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