Kundalini Yoga and Sound Healing Workshop @ Breathe Yoga

The five of us - Marisa, Robert, Madonna, Francesca and moi 

A didgeridoo? A what?? A didgeridoo!! It's an ancient Australian indigenous instrument used for healing. And yes, instead of a Gong that's typically used in Kundalini Yoga, we integrated various sound healing modalities and chanting in our first ever workshop together.

Oudine Santos spotted the three of us Kundalini Yoga teachers at the Global Mala event last September. She wanted us three  to conduct a workshop in her yoga studio called Breathe which is located all the way down in the South in Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna. 
So, yesterday was a powerful combination of Kundalini Yoga and Sound Healing workshop  called "Awaken the True You: Inner Beauty IS Outer Beauty." The workshop was designed to balance the mind, clear out the subconscious garbage, let go the past emotions and experiences that's been holding one back from moving forward.  The goal was to align the Self with the True Self, SatNam which means, truth is my identity. Timing-wise, the workshop was perfect  for the coming new year 2016. We wanted to create some kind of shift so that the experiences will be new, pure and based on the present instead of mixed with the old subconscious garbage that's been clouding everything in life.
The workshop participants who came as far as Antipolo, Quezon City, Makati and within the Laguna and Cavite area were amazing. We warned the mostly first timers in Kundalini Yoga that it was going to be challenging and they can pull back anytime for as long as they can imagine that they are doing the poses. Believe it or not, they kept on and persevered the whole four-hours!!
The workshop had four parts. The first part was a series of kriyas (set of yoga poses) led by me to synchronize the brain and clear out all the negatives - negative thoughts, feelings, emotions that have been stuck in the body.  
Here's a short video:
The second part was two vigorous pranayam sets led by Madonna "Sach Dyan" English, to handle self as anger, frustration, grief and sorrow were released and to clear the way to happiness. The third part was a series of meditation and chanting led by Marisa HarNadh to hear the inner voice, synchronize with the open heart and connect with the Diamond Light which is a high frequency energy that brings love, compassion and creativity. 

Madonna "Sach Dyan" English

Marisa HarNadh

Crystal tibetan bowl, wind chimes and didgeridoo

Robert played the didgeridoo to clear any remaining stagnant emotion and energy and to lift the vibration up. Francesca accompanied him by playing the crystal Tibetan bowl and wind chimes. The effect is to activate the root chakra, the sense of self and connect with the sixth chakra, intuition. The end was the sound vibration from the tankdrum which was tuned to 432 Hz to activate the heart's energetic field.
With the positive feedback that we're receiving, we just might be inclined to offer more healing workshops for 2016.  Watch out for us!!!  Wahe Guru!

Moi leading the first part 

The last part was the sound healing with Robert Green and Francesca de Guzman-Warnke. 

The five of us live to serve. What we want for everyone is to begin to feel a new level of self-love and for all to live more happily and hopefully, more fulfilled. 

I Survived the Master Cleanse Diet

Yes,  I did survived the Master Cleanse Diet a.k.a. Lemon Diet and no, I am not following Beyonce who dropped 20 lbs for her Dreamgirls role or Jared Leto who shed 62 lbs for his role in Chapter 7.

This cleanse was recommended by my Theta Healing teacher Sanaiyah Gurnamal after taking the intense three-week Intuitive Anatomy course.  She advised to do the cleanse  to complement all the emotional release [that happened during the course] with physical release, the actual elimination of toxins in the body.

The Master Cleanse is a ten-day juice fast introduced by Stanley Burroughs in the 1940s. The benefits are as follows: to dissolve and eliminate toxins and congestion that have formed in any part of the body, to cleanse the kidneys and the digestive system, to purify the glands and cells throughout the entire body, to eliminate all unusable waste and hardened material in the joints and muscles, to relieve pressure and irritation in the nerves, arteries and blood vessels, to build a healthy blood stream and to keep youth and elasticity regardless of years. This is also good to take when sickness has developed (for acute or chronic conditions), the digestive system needs a rest, overweight has become a problem and for better assimilation and building of body tissue is needed.

Well, to tell you the truth, this is my second attempt. The first time I did it, which is right after the course, I lasted only five days. My body started shaking and I was afraid that I wouldn't make my scheduled trip to Los Angeles because I was feeling weak and frail.

I tried again right after the Disease and Disorder Theta Healing course. This time, I made sure I stayed home most of the time. I also eased down on my food intake  two days before the cleanse.

For those who want to try, the recipe is easy to make:
2 tablespoons of organic lemon or lime (or 1/2 a lemon)
2 tablespoons of grade B organic maple syrup
1/10 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
8 oz distilled water at room temperature

The organic lemon or lime is available in any of the organic stalls at the Salcedo or Legaspi weekend market and the rest are available in any Healthy Options branch. I like the lemon variety from Baguio because they're bigger.

Just combine the juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper in a 10-oz jar with lid and fill with distilled water. Shake it up and drink.  Note that you can't take anything else during the ten day fast. This means, strictly no other food or even vitamins and supplements. Peppermint tea is the only allowed drink.

I made at least two to three liters of this mix and stored it in a one quart container which I carried with me wherever I went.  It is also strongly recommended to drink a laxative tea like Traditional Medicine's Smooth Move blend in the evening before going to bed and to drink a quart of warm water mixed with two tablespoons of Epsom salt first thing in the morning.

Warning though, the cleanse does not end after ten days. There is a protocol on how to break the fast which requires another 3-5 days depending if you're a vegetarian or not.

For vegetarians, drink several 8 oz glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice slowly on the first and second day after the cleanse.  The orange juice apparently prepares the digestive system to properly digest and assimilate regular food. Raw fruit can be taken for lunch on the third day, followed by fruit or raw vegetable salad at night.

For non-vegetarians, same protocol on the first day and on the second day, vegetable soup may be taken for dinner. The third day, orange juice in the morning and more soup for lunch and dinner. Normal eating may be resumed on the fourth day.

I actually felt strong during the first six days of the cleanse. It was only on the seventh day when I felt faint and weak. In fact, I almost collapsed during my hot yoga class. I was wondering why I was mumbling as I called out the poses.  I tried waving to my  co-teacher Edel Tubog who was in the front row. Since she didn't respond, I gathered all my strength and commanded my body to finish the class. Edel said after the class that she couldn't see me because she wasn't wearing her eyeglasses.

Also, my eyesight deteriorated on the 6th day of the cleanse. I couldn't read or use the computer. I guess since I have astigmatism, my eyesight corrected? I'm not sure what happened. I can see normally now.  I'm supposed to do a liver cleanse which will help improve my eyesight.

I may do the liver cleanse after I do the master cleanse again. Yup, I plan to do another one after the holidays.  Stanley Burroughs recommended doing the cleanse every 4 to 6 months.

To those who have weight loss as a goal, please try not to go back to your eating habits. If you eat consciously, you will sustain the weight that you lose.  Believe me, you will definitely lose weight. From 54 kilos,  I went all the way down to 47 kilos and now, I have maintained my weight to 50 kilos.  So eat well after to sustain your weight loss! Good luck!

Kundalini Yoga Retreat to Awaken the Warrior Within in Puerto Princesa on November 20-22

I'm quite excited about the upcoming yoga retreat called "Kundalini Yoga to Awaken the Warrior Within" that I'll be facilitating in Bahay Kalipay in Puerto Princesa, Palawan on November 20 to 22, 2015.  Its the only natural healing enter in the Philippines that offers supervised 100% raw food enzyme diet.

I keep coming back to this place. It's the only holistic healing center in the Philippines that offers 100% raw food enzyme diet in a serene environment conducive to self-healing. I remember the first time I had set foot in Bahay Kalipay was way back in 2009 (read post here).

The yoga retreat is really all about fighting the demons within that's holding you back and preventing you from moving forward in life.

Deng Ming-Dao in 365 Tao said "A warrior will have many opponents in a lifetime, but the ultimate opponent is the warrior's own self. Within a fighter's personality is a wide array of demons to be conquered: fear, laziness, ignorance, selfishness, egotism and so many more. To talk of overpowering other people is inconsequential. To actually overcome one's own defects is the true nature of victory."

The yoga retreat as the title says will awaken the warrior spirit which is basically instilling self-love, courage and fearlessness. But first it requires to clear up all the fears, resentments, regrets, habitual patterns, in other words, all the demons. At the end, hopefully, all those who attend  will be able to use the tools to help cope with obstacles and issues that life throws each day and like what everyone wants, lead a happy and healthy life.

For this retreat, I would ask the participants to start asking "what are you holding onto that is restricting your ability to flow and leaving you feeling insecure and powerless?" If you do go to this retreat, all you'll be doing is to go within and allow yourself to let go and just be.

If you'd like to join this yoga retreat, contact Bahay Kalipay at +63-927 547-7871 or email bahaykalipayretreats@gmail.com. 

21 Stages of Meditation with Gurucharan Singh in Los Angeles

with Gurucharan Singh

Unbelievable that I was able to do 2 1/2 hours of Sodarshan Kriya. This is a powerful pranayama meditation which involves suspending the breath with the synchronized pumping of the navel with each chant of Wahe Guru for a total of 48 pumps.  Yogi Bhajan said that "of all the twenty two types of yoga, including Kundalini Yoga, this is the highest kriya. The meditation cuts through all darkness. The kriya means the perfect purification of the chakras. It will give you a new start. It is the simplest kriya, but at the same time, the hardest."

I am grateful to Dr. Gurucharan Kaur Khalsa for helping me sit through 2 1/2 hours. His 21 Stages of Meditation course helped me dive deep within.  The course was a total of six days in West Hollywood in Los Angeles. We started by doing 11-minutes meditation first, then gradually increased to 31-minutes, 62 minutes and finally the grand finale was the 2 1/2 hours of Sodarshan.

He said that "Meditation helps us develop our intuition which is a natural capacity within each of us that empowers us to relax, flow and be happy in our lives. With intuition, our core anxieties decrease and our minds can become still. We are fully engaged and alert in every moment as we let the Unknown serve us. The opposite of this meditative capacity is the frantic emotional and intellectual grasping for control that most of us live in from day to day."

with Tommy Rosen

It was the email of Tommy Rosen that prompted me to join the course. I was in Canggu, Bali in Guru Dass' Level 2 Conscious Communication course when I read his email.  Note that I was introduced to Tommy Rosen' when a friend, with a substance use disorder,  gave me a copy of his book entitled "Recovery 2.0". My friend said that the book changed his life and  helped him through his own recovery process and I must read it to help others. Since then I've subscribed to  Tommy Rosen, who has been in long term recovery and discovered kundalini yoga along the way. 

In that email he wrote "My wife and I took the course from Gurucharan last August and it was one of the most powerful experiences we've yet had. The effects continue to even now... The strength of my recovery and joy in my life depends upon me penetrating beyond the clutter and confusion of my mind to a deeper state of calm. This beautiful state is accessible by anyone as long as they have a good teacher and willingness to try... Gurucharan wrote the book and designed the 21 Stages course with Yogi Bhajan. It is very special to be able to take the course directly from him...  I consider this to be some of the most important work we can be doing, which is to get in touch with our True Nature, to gain mastery over our minds and live authentically from our hearts. If this resonates with you, register today." 

It did resonate. I registered immediately and in two months, Gurucharan was right n front of me teaching the three stages on how to develop the tendencies of the mind. It was mind blowing and I believe I'll do this course again. Sat nam.

Bring Prosperity to your Life at Global Mala 2015

at the Global Mala Project

Grateful to be part of this year's Global Mala Project in Manila on September 26 at White Space. Teresa Herrera-Anthony set up this event to be part of the worldwide collective celebration and service. There are over 150 countries participating on this day.

A 'mala' is a garland made up of 108 beads that is used during meditation. The purpose of the Global Mala Project is to bring the global yoga community together to form a 'mala around the earth' through collective practices based upon the sacred cycle of 108.

Teresa shares the vision of her teacher, Global Mala Project founder Shiva Rea, who put out a call to action in 2007 to make a difference by sending out loving energy to all life. Teresa  said "We're using yoga as a platform to promote health, wellness, consciousness and action." All the proceeds of the event will go to the Children International Philippines Foundation.

For the event, I prepared a kundalini yoga kriya and meditation to 'Bring Prosperity to your Life'. The intention is to be able to open up to the infinite opportunities  by activating the heart and brain centers. By opening up the heart center, it will increase compassion and sensitivity to others which is also in line with the Global Mala intention of bring people together through yoga, peace and social change.

Prosperity is not just about wealth and income. As defined, it is the state of being prosperous. So, you can be prosperous in peace, in kindness, in relationships, in time, in success, and others. Yogi Bhajan, the founder of Kundalini Yoga in the United sates said that prosperity "is like a rosebud when it flowers and opens up and shares its fragrance... When a man or woman is prosperous, it is the fragrance of security, grace, depth, character and truthfulness that a person can share. Like a candle emits light, a human emits prosperity. Prosperity begins with our internal attitude, and flows outwardly. When we connect with an internal attitude of prosperity, we become like a magnet. The abundance of the universe flows to us with out stopping."

I ended the session with Yogi Bhajan's 3 laws of prosperity, which if put into practice will adjust one's attitude completely. It's very simple and universal. First, be kind to everyone. Second, never speak ill of others. And lastly, never speak ill of yourself. Satnam.

Photos at the event:

warming up for the kundalini yoga kriya

with Teresa Herrera-Anthony, Malu and Liana

Birthday happiness and Kundalini Yoga in Siargao

Double happiness!! I'm so happy to be back in my favorite destination in the Philippines to celebrate my birthday and happy to share my current love which is Kundalini Yoga with special friends living in the island of Siargao. 

It was a perfect holiday! We started the day early with a two-hour kundalini yoga and meditation session led by yours truly and our host BFF Gai Olivares served raw food breakfast as we soaked up some prana. 

The theme of the three-day Kundalini Yoga workshop was to release inner anger.  The sets were quite intense and I was amazed that everyone was able to keep up. The workshop was designed to restore personal power and move through blocks to hopefully create some shifts in the short time that we were together. At the end of the workshop, they can speak from the heart with less fear and begin to forgive themselves for the past and look to the future with hope and positive energy. 

Susan, Aileen, moi, Feilani, Joie and our host Gai

I asked for some feedback and Susan B. wrote "Over the three days, Rosan took us through a process of acknowledging the emotion, ones that we all have repressed and provided us with a safe place to bring things to the surface. It was challenging at times but the release was very clear. We worked on opening the heart chakra and after the third class, I was able to openly communicate things to my partner that I had held back from sharing. I'm grateful to have had this opportunity and look forward to attending more classes with Rosan." 

Do you understand why I was so happy on my birthday? I'm finally being of service to others, elevating others. I've set this intention in the beginning of the year and I am grateful to be guided and witness my intentions come to fruition. 

Marcela, moi, Aileen, Caroline, Joie, Gai and Susan

Breakfast view

Ricky, TonTon, moi, Kitty, Gai, Lee and Malu

Of course the trip wouldn't have been a birthday fete without some R&R. Malu, Kitty, Jomi, Tonton and Ricky flew in to join. We went around Siargao and Malu and Nicolas played a round of golf.

The highlight was the boat trip to Dako Island onboard Lee's boat called the Galatea. Dako means 'big' in Visayan. The island is the biggest of the three islands in Siargao.

We were the only tourists on the island that day. Lee grilled some fresh caught fish and chicken and served salad, vegetables, pasta and fruits for lunch.

The trip was definitely special filled with laughter and joy. Happiness indeed and grateful to everyone especially Gai!

Onboard the Galatea

Naked Island

happy revelers

Sama Sama Seva @ Yoga+ during International Yoga Day

I'm grateful that a lot of yogis from all over Metro Manila turned up today at Yoga+'s "Sama Sama Seva for Nepal" in Makati. It's a full day event of various yoga classes, meditation and talks from 6:30am to 8:00pm.

The proceeds of the event was earmarked for the earthquake relief effort in Nepal, specifically, to the Laksmi Orphanage and Bdhanikantha Model Community Academy.

The timing was perfect because today,  June 21 was declared the International Day of Yoga, the first ever celebration and an acknowledgement of the benefits of this over 6,000 year old practice.

I taught a Kundalini Yoga set to relieve stress and increase vitality. The first part was a powerful and energetic kriya to tune up the nervous system and the second part was a meditation to create sensitivity within, a calm and cozy effect to be able to withstand the pressures of the mind and other perceived fears.

Full house at the Kundalini Yoga class

I was surprised to have 52 yogis in the class. Since I've started with Kundalini Yoga in 2013, this practice has not really picked up yet in Manila. This made me reminisce  my ashtanga days in the early 2000s when it was just a handful of us doing the class at Bela Lipat's place.

I'm happy that the yogis who joined the class were open, stayed for the 90-minute duration of the class and were beaming when they stepped out. Here are some photos taken by Yoga+ during the event:

I know this is shameless plugging, but for those who'd like to try Kundalini Yoga, I teach every Monday night from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at the Romulo Peace Center located at the top floor of Century Plaza, 120 Perea St., Legazpi Village, Makati. Satnam!

List of Philippine holidays for 2015

Happy new year!  Here's my annual list of Philippine holidays. It's good to start the year right by writing down your resolutions, goals for the year and even plan out your 'rest' breaks by taking a vacation. Yes, plan your holidays. Even the famous Renaissance artist, Leonardo da Vinci, recommends to take a break. He said "Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to work and your judgement will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen." 

The list of nationwide holidays was announced by the government as early as July 23, 2014 via Proclamation No. 831. I'm posting the dates today to include all recently announced holidays like for example, the five-day holiday to give way to Pope Francis' visit. 

For this year, there are five 3-day weekends and two 4-day weekends plus next week's 5-day weekend. I'm a fan of Pope Francis so I'll be sticking around next week.

Here's the regular and special holidays for 2015:

January 1 (Thu)  - New Year's Day
January 2 (Fri)  -  Additional special non-working day
January 9 (Fri) - Feast of the Black Nazarene (Manila only) 
January 15, 16 and 19 (Thu-Fri, Mon) -  Special non-working days to give way to the visit of Pope Francis

February 19 (Thu) - Chinese New Year (special non-working day)
February 25 (Wed) - EDSA Revolutionary anniversary (special holiday)

April 2 (Thu) - Maundy Thursday 
April 3 (Fri)  - Good Friday
April 4 (Sat) - Black Saturday
April 9 (Thu) - Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor)

May 1 (Fri) - Labor Day

June 12 (Fri) - Independence Day

August 21 (Fri) - Ninoy Aquino Day
August 31 (Mon) - National Heroes Day

November 1 (Sun) - All Saint's Day
November 30 (Mon) - Bonifacio Day

December 24 (Thu) - Additional special non-working day
December 25 (Fri) - Christmas Day
December 30 (Wed) - Rizal Day
December 31 (Thu) - Last Day of the year

The national holidays for the observance of Eid'l Fitr (Feast of Breaking the Fast or end of Ramadan) and Ediul Adha (Feast of Sacrifce) shall be announced after the approximate dates of the Islamic holidays have been determined with the Islamic calendar (Hijira) or the lunar calendar. So far, the estimated dates are: Eid'l Fitr on July 17 (Fri) and Ediul Adha on September 23 (Wed).