YOGA: AN EXERCISE FOR THE BODY AND SOUL

More and more communities have turned to yoga as a means of getting fit and healthy. Yoga has taken on an essential task as the roles and demands on women, moms included, continue to grow and become more intertwined and complex. Today’s multifaceted, successful and dynamic women need good health, mental peace and balance to be able to carry out their duties and goals at home and at work.

A daily practice of yoga brings balance into one’s life, which helps in attaining a better perspective throughout the changing needs along each phase in life.

Yoga is an effective way to improve your flexibility and strength. It works every part of the body, bringing forth movement along with stimulation of the organs, muscles and bones. As it strengthens your core, your body also becomes more fit and toned.

To those who take their body for granted just because of the lack of physical and rigorous activities, yoga will change how you perceive your body as it reconnects you to your inner strength and radiance, leading you to discover and accept what your body can do.

Maybelle Yu, a mom of 3, is no stranger to the concept of getting fit. After all, the lifestyle trend is now, finally, leaning towards wellness and letting go of excess baggage — whether fat or unresolved issues. Maybelle is committed to taking care of her well being and her body and disposition are testaments to her dedication and discipline.

“I have tried different workouts. My siblings and I value our wellness and we strive to keep ourselves fit,” shares Maybelle. “I started practicing yoga with one purpose in mind, which was to lose all the extra inches and weight I gained from the third pregnancy.”

“I got hooked to yoga after only a few tries. As I went on with the practice, I didn’t worry much about losing the weight anymore because I was enjoying my classes and getting better each day became my only focus. I did lose the weight after a year of practice. To some, they probably don’t have the patience to wait it out for that long, but yoga made me appreciate my body and the gradual changes that came along as I developed that inner strength. Losing the weight became just an added bonus.”

Maybelle maintains that she is not a fan of starving oneself. Instead, she enjoys the simple pleasures of eating and makes sure she keeps fit by sweating out the extra calories. “I still try other forms of exercise but I always go back to yoga because it really changed and enhanced my overall outlook in life. It became my solace with which I can just walk in, be myself, breathe in and work together with my body. It improved my everyday disposition and how I relate to people. I’d say yoga is a practice on and off the mat when you allow yourself to find peace within you, to know your center. In effect, you also get better at handling the everyday demands in life, particularly for a mother. I realized that yoga eventually transcends and becomes your life discipline. You free yourself from the unnecessary. You learn to let go of tensions in the body, which also causes emotional baggage. You are able to attain emotional and physical balance in all aspects of life, including your eating habits, on and off the mat. It’s a kind of discipline that you bring with you wherever you go.”

With a bit of encouragement from her teachers and classmates, Maybelle pursued a formal training for certification and has been teaching yoga for about 2 years now. She holds classes at North Zen Basic Spaces every Tuesday at 1:30PM, Wednesday at 9:30AM and Saturday at 9:30AM.

“As I began to learn more about Yoga, I discovered that the practice continues to evolve as you get older, become wiser and more intuitive. It meets and supports you at whatever stage you are in your life, even when you’re pregnant or in the menopausal phase.”

“For new students and first time yogis, I encourage them to go easy themselves. Don’t judge or compare yourself to others. Just get on the mat and breathe as if you’re breathing in life anew. Don’t give up right away. Yoga is possibly one of the most effective workouts because it actually renews your body down to the cellular level. After each session, you’ll feel like you just came from a body massage as opposed to other sports where in the end you’ll be needing one. You’ll feel more relaxed. Emotionally, you get to reconnect and stay aligned with your core values.”

For inquiries on Maybelle’s yoga classes, please call North Zen Basic Spaces at 09477662225 or 2953997.
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Story published on my newspaper column, Metro Mom.
A1 and A4, Indulge, Edge Davao, Vol. 7 Issue no. 152, 15 October 2014.

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