MANILA, Philippines?You could be a harassed corporate raider looking for a comparatively gentle way to move your body and banish stress at the same time. You could be an athlete recovering from a bad knee injury, or a pretty young thing who simply wants to acquire a much-vaunted ?yoga butt.? Or maybe you?re just searching for?something.

The point is, whatever and whoever you are, you?re welcome in a yoga class. And based on the number of yoga studios that have opened in the city in the last few years, this 5,000-year-old practice, named after the Sanskrit word for ?to yoke? or ?to unite,? is here to stay in Manila.

Once a pursuit shrouded in mysticism and practiced only by ?flower children? in the ?60s, yoga boomed in the west after celebrities like Madonna and Sting declared their devotion to it.

According to the ?Yoga in America? study sponsored by Yoga Journal magazine, 15 million Americans practiced yoga in 2004, and are spending a whopping $27 billion on yoga products every year. The marketing monolith that is the West has even turned yoga?a complex system of beliefs of which the physical poses or asana are just one part?into an industry of hybrids and spin-offs, with yoga-and-surfing cruises and vacations, yoga for golfers, and even (totally irrelevant) yoga shoes being peddled aggressively.

It has certainly come a long (and sometimes convoluted) way from the poses first put into writing for posterity by the Indian sage Patanjali thousands of years ago.

Many attribute yoga?s global comeback to the fact that more and more people are appreciating the mind-body connection, and yoga has proven that it can meet all or any of your needs-even those on a more ?profound? level.

?Yoga is the art of rebalancing yourself physically and mentally so that you reintegrate yourself with that which is peaceful, harmonious, and joyous within you,? says Joelle Goudsmit, Yoga Director of Pulse Yoga.

?Personally, it?s meant increased self-awareness on all levels, a healthier lifestyle, a quieter mind, an excellent outlet for emotions, a more balanced life?in short, life is good and much better than it ever was,? says Berta Feliciano, President of Yoga Manila.

Then again, regular practice can bring even the most seemingly mundane changes. ?Yoga can address individual, immediate, or long-term needs,? says Iyengar Yoga Center Manila?s Director Rina Ortiz, ?but really, it can be as simple as being able to hop into a vehicle with greater ease.?
?When I started Bikram yoga, I was 204 lbs, had a 38-inch waist, three operations on my knees, and scoliosis,? recounts Tristan Choa, Studio Director of Bikram Yoga Manila. ?I am now 165 lb with a 32-inch waist, my scoliosis has corrected slightly, allowing me to be a bit taller, and my knees are in much better shape.?

So the question now is, which yoga is best for you? It is helpful to think of yoga as one beautiful song, with the different styles being different arrangements of the same uplifting melody.
This article presents four of the main yoga studios in the city, offering a range of yoga styles.

The first thing for the aspiring practitioner to do is to be clear about his or her intentions, but to remember that there is strictly no right or wrong agenda, and yoga is for all. Don?t be afraid if you really do just want that butt, because no teacher or studio has the right to judge you for that.

Don?t be afraid that you will have to change religion, give up meat, or stop having sex (some of the biggest misconceptions about yoga?s ?requirements?). Although some styles of yoga recommend certain lifestyle changes, yoga is a personal journey?the transformations happen only if and when you let them happen. Keep an open mind, try different classes, ask questions, don?t push too hard, see where you feel most comfortable and remember that yoga can only do you good. As the yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar has said, ?Yoga ferried me across the great river from the bank of ignorance to the shore of knowledge and wisdom.? That?s certainly some wisdom anybody could use.

The author is a soon-to-be freelance editor and writer, an instructor at the Iyengar Yoga Center Manila, and mother to a 4-year-old yellow lab named Banana. Yoga changed her life six years ago, and continues to do so.

BIKRAM YOGA MANILA
1503 88 Corporate Center
141 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, Makati
Tel. no. 8891011

5/F CKB Centre
203 T. Morato Avenue, Quezon City
Tel. no. 3764632

www.bikramyogamanila.com
Tristan Choa, studio director

Choa runs the first sanctioned Bikram Yoga studio in the Philippines, and was certified as a Bikram instructor in December 2004. He has been teaching Bikram yoga for three years, and personally practicing for five years.

What it is: A style of yoga originated by yoga master Bikram Choudry. ?Bikram yoga is a challenging series of 26 postures done in a heated room over a 90-minute period,? explains Choa. ?The series is designed to provide a comprehensive workout that increases the body?s strength, balance, and flexibility. It is done in a hot room to make the muscles more pliable, allowing a safer stretch during class.? The philosophy, Choa says, is to keep your mind in tune with your body during class, as all practitioners listen intently to the teacher and keep a slow rhythm of breath. Each studio can fit about 45 people, with about 15-20 students per class. There are several classes a day; check website for schedules.

The benefits: Both physical and mental, says Choa. ?Bikram yoga has helped so many of our students become more calm, less stressed, tense, or angry, more patient, more focused.? There are students who have reported tremendous weight loss, banished body pains, and increased flexibility and range of motion.

If you?re new in class, you should expect? ?The best thing is to have no expectations,? Choa says, ?do the best you can, and have fun.? Expect to feel a bit ?strange? or to have a hard time in some postures that demand more of your body. Also, breathing in a hot room may take some getting used to, but Choa assures that you will soon adjust.

IYENGAR YOGA CENTER MANILA
21st Floor, LKG Tower, 6801 Ayala Ave., Makati
Tel. nos. 7534495 and 0917-5359711

www.iyengaryogamanila.com
Rina Ortiz, founder and director

Ortiz has been practicing yoga for 10 years and teaching for six, and she tried a variety of styles before devoting herself to Iyengar yoga. She holds a Junior Intermediate Level 2 certification from the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, India, the birthplace of Iyengar yoga. She is backed up by five other teachers, three of whom have also trained in Pune.

What it is: A style of yoga originated by yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar. Sometimes considered the most meticulous of the yoga styles, Iyengar yoga emphasizes precision, proper posture, and alignment through a series of poses done in a specific sequence, but held for a longer time. Classes progress through the month, beginning with standing poses, and moving through forward bends, backbends, and inversions. Classes?beginners? and general?have an average of eight to 10 students.

The benefits: ?I could write a meter-long list of benefits, ranging from the simple, like being able to pick up a child with greater ease, to the more serious, like controlling your blood sugar, stabilizing your mood, or managing diabetes,? Ortiz says. ?We have a teacher who was cured of clinical depression by diligent practice. You come to class to learn about asana, but as the lessons progress, the learning deepens. The deeper you go, the greater the impact on mind, breath, and body?the ?holy trinity? of health.?

If you?re new in class, you should expect? ?to be a bit confused,? Ortiz says with a laugh, ?because the instructions can be very specific. But give it time. Don?t be afraid if you can?t touch your toes, because it?s not a competition; we respect the differences in every body. And expect to work muscles that you never thought you had?and coming away with some sore ones, but with a very light feeling.? Ortiz reminds students to come in tight-fitting tops and bottoms that show the knees to allow teachers to see how your muscles work.

PULSE YOGA
Pulse Studio Greenhills
23 Florida Street, Greenhills 1501,
Mandaluyong City, tel. nos 7217900 and 0917-84PULSE

Pulse Studio Makati
2255 Avocado St., Dasmariñas Village
1221 Makati City, tel. nos. 4684165 and 0917-5323972

info@pulse-yoga.com
Joella Goudsmit, yoga director

Goudsmit is one of four full-time and three part-time certified teachers at Pulse Yoga, the only Yoga Alliance-registered school in the Philippines. She has been practicing yoga and Pilates for the last nine years. She began learning Ashtanga yoga in Mysore, India in 2005, and has been living half the year there since 2006 to pursue studies at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute. She holds certifications in Hatha yoga (through the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center) and Ashtanga Vinyasa (through David Swenson?s and Alexander Medin?s teacher training courses), and is also a (Polestar) mat Pilates certified teacher.

What it is: Pulse Yoga actually offers different kinds of classes, based on the belief that ?there is a different type of yoga for each person, depending on which stage of life you are at, your current fitness level, and your fitness goals,? says Goudsmit. ?Perhaps you?d even like to do a different kind of yoga on different days, depending on how you are feeling or the specific goals you have.? Thus, there are multiple classes in diverse styles, with a limit of 15 people per class. Hatha classes begin with simple breathing exercises, followed by yoga postures that focus on releasing body joints, and ending with a long, guided relaxation. In Hot Flow classes, a specific series of linked poses is done in a heated room. In Power classes, which draw heavily from the Ashtanga yoga tradition, a series of energizing Sun Salutations begins the class, followed by standing and balancing poses, forward bends, twists, and backbends.
The benefits: ?Yoga balances the body as it activates the internal organs and the glands,? Goudsmit says in a nutshell. ?It stills the mind, bringing us the quiet we need to remain focused and productive.?

If you?re new in class, you should expect? ?a first-time client assessment with a studio staff member, lots of attention in a beginner-friendly class, and the opportunity to ask the teacher whatever questions you might have over a cup of tea after class,? promises Goudsmit.

YOGA MANILA
Greenwich Clubhouse, Luna corner Edades Sts., Corinthian Gardens, Quezon City

Century Plaza Penthouse, 120 Perea St, Legaspi Village, Makati City

405 Bougainvilla corner Sanggumay, Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City

Tel. no. 0917 -522YOGA

www.yogamanila.com
Berta Feliciano, president

Feliciano is part of the alliance of several teachers who teach at Yoga Manila, mainly in the Ashtanga tradition. She has been practicing for six years and is a registered yoga teacher with a 200-hour Yoga Alliance certification. She is set to complete her 500-hour advanced certification this year.

What it is: A style of yoga originated by yoga master Pattabhi Jois. Ashtanga yoga, considered the most athletic of the yoga styles, is ?a dynamic style of yoga that incorporates breath and movement with aspects of cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility training,? says Feliciano. The set series of memorized poses are meant to build up one?s ability to tackle the succeeding poses, in addition to developing a meditative practice from getting ?lost? in the flow. The studio has some 30-50 regular Ashtanga practitioners, although other classes are offered. Check website for schedules.

The benefits: ?It?s an excellent way to work one?s body up to an increased state of health by addressing strength, flexibility, and stamina,? Feliciano says. ?I think that all yoga is good?simply different paths that ultimately lead to the same goal of achieving inner tranquility through heightened self-awareness. ?

If you?re new in class, you should expect? ?As soon as the first class, one is already able to reap the benefits of the mind-body connection through a focus on breath and movement,? Feliciano says. ?The experience of being in the moment while executing each pose is an excellent way to relieve stress by giving your mind a break from the never-ending stream of thoughts.? If you haven?t moved your body in a long time, the poses may initially be a challenge, but, Feliciano promises, the more comfortable you get, ?the less effort I have to exert, which allows my mind to be calm instead of screaming ?pain!? There?s no way to fully explain it?you just have to take the leap and join the class.?