LOSE WEIGHT, DE-STRESS, & STRENGTHEN YOUR MIND & BODY WITH BIKRAM

"In 1982, I was introduced to Bikram. I started to go to his class and I have practiced yoga in some form ever since. I truly believe that it helped to prolong my career and kept me from getting serious injuries. The stretching aspect of yoga perfectly compliments the strength training and cardiovascular endurance that are sp well covered in traditional sports workouts."


Kareem Abdul-Jabaar

Los Angeles Lakers

NBA CHAMPION



Do I need to lose weight? Do I need to de-stress? Do I lack energy? Do I easily get tired? Do I experience tension headaches? Am I having trouble sleeping? Do I play active sports and want to prevent injury? Does my injury not seem to heal? When I play weekend sports, does my body ache at the end of the day? Do I need to have some quiet time for myself?

Ask yourself these questions and Bikram yoga might be just for you!



HOW DID IT START?

Bikram yoga was founded by Yogiraj Bikram Choudhury, the founder of the worldwide Yoga College of IndiaTM . Born in Calcutta in 1946, he began Yoga at the age of five.



Choudhury developed this type of yoga during his most trying times. At an early age, he became a yoga champion. But when he turned 20, he was crippled by a weightlifting accident. At that moment, when everything was deemed impossible, Choudhury invented 26 postures to restore his health. These poses were eventually called Bikram yoga and was further developed and taught by Choudhury in Los Angeles.

Choudhury became the foremost yoga teacher in the west, helping millions of students worldwide through his school in Beverly Hills and at over 600 affiliates schools worldwide.


Today, Bikram yoga has already gained popularity with wellness enthusiasts in Manila and even more and more people are becoming interested.



WHAT IS BIKRAM YOGA AND WHAT ARE ITS BENEFITS?

Bikram Yoga is done in a heated room to warm your body, helping you become more flexible and allows for a safer routine. It also makes you sweat and cleans your body by flushing away toxins.

Bikram Yoga is a challenging series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises. The poses are arranged in chronological order specifically to strengthen every joint, muscle and ligaments in the body. Yoga builds strength, endurance and flexibility, balancing the body and mind, bringing the same practice even when you’re outside the yoga room. The sequence also uses the tourniquet effect, a method of compression of the internal organs using which stops the blood from flowing in the compressed area and once released, brings deoxygenated blood to the organ, revitalizing and rejuvenating it. Thus, flushing out the cardiovascular system and stimulating the endocrine and nervous systems as well. Giving you that inner glow coming from the inside not just the outside, one then becomes ageless and forever young. It does not only keep your body fit. The series helps improve skills of concentration, patience, determination and self-control, increasing mental clarity and reduces stress significantly. it might even be just the thing you need in order to veer away, even for a couple of hours, from all the problems and stress in life.

Photos of Tauranga, New Zealand

La Union Weekend

A surf board, cold beer and a great set of friends. These are what makes a perfect weekend in the lively beach of San Juan, La Union. La Union is probably one of the most tourist-friendly beaches there is where you can enjoy a perfect balance of fun and relaxation, offering watersports such as surfing and skimboarding, good food to tickle your palate and a good lively crowd to keep you company. A normal day on the beach would always include a scene of surfers both local and international, visitors from Manila or nearby cities lying in the sun for some touch of tan, while others are taking it slow with their ice cold beer. I would regularly go here with my friends on long weekends to catch a wave. During the day we would surf with our trusted instructor, Budz and his company, and at night we would have a delicious dinner at the resort, and hang around for a couple of rounds of drinks. We would always stay in Sebay Resort as it was one of the most popular ones, cheap and decent. They also serve good food and drinks, which are about everything we need to have for a feel good weekender. Feel free to browse our photos :)

-photos by Liam Navarro and Apol Ortiz

It's Boracay, Not Bora!

I don't intend to admonish anyone of you for the continued the sacrilege of our beautiful island's name. Boracay vs Bora? Two syllables sure is a lot easier than three. But I hope you give it some thought. Bora-bora is an island in the French Polynesia which is also breathtakingly beautiful. And since it was named as the most popular tropical island in the world, it doesn't need much introduction. Boracay is of course, our very own tropical paradise. It is definitely the most popular beach destination in the Philippines, but when you call it Bora instead of Boracay, the clueless tourist in front of you might think you are talking about Bora-bora. It doesn't do any good for us. Instead of creating confusion whenever you are raving about your incredible island experience, let's help promote our very own Boracay by calling it by it's proper name. It doesn't hurt to add just that one last syllable to help create our mark. Surely, it needs some getting used to, but remember that just by keeping it's name intact in your conversations, it will already be a great contribution in promoting not only the island itself, but our country's tourism as a whole. Remembering these four words don't really require too much effort, does it? IT'S BORACAY, NOT BORA.

Photos by Liam Navarro

my travel journal: christchurch, new zealand

I fell in love with this nice little town called Christchurch. The center was very small and yet you could find everything you need. The park was bustling with people. There were kids running around while musicians played at the corner. Food stalls scattered around the area and the smell of fish and chips aroused my appetite. There is a huge crowd on one side watching an interesting game of giant chess pieces .

The street is lined up with poles where colorful flowers hung and the cute little tourist train would come by every now and then across this charming and quaint city.

On a nice sunny day in this small town, I was amazed at how people lay around this historical monument half naked to get some tan. I guess you don't only do that in beaches. That's what I call resourcefulness.