Back In The Alps

I am again loving every minute of this charming place except for its cold, cold weather. My body aches for the sweat and the yoga practice that it is used to. Though I am still able to insert a practice here and there in our hotel room, it is the type of practice wherein it tests my own attachment of not completing the primary series. I held up well. My acceptance has made me detach from this thought. No matter how many Surya Namaskara A's and B's I do, it is still physically impossible for the muscles and joints to get "oiled" up in this freezing weather.


One consolation I look to is that I am aware that the the body burns more fat in very cold weather. With this in mind, I try my utmost best to control my food intake over here so I use up more of the fat in my body as opposed to adding to them. Food here is dairy, bread and pasta based. Carbohydrates overload to help keep warm. Though very yummy and are absolutely one of my favorite dishes, it is not very good at all for my "agni." I am desperately calling it my "controlled cheat week," eating at least a little bit of everything except meat. Thankfully, I still tread on the consciousness of what goes inside my body-- which is more warming foods and liquids.

A Healthy Holiday Treat

This week has not only been an advanced teacher training for me, (on a different aspect this time called prenatal yoga), this has also become a healthy retreat for both Angel and I. While here, we love the fact that we awake to the view of the beach everyday, we love that by walking it only takes 15 seconds to get to the retreat center and the beach. And best of all, we look forward to waking up to a delicious and sattvic buffet for brunch, dinner and even dessert!


Having to take this "add-on" course, just made me relive my Greenpath yoga teacher training experience all over again. With the same outline, it was so easy to get comfortable right away.


So, for a week, my day starts out at 7am everyday for meditation and pranayama. Then from 8 to 10am, a mysore class with other fellow ashtangis (who are here for other reasons), follow. Then I eat, swim in a salt water pool or the beach, and get to chill with hubby for 3 lovely hours. Then, starting from 2 until 4pm, my classmates and I start our prenatal lecture with Sonja. Then, from 4 to 6pm, our course practical. And 6pm onwards, swim, eat and chill all over again. This has been our schedule for the whole week. How good is that? :)


While my darling Angel lets me be in my quest to learn, he too has been maximizing his stay. To regenerate himself and wash away all the negative build-up, he has taken on relaxing his mind through long walks on the beach. And on his own, practices some deep breathing and meditation. Not only that, I am so proud he gave the effort to join yoga restorative classes, and even prouder for avoiding meat for the whole duration of his stay! I know that things will go back to normal once we leave this place, but at least he was able to detox in some way and breathe in new life once again before the 2nd half of his golfing season starts.
Go hubby! :)

Ahh, the bliss of it all here in Yoga Thailand. I am so grateful and thankful for this amazing opportunity. Not only do I feel blessed to be taught by Sonja Rzepski, our wonderful guru, she has also become our friend and mentor. Meeting new, and international friends is also another boon to be thankful for. And because there is only 7 of us in the class, there is much more of a personal connection involved.

How one week just flies. Our training has now come to an end. To finish with a bang, we designed our blueprint for a class, followed by a written exam (which we all aced) and a mini graduation on the beach! :)



Learning and at the same time restoring. This certainly was a holistic treat for the both of us. Healing from the inside out gave us a renewed sense of inspiration to keep on improving on our physical, emotional, and spiritual well being. This yoga retreat has somehow also restored our impaired view of many things, and has given us some sort of inner clarity with ourselves. In a way, we are reminded all over again on our journey towards self-awareness, love and acceptance. And most of all, this has recharged our batteries to take on once again the challenges of the chaotic world.

For Angel and I who have somehow turned into health conscious travelers, we will try our best to always make it a point in our lives to continue with our wellness adventure. This has taught us that it really is best to take some time out, and breathe, and make life anew.


I am grateful for all things around me and most of all I am forever thankful to my beloved husband and his eternal support of me in all the things I do. This blog is for you. I love you! Your patience and kindness never cease to overwhelm me.

Au Revoir Paris

Angelo and I are headed for home tomorrow! It's only been 14 days being away but we do miss home in Asia. Missing the food, the comfort, and the heat terribly! But Oh! What an adventure it has been for us to be in here in the city of love, life and light. It was indeed a pleasure to experience

driving,


golfing,


dining,


sight seeing,


and shopping


Aside from her rich history and culture, it is the romantic language, unorthodox atmosphere and seemingly dirty streets that make up part of her ironic charm. For us, that is worth coming back for. Maybe someday again.

Au revoir Paris! It really has been a wonderful experience!

My Practice In Paris

After much focus on my dearest husband's golfing week, I was able to finally find my "me" time even for just two days by getting some yoga practice done. I found two shalas which was close to our hotel. Even if it were cold inside the studio, it was still a treat to have shared energies with fellow Parisians on the mat. Ashtanga, no matter where you are, no matter how it is relayed, it is the same sequence everywhere you go.



Day 1: First shala: Samasthiti Studio. My teacher: Caroline Boulinguez.



This was a delightful practice for a led class. And for the first time I was able to touch base with the second series. It wasn't all of the asanas but instead bits and pieces of them taken out of primary and the secondary. It was just great! I loved how she put the poses together! I know that I haven't mastered the full primary yet, but for once I didn't feel stuck. I was able to venture out into some of the poses of secondary which I know I can do. It was a great practice. I felt light in spirit and inspired coming out of the class. Another great discovery that I will surely take with me home to practice in a future Mysore class, and perhaps even teach in a led class.

Thank you Caroline!




Day 2: Second shala: Ashtanga Yoga in Paris. My teacher: Linda Munro

Sadly, this just felt too rigid and serious for my taste. I felt more constricted rather than free flowing despite a Mysore class. I thought the beauty of a Mysore class was to learn more from a teacher's focus and adjustments on a student, and that you are free to ask for help getting into a pose. Apparently, I didn't feel that energy whatsoever. What I felt instead, was the teacher's fear and extreme caution. Like she was afraid of too many things for me. So instead of an invigorating practice, I honestly felt cut back and discouraged. We also sort of clashed on our theories on back bending. Thanks to her, I fell hard on my back on the drop backs.
Aside from her fearing for me, it was also judgmental of her to tell me what I can or cannot do. I was taken aback by her opinion of me. Was giving me modified options or steps on getting into a pose too much to ask? I'm sorry to say that her instincts of me as her first time student felt negative.

Nevertheless, I always try to see the good in everything else. Hence, I was still able to learn a new technique despite an unfulfilling practice on my part. Seeing that the flow of my practice was disrupted, my only consolation after much hinting with her, was that she finally was able to teach me very helpful steps on easing into kourmasana (even if she felt I wasn't ready for it). I know that every yoga advice in Ashtanga is different when you attend classes with different teachers. But my motto is, you'll never know until you've tried it, right? At least share the steps on how to get there is what I think. Anyway, all I can do then is take whatever I can that applies to me. And what she taught me, was very helpful in my practice of the tortoise pose. I thank her for that.

In conclusion, after my short practice here in Paris, new knowledge was gained. I look forward to sharing this when I head home. OM!

St. Omer, France (Open De Saint-Omer Tournament)

A provincial place where the air is fresh, and the climate much colder. A community more peaceful, clean and less hectic than Paris. Many say that there is nothing much to do. I don't mind it at all. I actually enjoy it. I love the fact that it is calm, quiet and mellow over here. Even the people (I feel) are much nicer and more attentive. Despite being a small event and quite far from the city, it is well worth coming to this place. To play in European soil once again is always a great experience.

The tournament week has begun. It is a Thursday and my Angelo is teeing off at 2:20pm. It may sound kind of late if you're used to Asia, but the sun sets really late over here. My guess is because it is summer? At 8pm the sun is still shining bright and it gets dark around 10:30pm. Every time I look out my hotel window, the cold summer nights are short, and I see longer days.. So as I write, it is almost 6pm and I am sitting by the terrace of the hotel, sipping my cup of tea and waiting for my beloved to finish on the 9th hole (he started on the back 9 first). Luckily it is a beautiful day today. The weather is just great albeit the weather forecast for today which was suppose to be windy and cold. Three days ago it was quite chilly when we arrived. Hopefully this is a good sign for us. As always, every event of my Angelo I pray for good days.

It is Friday and second round of the tournament. Just looking at the scores, my Angelo won't seem to make it. As always, I'm the one that feels sad and awful for him. But to him its just another week. So now we move on to the next tournament. I, with a heavy heart (which I will get over soon enough) and my love, still remains happy even though he's missed the cut. That's what I love about him. Always persevering, optimistic and finding the good in everything. Don't ever lose those traits my beloved.

Thankfully, our hotel room is complimentary for the week. Now my hubby's weekend is free to just relax with me. On Sunday is also our 3rd year wedding anniversary (June 20). We leave for Chantilly on that day and get a head start on practice. We plan on celebrating our blissful union after.

Thank you anyway St. Omer for the lovely experience. Without losing any confidence, my husband has learned a lot, and again has discovered new and better things with his game. Let's bring this new found feeling to the next tournament, shall we?

Back to Paris on Sunday! Bye for now!

From Paris With Love (Part Un)

Hello Paris! We are so happy to be here! Despite an almost 16 hour flight (but surprisingly we both had a restful slumber), here we are basking delightfully in the city of love, life and light. Fresh from the airport, we rented a car and drove to our hotel. As soon as we arrived, we set our luggages aside and didn't waste any more time. We went straight away to see a little of what Paris had to offer.

Just like any other tourist, but with a very short itinerary, Angelo and I tried our best to make the most out of it by contenting ourselves (for the meantime) with a bird's eye view of this beautiful city.

We started off by visiting the ever popular symbol of Paris which was only 15 minutes by walk from our hotel-- Le Tour Eiffel or the Eiffel Tower.

Then we took the river cruise down the Seine to get a glimpse of things to come.

On board now, we passed the 20 something bridges,

and we could only ogle from a distance: the Notre' Dame Cathedral,

American Cathedral,

Musee' D' Orsay,

The Military museum,



the Louvre,

Cour de Cassation (highest court in the French judiciary. It is also where Marie Antoinette awaits to be guillotined),

and Hotel Lombre (home to Voltaire, Mozart, and Chopin)

This is what we've experienced so far. More blogs and pics to follow.. We just had to see and be in Paris first before we headed to our real destination, St. Omer which is north of France. This is the whole reason of our coming here-- to play a golf tournament. St. Omer, a provincial part of France, and it is about 2 1/2 hours from the city. With our rented car and gps, we are driving all the way.

After this week, Angelo and I will have more time to see more of Paris when we head back on Monday. He will give it his best to qualify for the French Open. If he makes it, then we stay for 2 more weeks! :) Wish us luck!

I'll write again from St. Omer.. Keep you guys posted! Au revoir for now! :)

Island of the Gods

Is what Jeju Island is also known for.

Day 1: It's a bleak Monday and I'm here with my husband sitting in the clubhouse for now, eating and cowering from the cold and watching the heavy rain fall. The golfing week has begun with weather forecasts of downpour and chill on this island of Korea. But the weekend is looking slightly better though so I'm hoping to see a little sunshine at least and get some sightseeing going. But it is kind of hard. Not only is it expensive to get around, the signs are hard to read and the English language is scarce.
Hmm, what to do here then? Aside from the golf, I'll still try to get out there though and see why this is considered a touristy spot for Koreans..But I wonder why.... Keep you posted!...
The 18th green

Day 2: The sun is shining. My husband is on the golf course already getting a round out before the weather changes its mind. Meanwhile, I'm here in the clubhouse hanging out with friends and planning our sightseeing trip maybe for this afternoon and for tomorrow.

Day 3: The winds have changed and it's back to rain, fog, and cold. Its chillier now because of the stronger winds. Once again a gloomy setting has blanketed the place. Despite the overcloud, hubby was still able to get some practice done. Our plan to try and see (at least) a part of Jeju is still on.

Time to head out:

With the tourist brochures in hand, I had asked the front desk which were the best ones to go to. Coming from a native, the places we were interested to see, apparently were not the best places to go. And with little time we had, the places we wanted to check out were also quite far. So we felt that it really wasn't worth the expensive taxi trip. He instead recommended for us to go see Yeomiji located in the Jungmun resort. Yeomiji is only about 20 minutes from where we were staying. It is perfect then for my husband since he really didn't want to travel so far and get back so late (he tees off really early tomorrow).

Turns out Yeomiji is a botanical garden.
It is an edifice of all the different plant and flower gardens you could find. Another nature trip.. Hmmm, not exactly our cup of tea for now but it beats the redundance of seeing the golf course and hotel everyday.

To my surprise, many tourists of young and old were in there. I was honestly wondering what their fascination was with the botanical garden. I mean the old ladies and foggies, I could understand. But kids, teens and even yuppies?..I didn't think they'd have the patience for that. :) Maybe it was a field trip for the kiddies? Anyway, without a doubt, it is a nice and peaceful environment to be in.

Nothing exciting but calming instead. With the greenery all around and the relaxing sound of streaming water.. So I guess for the yups-- it is a nice lunch break escape. But for Angel and I, it would probably be the last place on our list to visit if something better came along. ;)

After just a fast tour, two minutes away from the garden was the Jungmun beach...

Sigh! With this dreary weather, we didn't enjoy ourselves either. Just a few fast photos and we called it a day. April for sure is truly not the best month to lay on the shores to get some sun. It's too cold, windy and raining! I asked the locals what their summer months were, and July and August are their warmest time to come and swim, surf, and scuba dive. This is the only time the island gets jam packed. Well, Angel and I really didn't feel like we were missing out. We both could enjoy all those activities with the heat included anytime back home in tropical Philippines! :)

So, what makes this island special? I just found out that Jeju is a top honeymoon destination for most Korean newlyweds and many Japanese. I guess the scenario of cold weather and frequent rains are romantic for them. In fairness though, the place and climate sort of reminds me of Long Island, New York. Gray but clean and somewhat dreamily pleasant. Also, did I mention that it is very pricey here too? Food, accommodations and taxi fares are quite hefty over here.

With very little sightseeing, we managed to make up for that by enjoying instead the scrumptious Korean food and their freshest seafoods for the whole week. My favorite being the Korean seafood pancakes , vegetable bi-bimbab and the sweetest fruits for dessert!

It is kind of hard to go on a low carb diet over here. Their sticky white rice is just too good! You just have to eat it with all the main dishes!
I could eat Korean food everyday and not get tired of it for a long awhile. :) Well, there goes the increase in my waistline! But thankfully I still burn calories in this very cold weather. And with my yoga mat always with me, I just turn up the heat and still manage to practice everyday. So you see, I still try to find some balance. :)

Day 4: First day of the tournament. In and out of the club and golf course all day. It's the fog that is disrupting play. I walked only 2 holes (wished I could have walked at least 7 more holes) and ended up staying at the club--waiting! Thankfully, Angel managed to finish a round of 18 holes and score a 1 under par (71).


Day 5: Its bright and sunny now this Friday but still chilly cold and extra windy. Play has been reduced to 54 holes instead of 72. My hubby plays his 2nd round on Saturday. Let's see if we make the cut. Weather forecast is looking good for tomorrow but who knows, weather here changes very fast. All you can do now is show up, play and hope for the best. (I'm crossing my fingers and praying for good luck!) :)

Day 6: Sunny Saturday and still cold and windy as yesterday. My beloved is out there. I'm going to watch him at the turn. Hang in there Babe!

..Just finished our 2nd round.. It was a cold and windy walk not just for me but for everyone.. The walk wouldn't have been that heavy if he hadn't miss the cut. But he did despite playing well. Tough luck!.. It never fails that I feel bad for him every time he doesn't make the cut in a tournament. Oh well, that's life on tour. I'll get over it soon enough.
Just so you know, when players miss the cut, they mostly change their flights and head home. We do the same, but unfortunately all flights are full so were sticking to our original schedule and fly home on a Monday. Maybe one more day to see the Island?...Maybe not. Were both too drained out. I think were just gonna chill on Sunday.

Day 7: Here we are just chilling in our room on a sunny but still cold and cozy Sunday. Might be doing some last minute outing with Korean friends. The plan is to go clay shooting. That's where they toss clay plates up in the air and you shoot it down with a shotgun. Never thought I'd experience that so let's see how it goes. :)

..Guess what? We did go. :) Most interesting afternoon. The clay shooting required using a shotgun. The power of the rifle the moment you pull the trigger was so strong, my right shoulder is now sore from it. Out of 20 shots, I hit 6 clay plates. Not bad for a first timer.

It didn't stop there. The boys wanted to do more and so we went and did pistol shooting. This time I used a 38 Smith and Wesson.
My score was not bad too at 15 meters. So much for me being a peace loving person--I became trigger happy for an afternoon. Now I know why for some, this is another form of release! But obviously not for me. :) I guess, I could say that this is the highlight of my trip. It was heart racing. Not my first to fire a pistol, but my very first to shoot with a bigger and more powerful rifle. And did I mention that the bullets and shells were real?.. Again for some, this is another way to let loose-- Fire away boys!

Day 8: All packed and ready to fly home. It was nice knowing you Jeju. Thanks for giving my husband a "not-so-good-time" for the 2nd time in two years. You weren't that friendly to us either with your weather. Hmm, I don't think I'll be coming back next year. So, Adios!

Summing up my trip here in Jeju, there are still many places Angel and I will probably never see, temples and museums we will never get to visit and majestic waterfalls we will never get to ogle at. One afternoon is just not going to cut it. What we saw this week wasn't the best of it but What can I say? My husband comes first. Supporting him by watching him play is more important than touring the island. It's the same routine in any other tournament he brings me along. Playing a tournament is what we came here for. Sightseeing is a distant second unless it is easy and accessible. It always boils down to time. And anyway, for me, enjoying the moment with your loved one no matter what country you're in, is always the best.