might become driven to "perfect" the asana which can lead to frustration and suffering especially if we are not able to perform the asanas "deeply" when we can normally do those asanas easily on regular days. Energy levels fluctuate, and there are factors which affect our physical and mental states. One of the articles I've read a couple of years back likened abhyasa and vairagya as wings. Both are needed for the practice to fly.

These two principles are better discussed here. I thought it would be a good topic for a "resurrection" post. I tried to come up with another blog but after a while, I decided to keep my life simple. Yoga is the integration of the whole personality. It would be counterproductive to compartmentalize our lives into the different hats of responsibility that we wear.

Thanks to Redge for this wonderful photo. We had a two-day Lenten yoga retreat at Camp Explore in Antipolo last April 20-22. It was a practice of abhyasa and vairagya as everyone shared a little of their time and energy to make the retreat possible. Without realizing it, we also did some form of karma yoga. Indeed it was a perfect opportunity to practice selfless service. A genuine yogic experience.

Happy Easter everyone!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-12-31T07:14:00.000+02:00

Om. Om. Om.

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-24T20:29:00.000+02:00

Chi mangia bene italiano

2010-12-24T05:39:00.004+02:00

"Those who eat well, eat Italian." I got that from Italianni's in Trinoma and saved it on my phone a couple of months back. I finally found the right opportunity to share it with you.

Two night's ago, we had a pre-Christmas dinner with UP and Pep friends. I prepared pasta arrabiata and meatless "meatballs".

Again, photo is not mine. You can click on the image to view its source.

I guess one nice thing about living in affluent countries is that you can get nice fresh ingredients that are of high quality. I don't want to go into the whole GMO-stuffs but visually, the vegetables in the produce section here in HK always look nicer than the ones I see in Manila. The tomatoes are almost seedless (I'm guessing they've been genetically-modified not to produce a lot of seeds) and bigger.

Anyway, so for the arabiatta, since I was preparing for a party of 12, I used 1kg of ripe tomatoes, deseeded and sliced into cubes, 1 white onion (again here it's humongous!) chopped, 5 cloves of garlic, minced, 1 large red bell pepper chopped (I think this can be omitted if you already have red pepper flakes), dried Italian seasoning, 3-4 tbsp of tomato paste, several fresh basil leaves, white wine, and salt and pepper.

Heat some oil in a saucepan, saute garlic and onion until fragrant, add red bell pepper. Saute for a minute. Add the chopped tomatoes. Stir and season with Italian seasoning. Simmer for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add white wine. Simmer for 3-5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for another 3-5 minutes until all ingredients have integrated into a thick sauce. Turn off heat and stir in the chopped fresh basil leaves.

For the polpette senza carne, I used two 15 oz cans of chickpeas, drained for about 30-60 minutes. It took really easy to drain it here, maybe because of the dry atmosphere. Mash with a fork then add 8 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 to 3/4 cup of minced onions, season with Italian seasoning, sugar, and salt and pepper. Add two eggs to bind the ingredients (the formula is one egg for every 15oz can of chickpeas). Set aside for at least 15 minutes before forming into 1 tbsp balls. Fry until golden brown in a pan with 1-inch deep vegetable oil over medium heat. This was similar to the falafel that I made a couple of days back but instead of using the curry powder as seasoning, I used Italian dried herbs. It was very savory and was an instant hit to my non-vegetarian friends.

Kindly click on the image to view its source.

Buon Natale!

Singdaan faailohk

2010-12-22T17:23:00.001+02:00

Merry Christmas!.. in three days.

Today, the routine goes on. Sleep over in the morning and wake up just in time for coffee and a quick breakfast. Then the movie. Dave (1993) starring Kevin Klein and Sigourney Weaver.

It's my 3rd day in Hong Kong and how can I stay here and not cook Chinese food? For lunch, we had Chinese fried rice.

In a hot pan, heat 1-2 tbsp oil. Break 3 eggs into the pan and whisk the eggs until cooked. Set aside. In the same pan, saute 2-3 tbsp minced garlic, add 2 handfuls of chopped cabbage. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the vegetable is cooked. Season with light soy sauce. Set aside. Again, in the same pan, add 1-2 tbsp of oil, saute 2-3 tbsp minced garlic, add 2 cups of mixed vegetable cubes (carrots, peas, corn kernels) and vegetarian sausages cut into thin slices, add some butter, season with light soy sauce. Set aside. Once again, in the same pan (yes, you don't need to rinse the pan in this recipe), saute yet another 1-2 tbsp garlic, 2-3 tbsp chopped onions, until fragrant. Add 3-5 cups of cooled cooked white rice, mix well. Dissolve 1 vegetable stock cube in 2 tbsp light soy sauce (lessen the amount of soy sauce if you think it's too much. I don't usually measure what I use in my cooking. I just use what I perceive is needed). Add the soy sauce-stock mixture into the garlic-onion-rice. Mix well. Add the remaining ingredients (cooked cabbage, cooked mixed veggies and sausage, scrambled eggs). Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Grate a tbsp of fresh ginger into the dish and add 1 tsp of Chinese sesame oil. Stir and make sure all the ingredients are evenly mixed. Serve and enjoy.

Hao chi!!!

Hul toredo/toredeena falafel?

2010-12-21T07:19:00.003+02:00

In English, do you want a falafel sandwich?

Photo by US Masala

I've been wanting to make falafel and if I remembered it correctly, I wasn't very successful the first time I tried. Just an hour ago, I made my first successful version of this wonderful protein-rich dish from the Middle East. According to Denise Hazime, founder of DedeMed Mediterranean Cooking, falafel is traditionally made with fava beans. As the recipe moved North along the Mediterranean, people began to combine it with chickpeas. Some also use mung beans, I believe.

A bottle of tahini is very expensive here so I didn't bother getting one. I thought I'd made my own version so what I did was research on the basics and see if I can let go of the other ingredients like the fresh parsley and cilantro. Although it would taste much better with those fresh herbs.

From what I gathered, I could make a simple falafel with the following ingredients: chickpeas, onions, garlic, parsley, coriander powder, cumin powder, flour, and salt and pepper. Since I'm just here for one week, I looked at what RJ and his flatmates have in their kitchen. I saw a bottle of curry powder and thought I'd simply use that instead of coriander and cumin powder. Instead of using flour also, I used egg as binder.

Here's exactly what I did. I emptied one 15 oz can of chickpeas in a colander and let it drain for a few hours. Once the drained, I mashed the chickpeas with a fork, added a handful of chopped white onions, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 2 teaspoons of curry powder, and 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper. I then mixed everything together before I added one egg. Again, I mixed the "dough" well until everything is incorporated. I let the mixture stand for 10 minutes before I formed it into 1 tablespoon balls. Then I fried the falafel balls in a medium hot vegetable oil for about 2 minutes per side. They didn't have paper towels so I simply placed the cooked falafel balls on a plate after frying.

I made a simple garlic sauce by combining 2 cloves of minced garlic in one cup of plain yoghurt... sliced some tomatoes, cucumber, and white onions... arranged the fresh vegetables on a pita bread and placed 2 falafel balls on top. Spread some garlic-yoghurt sauce on top and folded the bread. Took my first bite and alhumdoolillah, it was yummy.

For a more professional way of preparing a falafel, here's DedeMed's video on how to make a falafel. Enjoy.

Lazeez!

French connection

2010-12-20T04:39:00.000+02:00

That's my friend Moppet. I was behind the camera. And that's the Louvre Museum in Paris.

It was the year 2000. My first trip abroad. First time to perform Philippine folk dance. First time to dance in front of an international audience. First glimpse of the Middle East (we took Gulf Air to Doha, then to Abu Dhabi, then Paris). First taste of authentic French food... Belgian beer... and Swiss chocolate. I was just starting to become vegetarian.

The dance festival wasn't in Paris though. It was in the south of France. It was in Montoire. Here's the poster of the festival in 2000 reposted here from the official festival website. Four weeks in France, one week in Belgium, then one week in Switzerland. It was surreal.

Ahhh... memories. The thoughts of European countryside is enough to make me want to go back. I can either do that through yoga or grad studies. Let's see what happens next year.

What triggered all these reminiscing? Oh, it's the breakfast. I made French toast. But is French toast really French? Let me refer you to Koerner (2003) and Shilcutt (2010).

Anyway, for this morning's breakfast. I used 1 egg, 4 tablespoons of full cream evaporated milk, 2 tablespoons of water, and half a teaspoon of sugar. Mix well. Use half of the mixture to coat one slice (about 6x6 inches) of whole wheat bread. Cook in a hot nonstick pan. Turn over after a minute or two. Spread some butter on the cooked top side. Turn over and then again some butter. Plate and sprinkle with cinnamon powder. Serve it with your favorite jam. Nice with hot chocolate or coffee latte.

The photo is not mine. It's from Shilcutt's article.

A la prochaine. Bonne journee!

Creamy Vegetarian Macaroni Soup

2010-12-19T12:14:00.000+02:00

I arrived here an hour past midnight. Naturally, one would simply sleep and rest the entire morning and that's exactly what I did. At about 10am, I decided to do a short asana and simple pranayama practice. This weather is very good for sitting practices... it helps calm and clear the mind.

At 1pm, I decided to go to Tung Chung to buy the ingredients for this evening's dinner and tomorrow's lunch. So even though rJ and his flatmates won't be home until about 9pm, dinner is ready. I'll be going back to Tung Chung in a while though to meet a UP CHK colleague.

I believe I've made this soup in the past and posted the recipe here. Earlier today, I googled "Filipino sopas recipe" and checked the ingredients just to make sure I had the basics in mind. What's new with this evening's soup is the chopped cabbage. I don't think I used that in the previous recipe. I have to check.

Anyway, here it goes...

Saute minced garlic (about 5 cloves) in oil, then add 1-2 handfuls of chopped white onion. Stir for 1 minute until onion becomes translucent and aromatic. Add 350g chopped vegetarian/fake chicken (or tofu). Stir. Add 1 L water and bring to boil. Once boiling, add 350g elbow macaroni and cook for 5-8 minutes. Add 2-3 cups of vegetable cubes (carrots, peas, corn kernels... I used the frozen mixed vegetables because it's cheaper). Stir in 2-3 vegetable stock cubes. Mix well. Add water if necessary. Add 2 handfuls of chopped cabbage. Stir and simmer for one minute. Stir in evaporated milk until desired consistency and milkiness is achieved. Add 2-3 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a little bit of sugar to bring out the flavor and it's ready.

Perfect for this cold weather.

Tomorrow... felafel sandwich with garlicky yoghurt dressing.

Photos next time.

Your blog is dying...

2010-12-16T05:55:00.000+02:00

... said a really good friend.

Maybe it is.

The reason I put up this blog 3 years ago was to have an online journal of my journey into the realm of yoga and vegetarianism. I had doubts in my writing ability so I just started out by entering my food intake, recipes, and outline of my daily activities. With Saraswati's guidance, I sometimes write something worth reading. Most of time though, it's just ordinary writing. Nothing special.

My plan for the next two weeks though is to spend more time in the kitchen so I can keep this blog alive. I think even in a small way, this blog has helped provide bits of information about yoga, vegetarian recipes, and the Philippines.

The goal is to come up with 5 recipes this holiday break.

Om.

Yoga and the Anatomy of Breathing with Paul Dallaghan

2010-12-04T15:18:00.003+02:00

Photo is from http://www.yogaretreats.ie/

Grateful to have studied with both Paul and Tiwariji. Tomorrow, I shall reconnect with my teacher.

Click here for the workshop details.

Savory Squash Soup |

2010-11-24T16:12:00.000+02:00

Savory Squash Soup |

Squash soup is a personal favorite. Unfortunately, no cooking has been happening since I can't remember when, thus the silence. I found this in my inbox a while ago and decided to break the silence because this dish, for me, is special. Easy to make, healthy, and comforting.

I have some nice photos of Gumasa and I'll upload them soon. I was in Koronadal, South Cotabato two weekends ago for a family reunion - my maternal grandmom's 90th birthday and my brother's 14th.

Yes, Johann is 14 years old already. Mashallah, he's growing to be a fine young kid.

Dinner was good this evening. Not homecooked but it was good, tasty, and something I missed. Felafel sandwich and lentil soup. Made me think of Saudi which I somehow miss.

Paul will be here in less than two weeks and it will be good to reconnect.

Until next time.

Om.

Kimchi Fried Rice

2010-11-10T11:41:00.000+02:00

Just like when I first tasted durian, I hated the taste of kimchi. But now, the taste buds are more cultured.

Here's a kimchi fried rice recipe from Tasty Meals at Home.

Top it with nori and its even more delicious.

jal-meok-kket-sseum-ni-da

I love kesong puti (white cheese)

2010-11-03T16:22:00.000+02:00

According to this article, kesong puti (Philippine white cheese) is high in protein, low in fat and carbohydrate. It's not vegan-friendly as rennet is used to form the curd. I'm not in that level of awareness yet so maybe if I'm reborn human again in my next lifetime, I'll be a vegan. For now, I'm happy to be ovo-lacto-vegetarian.

Three days ago, I rediscovered kesong puti when I prepared the grilled vegetable salad for a friend's birthday dinner. It was not very salty as I expected it to be. I remembered my first taste of Laguna's kesong puti and I didn't like it because it was very salty. Growing up on Eden processed cheese, I was looking for that creamy processed cheese taste. For most of us here in the Philippines, cheese means processed cheddar cheese either in the form of Eden or Kraft cheezwhiz. Ten, twenty years ago... you will not find cream cheese, mozarella, parmesan, feta, blue cheese, and the rest of what Westerners consider proper cheese on an ordinary Filipino family's table. Sweet spaghetti with grated processed cheese... macaroni salad with cream and processed cheese cubes... cheese-whiz sandwich... that's typical Filipino party food.

So back on my story, the kesong puti wasn't very salty and the taste was very mild. I'm not sure now if this is the traditional kesong puti but I'm liking it. Last night, I decided to eat at home and fixed myself a kesong puti sandwich with slices of tomatoes and cucumber and honey spice mustard on foccacia. It was yummy. I had mixed green salad on the side with balsamic vinaigrette. This evening, I had the same except that I used the leftover samosa tamarind sauce as salad dressing. Becky gave me some samosa to take home last week and while the samosa was long gone, I kept the extra tamarind sauce and found it good as salad dressing as well.

Hopefully this will help bring back the glow in me. ;-)

***

A lot of things happened today... took the bus to Makati because the mrt was too crowded at 6am... went to practice with YM co-teachers in Makati... had an awesome practice and a lot of really great adjustments from Maritoni... ran home to change and get things for work... first thing that greeted me, posted on our office door was the letter from the OVCRD telling me that my research proposal was endorsed for funding next year... then went to the office of the University registrar to have my student account fixed... done... had kimchi rice, fried egg, and tofu furai for lunch at SC... claimed 2 checks for thesis advisees 2 sems ago at less than 20usd each, whahahaha... oh well hello UP... went to the University Health Service for my long overdue medical exam... requirement for permanency... went back to CHK to print my form 5A... went to Educ for advising and enlistment... had snacks with Adj in CSAA... dropped by Psych department to see if research groupmates were there... bumped into another colleague instead and updated me on our article... went to Ortigas to teach the 6:30pm mysore class.

WHEW!!! It was a loooong but fruitful day.

Major adult decisions have to be made soon.

John and Lucy Scott in Boracay

2010-11-02T07:11:00.001+02:00

I was supposed to join this retreat but most of my exams were scheduled on the same week. I decided to cancel on the last minute. I was able to catch John and Lucy though at the led class in Makati just before they flew back to NZ. It was great to reconnect with them even just for a few hours.

Here is Liana Romulo's article about the retreat: Renowned Ashtanga yoga teacher leads Boracay retreat - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos.

Cheers.

Grilled Vegetable Salad with Kesong Puti

2010-10-31T05:11:00.002+02:00

I'm thinking of preparing this salad later for a friend's birthday dinner using kesong puti instead of feta. Hope they'll like it. Some of the grilled vegetables can also be tossed in pasta and we'll have another dish. Might taste the same but I guess the difference will be that the salad will be tangy because of the vinegar and the pasta will be savory. I wonder if I can get caramelized walnuts later at the groceries to add to the salad. Maybe instead of caramelized walnuts, I can use honeyed cashews or pili nuts.

Wish me luck.

No glow...

2010-10-27T17:15:00.000+03:00

"Your face is clear but there's no glow...", a friend said.

Maybe because I haven't been eating well (by that I mean homecooked meals) for the longest time.

I need to take charge of the situation... but not now... in 5 months inshallah. For now... I'm just surfing along.

Dr. Weil Discusses Eating Mindfully

2010-10-23T07:37:00.002+03:00

Dr. Weil Discusses Eating Mindfully

When I went to the Sivananda ashram in Neyyar Dam two years ago, silence is observed during meal times. It was to practice mindfulness while eating and be really aware of the different tastes that the food offers... experiencing the present... and "concentrating on the enjoyment of the moment".

Om.

Yogas citta vritti nirodhah - Part 2 of 2

2010-10-17T17:02:00.001+03:00

continued...

Yoga is control of the energies of the mind

Yogas citta vritti nirodhah...

Yogas citta vritti nirodhah...

Yoga citta vritti nirodhah...

Done. One hundred and eight repetitions.

“So, what is yoga?” While traditional practitioners understand that itself is not limited only to the physical practice that most people do nowadays, a study done in Australia reported that at present, yoga is understood as a form of physical activity which people engage in to increase health and fitness, improve flexibility and muscle tone, and reduce stress. Before yoga hit mainstream, yoga was practiced as a spiritual disclipine. However, at present, practicing yoga for spiritual reasons only come in the picture after the practitioner has been doing for a long time. But still, that reason only comes in 5th of all the reasons mentioned in the study.

“You still haven’t answered the question. Again, what is yoga?”

Yogascittavritti nirodhah. Yoga is the control of the energies of the mind. That's how Patanjali defined yoga in the Yoga Sutras. However, as I mentioned in the previous article, yoga has now become a popular form of physical activity all throughout the world and people have come to equate yoga only with asana practice. Studies have been conducted and have showed promising results in yoga's ability to improve health, fitness, and well-being, that even physicians are recommending it to their patients. I leave the discussion on yoga as a spiritual discipline next time.

There are many styles of yoga and most of the popular styles which are practiced in the West are now here in the Philippines. I did some data-mining a few months ago and here’s a list of the styles that now being taught in the country. They are listed according to the total number of available classes per week.

Bikram Yoga - the original hot yoga.
Hatha Yoga - the generic term for all asana-based classes which cannot be classified elsewhere (of course, all of these are really just forms of hatha yoga but for some reasons, when you go to yoga facilities, hatha yoga is used to classify generic classes.)
Ashtanga Yoga - the traditional method taught by Sri Pattabhi Jois
Vinyasa/Flow - all other methods which uses breath-movement synchronization technique.
Hot Yoga - generic term used for any class done in a heated room.
Gentle Yoga - a more restorative and relaxing style of class.
Power Yoga - almost similar to vinyasa/flow but inspired more by the ashtanga yoga tradition.
Iyengar Yoga - created by BKS Iyengar, a contemporary of Sri Pattabhi Jois. Uses props like blocks, belts, blankets, ropes, and chairs to help the practitioner sustain the pose longer.

Which style is the best? My suggestion is to try each style for at least 10 sessions before deciding on which style to focus on. I have tried most of these styles and I will share with you my experience next time, inshallah.

Om.

***

The author is a faculty in UP Diliman where he teaches yoga as part of the general service physical education program and as a mind-body training for the UP Pep Squad.

He has long retired his cheer uniform but still cheers for the UP Fighting Maroons every UAAP basketball season... (but really, that's only because I want to see the Pep Squad perform live). He is contemplating on teaching them the yogic technique of levitation thinking maybe that will help them win the next championship title.

Yogas citta vritti nirodhah - Part 1 of 2

2010-10-16T18:38:00.001+03:00

Yoga is control of the energies of the mind

It was in November 2001. We won the UAAP cheerleading championship for the third straight year a couple of months back and were still high with cheer spirit when my teammates and I found this poster announcing free yoga classes every Sunday at the COD Shopping Center in Cubao.

“That’s cool, maybe we can learn some new moves and use that for next year’s routine,” we thought.

A year back, I was already reading this Sivananda Yoga book that I found at the library and sporadically tried to practice the asanas in the living room of a 2-storey-2-bedroom apartment in Katipunan that I shared with six other friends. Three of us shared one tiny room and I could only have my privacy in the toilet. For a state university instructor who earned less than USD300 per month, the privacy of my own room was beyond reach.

Fritz and Jill went one Sunday to the free yoga class. Both said the class was awesome so I joined them the next week to experience my very first yoga class. The class was taught by this hippy-looking-red-haired mestiza. Her name was Sandy Carmona, one of the frontrunners of mainstream yoga in the country, who later became an influential person in my own journey. She instructed us to lie down in a pose called, savasana which means corpse pose. You were not suppose to move any muscle in the body until the end of that segment because it was in itself is an asana, or yogic posture. The idea is to remain motionless and as still and steady as possible observing each sensation that one feels in the body. You’re not suppose to scratch your nose or your butt, nor slap that mosquito that’s enjoying your Type AB blood. Sandy then led us through a 90-minute long of moving meditation that made me sweat like I never had even in my years of movement and sports training.

“Whoa!!! So this is yoga.” (If there was already Facebook, I would be “like-ing” this status many times over.)

I would later learn from Sandy that yoga is much more than what we were doing on the mat. Yoga is a way of life, a discipline, and a holistic approach to health and wellness. Oh, and did I tell you that you couldn’t buy sticky yoga mats from Toby’s back then? You have to order it from the US. I’m not even sure if Lululemon had already reached the Philippine shore.

“What’s a Lululemon?”

You don’t know “Lulu?” Hmnn... let me put it this way. If you think Nike is expensive, then you’ll think that Lulu is beyond expensive. One Lululemon top is already worth 1/3 of my salary in UP when I was still an instructor. Of course now that I’ve been promoted to assistant instructor level, that’s equivalent to ¼ of my current salary. We’ll discuss this whole Lululemon-thing in another post.

For now, let’s go back to yoga and I will let you ponder upon the meaning of yoga according to Patanjali.

“Who the hell is Patanjali?”

Dude, do your research. You can check him out on wikipedia later. Just sit, close your eyes, and repeat this 108 times.

Yogas citta vritti nirodhah...

Yogas citta vritti nirodhah...

Yoga citta vritti nirodhah...

To be continued...

Atha Yoganusashanam - Part 2 of 2

2010-10-15T02:24:00.002+03:00

Part II...

6. Pulse Yoga (www.pulse-yoga.com) - 2007

This studio is probably the ultimate destination for the urban yogins as it offers a wide range of classes that suits one’s schedule and preference. It became the first Yoga Alliance-registered school in the Philippines in 2007 and commissioned AYRI (now KPJAYI)-certified ashtanga teacher Alex Medin to conduct its teacher training for two years. Pulse Yoga now has three studios – Makati, Greenhills, and New Manila.

7. Fitness First Philippines (www.fitnessfirst.com.ph) - 2006
If you’re only interested in yoga as a form of physical activity and want value for money, then Fitness First is probably your best choice. Aside from its regular fitness programs, FF also offers flow-based yoga classes in most of its branches. Their instructors have 200-hour credentials and are trained in creating mind-body workouts that can range from gentle to challenging. If possible, choose a branch that has a separate mind-body studio. You wouldn’t want to come into a group exercise studio that still has that sweaty atmosphere from the previous Body Combat class. Fitness First has started its operations in the country in the early 2000 but it was only in 2006 that it started to offer yoga as part of its regular program.

8. Prana Yoga (www.pranayoga.com.ph) - 2008
Prana Yoga offers three types of vinyasa- or flow-based classes: dynamic flow, gentle flow, and hot flow. At present, classes are being offered at the Metropolitan Club in Mandaluyong.

9. Bliss Yoga Manila (www.blissyogamanila.com) - 2009
This eco-friendly studio uses only recycled, non-toxic, and biodegradable materials in constructing the practice place. Located in the heart of Makati, Bliss Yoga offers mostly power and vinyasa flow classes, but has recently added ashtanga vinyasa into their program.

10. Echo Yoga (http://echoyoga.echostore.ph/) - 2010
EchoYoga is Echostore Sustainable Lifestyle’s yoga wellness program aimed mostly for beginners. The program offers a variety of classes and creative workshops that focus on building home practice. Classes are offered at two venues in Makati: Salcedo Village and Legaspi Village.

These studios are the more popular places to go to for yoga classes. I will write about other less fancy and not-so-popular yoga studios in my next post . These places may not offer you herbal tea or hot towel upon your arrival but for sure, the teachers offer the same genuine teachings based on many years of personal practice and/or professional training.

Om. Om. Om.

***

The author is a faculty member in one of the state universities in Quezon City where he teaches yoga as part of the general service physical education program and as a mind-body training for the university cheerleading squad.

On weekdays, the author teaches yoga in a small makeshift yoga shala with floor covered with not-so-smelly old judo mats, but on weekends, he gets upgraded and teaches in the yoga studio of a high end spa in Mandaluyong complete with aromatherapy and tranquil spa music where one can request for lemon water before and after practice.

Atha Yoganusashanam - Part 1 of 2

2010-10-14T06:24:00.000+03:00

Now, the journey to yoga begins...

The burning incense masked the smelly aikido mat in the 4th floor of a dilapidated building in the heart of Cubao. New age spiritual music was playing softly in the background. I lay down on the mat with my eyes closed as I followed the voice of the red-haired lady who would later become my teacher and guide in this path. One and a half hours later, I was drenched in sweat. Lying back down in the relaxation pose called savasana, peacefulness filled my being. That was my first yoga class experience. No marble floors, no fancy lounge areas, and no trained staff to welcome you with tea, lemon water, or hot towel. That was yoga almost 10 years ago.

Yoga has now become a popular form of physical activity that most fitness and wellness centers offer it as part of their group exercise programs. Fitness First, for example, has flow-based classes that focus more on increasing strength, flexibility, and balance.

Specialized yoga studios have also sprouted throughout Metro Manila in the last 5 years making yoga accessible to most Filipinos, or at least to those who live in the area. Some of these studios are dedicated only to one particular style of yoga while some are multi-styles offering most of the popular forms being practiced in the West. Most of the popular studios are located in Makati and Ortigas but there are also several small and less popular places where one can start to learn this mind-body discipline.

Here is a list of places where you can study yoga. I listed them according to the year of operation.

Ananda Marga Yoga Center (www.yogainmanila.org) - 1967

Ananda Marga is probably the oldest organization in the Philippines to offer hatha yoga classes which are open to public. I believe that in the beginning, only those who are spiritually-inclined joined their classes because of the philosophical and wholistic focus of the organization. Yoga was not a mainstream activity until the early 2000.

Iyengar Yoga Center Manila (www.iyengaryogamanila.com) – 2004

This is the only authorized center to teach the Iyengar method in the Philippines. Iyengar yoga, named after its developer, BKS Iyengar, focuses on precise anatomical alignment and uses props such as belts, ropes, blankets, blocks, and chairs, to assist the practitioner in performing the yoga asanas safely and for a longer period of time in order to increase body awareness. All IYCM teachers received their certification to teach the method from the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Institute in Pune, India.

Bikram Yoga Manila (www.bikramyogamanila.com) – 2006

Owned by businessman-turned yogi Tristan Choa, Bikram Yoga Manila, was the first officially sanctioned Bikram Yoga studio in the Philippines. Bikram Yoga, developed and popularized by Mr. Bikram Choudhury, is a method consisting of 26 postures performed in a 105 degrees Farenheit (40 degrees Celsius) room. It is currently the most popular form of yoga being practiced in the country based on the number of classes being offered per week. Bikram Yoga Manila has branches in Makati and Quezon City. Two other studios received authorization to teach the method: Sundar Bikram Greenhills (http://bikramyogagreenhills.com/) and Bikram Yoga Eastwood (http://www.bikramyogaeastwood.com/).

Yoga Manila (www.yogamanila.com) – 2006

Yoga Manila was formed by 15 dedicated men and women who wanted a space where they can deepen and continue their practice together. Most of them studied with Bela Lipat and Hoze Arando in the early 2000. While Hoze, together with my first teacher Sandy Carmona, introduced ashtanga yoga to the Philippines in 2000, it was Bela who brought Paul Dallaghan to the Philippines in 2003 and stoke the ashtanga fire in most dedicated ashtangis during first half of last decade. YM offers mainly led and mysore-style ashtanga classes. Slow flow, pre-natal, kids yoga, and meditation classes are also offered in different YM locations.

Vinyasa Yoga Center (http://vinyasayogacenter.com/vinyasawebsite/) - 2006

Vinyasa Yoga Center opened its door in the heart of the Ortigas business district in 2006. It offered mainly hatha vinyasa classes with long-time practitioner and ISKON monk, Pio Baquiran as its primary teacher. Hatha vinyasa yoga basically derived inspiration from Krishnamacharya’s teaching of linking 2-3 postures in one fluid sequence. The intensity of each class varies from gentle to vigorous which makes hatha vinyasa yoga an interesting style for anyone regardless of age and fitness level. The focus of each class also varies depending on what the students need.

To be continued...

PE3 Yoga (intermediate level) in UP Diliman

2010-10-13T16:37:00.000+03:00

Starts next semester.

Click here for other PE2 Yoga schedule.

Paul Dallaghan on asanas and koshas

2010-10-10T17:14:00.000+03:00

Guru Brahma

Guru Vishnu

Guru Devo Mahesvaraha

Guru Sakshat Parabrahma

Taismai Shri Gurave Namaha

World Vegetarian Awareness Month

2010-10-04T17:27:00.000+03:00

For activities that you can do this month,

visit the world vegetarian day website here.

***
Thanks to Chona for sharing the info.

It's been more than a month since my last post. I wasn't planning of posting anything until I read Chona's entry on the world vegetarian awareness month.

This week is the last week of classes at the university. My tue-thu pe2 yoga class will be having a vegetarian feast tomorrow so it will be our way of celebrating this campaign.

Om.

On mixing fruits and other types of food

2010-08-29T05:54:00.000+03:00

When I was at Yoga Thailand last summer, I often hear my colleagues and some guests saying that fruits shouldn't be mixed with other fruits or food. Or you shouldn't mix it with milk or yoghurt.

"But I like my muesli + yoghurt + mixed fruits breakfast!"

Living in a busy city can be very detrimental to one's healthy eating habits, especially when you don't have a yaya to prepare your meals for you. I usually eat 3 full meals a day and as much as possible, I'd like to make sure that I get most of the nutrients from my food. Thus, breakfast is standard and heavy. One full bowl of muesli-fruit-yoghurt combo.

"Eat fruit alone, or leave it alone." But if you only have three 30 minutes in a day to eat, how can you eat the recommended 5 fruits a day? Plus, you're not supposed to mix it with other food.

Yeah, yeah, yeah... you can have one for morning snack, and another one for afternoon snack. There are other behavioral recommendations on how to address this but I'm not about to discuss it here.

What I want to share I guess is that we should listen to our bodies. Certain types of fruits are not good for some people according to ayurveda. And using some common sense, some are not really good together. Durian and mango? Hmmnnn... no thank you.

If you feel bloated after eating fruits and yoghurt, then stop mixing them. Listen to your body and listen carefully.

The digestive fire is strong and I'm grateful for that. Maybe I was doing a lot of kapalabhati in my previous lives.

***

The other day, a friend was in some forum and she texted me saying that one of the speakers said that the reason why a lot of Filipinos don't eat fruits and vegetables is because it's expensive. A lot of Filipinos are living below the poverty line and they simply cannot afford to buy fruits and vegetables.

Maybe if we teach them how to grow their own vegetables and stop patronizing processed foods, they'd be eating healthier. A study conducted in the UK reported that access and affordability of fruits and vegetables isn't really the main issue and suggested that interventions should focus on people's motivation to eat fruits and vegetables.

Why won't Filipinos eat fruits and vegetables? Maybe because there was so much focus on eating protein, in the form of meat, poultry, or fish, to address the problems on underweight and malnutrition. Then it is already ingrained in the consciousness of most Filipinos that a meal should consist of kanin at ulam (rice and viand). And that viand means meat. Gulay (vegetables) is optional and maybe used simply as garnish. Fruits can be eaten as a snack but never as a meal.

I don't really know. I'm just writing my thoughts.

Anyway, have a blessed sunday everyone.

May there be peace and healing here and everywhere.

Om.

Continuing the Palawan food adventure at...

2010-08-26T06:12:00.001+03:00

Heavenly Desserts by Dorothy

Known for its calamansi (Philippine lemon) muffin. I wonder if it's as good as the calamansi muffin of Real Coffee in Boracay. Maybe even better. I wouldn't know though because they were sold out that evening.

Eric had spaghetti with pesto...

While Bea and I shared a margherita pizza. The crust was made of whole wheat flour and it was surprisingly good and healthy. I had to put tomato catsup on it though as I was craving for something tangy. I think it's Pinoy to add catsup in almost anything savory.

We all ordered yoghurt drinks. Strawberry for Bea, blueberry for Eric, and plain yoghurt drink for me. I hope that doesn't say something about my personality. :-p

And of course, the evening won't be complete without desserts. The name of the place is Heavenly Desserts by Dorothy, remember? So we had flour-less chocolate cake...

Tiramisu (doesn't look enticing but it was espresso-ey good! I think they need to teach their staff how to plate their dessert)...

White chocolate cheesecake...

Heavenly indeed...

And tea... to cap it off.

Check out their website at

http://heavenlydesserts.multiply.com/

Honda Bay

2010-08-25T09:32:00.000+03:00

Last day in Puerto Princesa. Mia had been telling me to visit the Underground River National Park but it's a whole day event and I only had Saturday to visit interesting places around the city aside from restaurants and dessert places. After the lunch at Saigon, Hudson, another colleague from the psych dept, informed us of their plans of going to Honda Bay and asked if we'd like to tag along. And so we did.

First stop, snorkeling.

Passed by Starfish Island. Got its name because of the abundance of sea stars.

Second stop, the Snake Island.

"If the Starfish Island is full of sea stars, does it mean the Snake Island is full of snakes?"

"Then why are we stopping here and staying for more than one hour?"

Apparently, it got its name not because slithering snakes rule the island but because of its shape.

Took a walk and explored the island.

On our way back, we passed by another island. Wasn't paying attention to the names as I was exhausted from the sun, sand, and swimming... I happily dozed off.

For yoga, healing, detox retreat in Palawan, visit Bahay Kalipay.

Kamarikutan Kafe and Galeri

2010-08-24T18:07:00.000+03:00

Photos I took of the Kamarikutan Kafe and Galeri in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I just saw the sign when we were on our way back to the hotel after lunch at Saigon.

I think we were meant to be there because it rained the whole afternoon and we did nothing but enjoy a cup of coffee and had the whole place to ourselves. We just finished lunch so we didn't get to try their vegetarian meals. They had a vegetarian section in their menu and it looked interesting. I didn't take note of what dishes they had though.

They had free wifi so Bea was able to go online and did some work while Eric listened to his mp3 player, and I stared at the ceiling.

They also had a pond with several humongous koi.

It was a nice afternoon except for the mosquitoes that feasted on us. And only when I came back to Manila did I learn that it used to be that people who visit Palawan were required to take malaria pills or shots. Good luck to me.

Read more about the cafe on Palawanboard.

Saigon Restaurant Palawan

2010-08-22T18:36:00.000+03:00

I didn't really had a plan other than attend the conference so I was simply happy tagging along my colleagues from Psych dept wherever they want to go. We went to this place for lunch last Friday.

When I looked at the menu, there are 3 things that I could order - french bread with scrambled eggs, spicy tofu, and mixed vegetables. I wanted to try the Vietnamese stir fry noodles but when I asked the waitress if she could ask the cook to make it vegetarian, she simply replied, "wala pong lasa yun (it will be tasteless.)" Many Filipinos, I believe, think that in order for the food to be come tasty, it has to have some meat or seafood in it. I think we lost the art of using fresh herbs and spices to flavor the food.

So I ordered their spicy tofu, rice, and mixed vegetables. I had to ask if they cook the mixed veggies with meat and the waitress said, yes, but it can be substituted with tofu. Couldn't it be the same for the noodles? I didn't argue anymore as I was already starving.

Interestingly, the spicy tofu and the mixed veggies were very tasty. Maybe they used pork fat or beef oil in it, hahaha. Nah. My taste buds is highly discriminating so I know if there's meat in my food. It tasted clean and sattvic.

On our way back, I saw the sign "Kamarikutan Kape at Galeri." I thought it was an interesting place so I asked Eric and Bea if they wanted to check it out. Will post photos of that place tomorrow.

Om.

A tribute...

2010-08-22T18:02:00.000+03:00

Last week, I sent an sms to my father asking, "Given a choice, would you rather be idealistic or practical?"

He texted back, "Rizal died for his ideals and became a hero, would you become one?"

I'm not as brilliant as Rizal so I don't think I'll die by firing squad.

Stillpoint Manila

2010-08-20T04:58:00.002+03:00

Schedule

630am MTWThF mysore sp
10am TTh beginners led
4pm TTh beginners led
4pm Sun led/mysore sp
630pm MTWTh led/mysore sp

contact: stillpointmanila@gmail.com

or

Visit Stillpoint Manila's facebook page here.

KaLui Restaurant in Palawan

2010-08-19T18:07:00.002+03:00

Another lovely evening with friends from the Psych department.

Went to KaLui Restaurant and ordered their vegetarian plate, and wheat grass in coco juice.

I didn't bring my camera with me but I borrowed Jay's to take a photo of my meal. I'll post it next time.

The presentation was lovely and the taste was interestingly good. There was crispy fried eggplant with teriyaki sauce, mashed kamote (sweet potato) topped with spicy guacamole, okra+squash+string beans with coconut cream sauce, and shredded raddish with tomato salsa. I was happy and really enjoyed my dinner.

Check out their menu at

http://www.kaluirestaurant.com/menus

***

Successfully presented our paper, “Pampapayat, Para Lumakas, To Be Healthy”: Exploring Filipino Motives For Exercise, at the 47th National Convention of the Psychological Association of the Philippines. Next step is to prep the paper for possible publication in the Philippine Journal of Psychology.

Ima's Gulay Bar in Palawan

2010-08-18T19:22:00.000+03:00

100% Vegetarian Restaurant

Visit their website at

http://www.imas-vegetarian-restaurant.com/

***

Had a lovely dinner here with research group mates.

Why Filipino men need to do yoga?

2010-08-11T18:03:00.000+03:00

...because 29.1% of Filipino men are hypertensive.

... because Filipino men have high triglyceride and cholesterol (the bad kind) levels.

... because more Filipino men still drink and smoke a lot.

... because only 10.9% engages in leisure-related physical activity.

Source: 7th National Nutrition Survey, 2008

Photos courtesy of Metrolifestyle Health and Fitness Center Davao.

More Pinoy men discover yoga

2010-08-08T16:43:00.000+03:00

Last friday, it was 2 men to 2 women.

Yesterday at the 4:00pm class, the ratio was 8:7 (men:women) then at the 7:00pm workshop it was 3:2.

This afternoon, it was 4:4.

And those didn't include the teacher and the assistant.

I guess the key to motivating men to do yoga is to highlight strength and challenge, rather than flexibility and aesthetics. Of course, sometimes you'd get students who are really sincere about the spiritual aspect but most of those who come to yoga nowadays are really participating because of extrinsic reasons such as health, fitness, and stress reduction... at least that's what the studies have been showing. The spiritual component only comes in when the student has been practicing for a while.

One of the participants said that life in Davao is becoming fast and traffic is becoming heavy which adds to stress. Yoga is something that can help Davaoenos to cope with these changes.

Davao is actually a perfect place for yoga retreats because you can either do it near the mountain or by the beach. Samal island is just 30 minutes away from the City and the mountain resorts in Malagos about 60 minutes away.

And with the Ayala Mall opening in the middle of 2011, life in Davao will surely change.

Maybe it's time to move home. A wishful thinking, of course... at least for now.

Baby steps to a vegetarian diet

2010-08-06T07:15:00.003+03:00

Earlier this week, I saw the word "vegetarian" in the pile of new books while I was looking for a reference on statistics at the CHK library.

"May I see that book, please?" I asked the librarian.

"Have the College acquired this?" Suppliers leave a number of books for the faculty to review on a regular basis and the librarian will make the purchase order once the faculty give their recommendation.

"Yes."

"Oh, that's great. That will be on my to-read list. I'll postpone borrowing that until the end of this semester."

I quickly browsed through the pages and found this box on page 11, "Steps for an easy transition to a vegetarian diet."

Allow me to share with you those steps. Below the text box, the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, a group under the American Dietetic Association was cited as the source of those suggestions.

Take stock your current diet or look at your what you eat on a regular basis. What do you eat for breakfast, lunch, snack, or dinner? What's inside your fridge? The first step is to be come aware of what you eat.
Add more vegetarian meals by revising favorite recipes that are meat based. My first yoga teacher, Sandy, is not a big fan of fake meat. Eating fake meat is simply "cheating" and may not really teach a person how to eat proper wholesome foods. I guess instead of substituting the meat with a fake one, use a fresh alternative instead, like tofu or tempeh. Another way to recreate the meat based dish into a vegetable dish. For Filipinos who love their sinigang, sometimes the focus is on the meat. So instead, add more veggies and highlight the greens instead.
Expand your options by finding new recipes and trying different products from the store. Have you tried pasta with roasted vegetables? Or pasta with green vegetables and nuts? These are healthy and delicious recipes which is a good alternative to the Pinoy ultimate favorite - spaghetti with meat sauce.
Make a list of vegetarian meals that you can eat away from home. Crackers and cheese, Chinese vegetarian fresh lumpia, vegetable bibimbap, fresh fruits, Cheese-pesto-sandwich.
Eliminate meat at breakfast. Although Jessica wrote a very informative article that yoghurt+muesli+fruit for breakfast might not be for you, this easy to prepare breakfast is packed with nutrients that can help you start your day right. Except of course if you're lactose-intolerant. I have several books on Ayurveda but I'm not really applying it yet to my diet because I have to address my hunger first. And with the workload and communiting stress that I experience here in Manila, I don't have the time and the resources to be too picky about what I eat. I am an ovo-lacto-vegetarian and in my present situation, that's the best way I could go. I never felt healthier though. So for a typical mobile Pinoy who wants rice for breakfast, how about garlic rice, fried egg, tofu, and steamed kangkong sans the alamang?
Take stock of your menu once again. Do your meals include a variety of grains, legumes, soy, vegetables, and fruits? Yes. Do you eat 5 different fruits and vegetables day? I don't or atleast not very aware that I should have 5 different produce. Do you eat 6-11 servings of primary whole grains with little processing a day? Hmnn... 6... yes... I think. For more information on nutritional guidelines for vegetarians, visit the Vegetarian Diet.

My usual diet is here. Hope this helps.

Cheers.

Yoga in Davao

2010-08-04T16:44:00.000+03:00

Join me this weekend at Metrolifestyle Fitness Center and Spa.

August 6, Friday @ 7:45pm

August 7, Saturday @ 7:00pm

August 8, Sunday @ 4:00pm.

For more details, please visit the Metrolifestyle Davao event page here.

The des(s)ert is calling me back

2010-08-02T18:04:00.000+03:00

Photo credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halva

King Abdullah sending 100 tons of dates

***

Two things I miss in Saudi Arabia - halva and dates

A good friend brought me 1 kg of regular halva with pistachio and 1 kg of chocolate halva.

Will try to remember to bring some to class to share with YM students.

***

Ramadan will start on August 11 (When-is, 2010).

OM

Fusilli with Roasted Zucchini and Basil

2010-07-31T17:48:00.000+03:00

Part of the pasta series...

sliced zucchini marinated in garlic and olive oil roasted in an oven (toaster) on high for 25 minutes

stir in to your favorite pasta and a handful of chopped fresh basil leaves with a pinch of chili flakes for an extra kick. Top with parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.