The Yoga Room: Breathe in Wellness
In celebration of Nutrition Month this July, the theme for this year is “Kumain nang wasto at maging aktibo… Push natin ‘to!.” With this, we are all encouraged not only to eat healthy but also to have an active lifestyle. And while some of us jog or go to the gym, others choose to do Yoga.
For starters, if you think that yoga focuses on breathing and meditation, well you’re not wrong. Although you should know that yoga is more than just sitting in one place with your legs crossed while gently humming your breath out.
What is Yoga?
Yoga, as described by Teacher Teeni, follows methodological approach where you get to do the same step-by-step poses everyday, which makes it possible for yogis to track their day-to-day progress. The yoga that she teaches focuses on strength, rather than flexibility itself. According to Teacher Teeni, “You can become flexible if your muscles are strong enough, and it doesn’t mean that if your muscles are big they are strong.” It is strength, after all, that makes it possible for people who practice yoga to hold their poses for as long as they would want to.
There are different types of yoga such as Hatha, Vinyasa, Power Yoga, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Hot Yoga, and more which all vary in postures and mechanics.
A Visit at the Yoga Room
The Yoga Room, located at Casa Vallejo, is a yoga studio established on July 2016. What they offer is Hot Yoga, wherein the practice will take place within a heated room. In The Yoga Room’s case, they maintain a room temperature of 40 degree Celsius. Such style is expected to make you sweat a lot during the process in exchange of benefits such as detoxification and of course, weight loss.
Common Misconceptions About Yoga
Men don’t do yoga.
This is one of the common misconceptions some people believe in when they get think about yoga, but this isn’t the case. In fact, in The Yoga Room, there are men who do yoga. So it’s time to get rid of the mindset that such practice is only for the benefit of women.
Yoga is only for flexible people
Nope, not exactly. Even beginners can start doing yoga. One’s flexibility will show in the process. There are actually other factors that are even more important than just being flexible alone. And you’ll get to find out more about them as you read along.
Yoga from a Yogi’s perspective
Ms. Nerisse Villanueva, one of the yoga students of The Yoga Room, started doing yoga way back 2012 initially for the purpose of losing weight. She has been hopping from one studio to another by then because she couldn’t find classes with a fix and stable schedule, until she discovered The Yoga Room. Since then, not only has she managed to lose weight and maintain her current body figure, but she has also experienced the healing power of yoga itself.
There was a time when Ms. Nerisse needed to stop doing yoga for a while because of a hamstring injury. But when she got back on the mat and began practicing Hot Yoga again, it actually helped her in her recovery. According to Ms. Nerisse, the heat applied to this kind of practice is really therapeutic. From then on, she started to confidently believe that doing yoga everyday could prevent her from encountering possible further injuries. Overall, yoga had given her strong and toned muscles.
Yoga from a yoga instructor’s point of view
Motivated by her age, Ms. Teeni L. Enciso thought of getting into yoga.
“As you get older, you have to do things that should be beneficial to you, because I don’t wanna age. I wanna age gracefully, so I wanted to find something that can help me improve my physique, lose weight and there will be no much pressure on my joints…”
After joining a Yoga Teacher Training back in February 2016, Teacher Teeni began and is still teaching yoga at The Yoga Room studio until now.
Things to Consider When Practicing Yoga
People who are practicing or would like to practice yoga are encouraged to focus on their diet to help them gain benefits such as losing weight and maintaining their form. However, those who practice yoga aren’t urged to get into one particular diet, instead it is suggested for them to try forms of diet that would fit their lifestyle.
Since the practice of yoga would be useless if it’s not aligned with a person’s lifestyle, yoga practitioners are also encouraged to sleep properly, get enough rest and of course, be consistent with their practice. To add on that, people who are smoking or drinking are also advised to lessen their vices.
To those who would want to try Yoga and be physically fit and healthy…
“…Yoga, really, is not about flexibility. It’s about strength, balance. And you know, it’s about being flexible at some point but not like ‘super flexible’ just like what you see on IG or on Facebook, and even with the different advance poses. So bottom line is, yoga is for those who are willing to try the practice.”
– Ms. Nerisse
“Just start. It always starts with the first step. So you have to start because it’s always difficult with the first step. But you just have to be consistent at your mind and commit yourself and I think you’re gonna do whatever you set your mind to do.”
– Teacher Teeni
Be a healthier version of yourself with Yoga!
What are you waiting for? Start working on a healthier and more active lifestyle! Visit The Yoga Room, located at Casa Vallejo, Upper Session Road, Baguio City. They’re open from 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM from Mondays to Fridays. And the first class starts at 1:00 PM, the second at 5:30 PM during Saturdays, and 1:00 PM on Sundays.
You can also check out their Facebook page for updates.
Breathe in… Breathe out… Let’s start!