I totally forgot that I had an announcement to make. I remember posting back in December that I had something to announce but I wouldn't say just yet until I'm absolutely sure I'm ready. Well, well, well. It's been three whole months since then so I think I'm bound to be ready by now.
It's this thing I've been immersing myself in since I got here. I'm the type that always wants to learn something new, thus, when I began settling down here I immediately searched for stuff that I could get myself involved in. Boxing was obviously my first choice. Unfortunately, Malaysia has its eyes fixed on football and badminton that nobody does boxing here. There are a couple of Muay Thai and other martial arts centers but none are near my place and it's quite expensive.
I was clearly frustrated and I was at the brink of experiencing "withdrawals" with my inability to train like I used to do in Manila. So I decided to sit back and accept the hard truth and just ask myself: "What did you always want to get yourself into?". Bam. An answer came in a second.
YOGA.
Yes. Even when I was in still in Manila, I've always wanted to pursue yoga but when I looked around, I found it too expensive and too pretentious. I gave it a chance here though. A few hours of research via newspaper and internet here and there and I found a yoga club near my place and well within my budget. I signed up after my first month here in Malaysia and gave the same dedication as I did to boxing.
The effect:
Tripod headstand.
Sometimes I surprise myself with what I can do while doing yoga. It's *&@$#%$ amazing! I remember my very, very first class. It lasted just an hour but man oh man, I left the studio sweating like a pig. As in basa-hanggang-brief! And all we did were simple stretching, extending, and twisting movements. That basically got me hooked. It fascinates me how yoga can get you all going with seemingly simple postures.
Warrior 2. Taken beside Putrajaya Lake, right outside my apartment.
I try to go to the club three times a week and attend two classes per day para sulit since it requires me three bus rides just to get to the club. I've been doing yoga for six consecutive months now, and I think I've been progressing quite well. I notice some physical changes especially with how I breathe since yoga deals a lot with how you breathe. It's all more fluid and controlled now. Which is perfect because it complements my other favorite sport: jogging / running. I also enjoy doing really weird and challenging postures, especially arm balances. I find it incredible that you don't really need too much strength to carry your entire weight and balance with just your two arms.
Arm balancing. I like.
I'm definitely a novice in all this since it takes years and years and years of practice to actually be considered as a real yoga practicioner. I'm still not strong enough or flexible enough or disciplined enough to actually go deeper into the practice. I don't plan to go really hard core into yoga since it requires you to be a vegetarian and believe in all this spirituality and New Age stuff that I'm really not into. What I've decided to really pursue though are the physical benefits of yoga. It's just fantastic what you guys can get out of it and I'm not just talking about a lean, fit body. I don't want to sound like a bald, tree-hugging monk but the "inner" benefits are really great. Sometimes I sit cross-legged on my mat in my room, close my eyes, and just focus on my breathing. I then find myself completely relaxed after a few minutes.
Backbend. I edited out the background.
So there you go. Believe it or not, I'm doing yoga now. There are lots of other postures that I like doing so I'll post a photo album at my Multilply soon. Sigh. I have so many other things to share about yoga but for a different time maybe.
It's this thing I've been immersing myself in since I got here. I'm the type that always wants to learn something new, thus, when I began settling down here I immediately searched for stuff that I could get myself involved in. Boxing was obviously my first choice. Unfortunately, Malaysia has its eyes fixed on football and badminton that nobody does boxing here. There are a couple of Muay Thai and other martial arts centers but none are near my place and it's quite expensive.
I was clearly frustrated and I was at the brink of experiencing "withdrawals" with my inability to train like I used to do in Manila. So I decided to sit back and accept the hard truth and just ask myself: "What did you always want to get yourself into?". Bam. An answer came in a second.
YOGA.
Yes. Even when I was in still in Manila, I've always wanted to pursue yoga but when I looked around, I found it too expensive and too pretentious. I gave it a chance here though. A few hours of research via newspaper and internet here and there and I found a yoga club near my place and well within my budget. I signed up after my first month here in Malaysia and gave the same dedication as I did to boxing.
The effect:
Tripod headstand.
Sometimes I surprise myself with what I can do while doing yoga. It's *&@$#%$ amazing! I remember my very, very first class. It lasted just an hour but man oh man, I left the studio sweating like a pig. As in basa-hanggang-brief! And all we did were simple stretching, extending, and twisting movements. That basically got me hooked. It fascinates me how yoga can get you all going with seemingly simple postures.
Warrior 2. Taken beside Putrajaya Lake, right outside my apartment.
I try to go to the club three times a week and attend two classes per day para sulit since it requires me three bus rides just to get to the club. I've been doing yoga for six consecutive months now, and I think I've been progressing quite well. I notice some physical changes especially with how I breathe since yoga deals a lot with how you breathe. It's all more fluid and controlled now. Which is perfect because it complements my other favorite sport: jogging / running. I also enjoy doing really weird and challenging postures, especially arm balances. I find it incredible that you don't really need too much strength to carry your entire weight and balance with just your two arms.
Arm balancing. I like.
I'm definitely a novice in all this since it takes years and years and years of practice to actually be considered as a real yoga practicioner. I'm still not strong enough or flexible enough or disciplined enough to actually go deeper into the practice. I don't plan to go really hard core into yoga since it requires you to be a vegetarian and believe in all this spirituality and New Age stuff that I'm really not into. What I've decided to really pursue though are the physical benefits of yoga. It's just fantastic what you guys can get out of it and I'm not just talking about a lean, fit body. I don't want to sound like a bald, tree-hugging monk but the "inner" benefits are really great. Sometimes I sit cross-legged on my mat in my room, close my eyes, and just focus on my breathing. I then find myself completely relaxed after a few minutes.
Backbend. I edited out the background.
So there you go. Believe it or not, I'm doing yoga now. There are lots of other postures that I like doing so I'll post a photo album at my Multilply soon. Sigh. I have so many other things to share about yoga but for a different time maybe.
I was actually thinking of practicing and practicing until I'm good enough to get a certification. So at least when I get back to the Philippines, I can work as a part-time yoga teacher. Coolness. We'll see. There's still a long way to go. Life is definitely exciting.
Namaste.
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