One of my colleagues in Cebu recently started attending yoga classes. When I was there last June I got the chance to attend one. But it wasn’t just an ordinary yoga class. It was a yoga and meditation class that will be held in a Buddhist temple, the very first time that the Surya Nanda Yoga studio organized.
It looks to be a promising experience so despite our tired bodies (coming from an outing the day before), we woke up early Sunday morning to attend the yoga class. There were a lot of participants, ranging from the young to the senior citizens and with different yoga experiences. Newbies like us and veteran yoga practitioners all joined together in a one-hour sweat-inducing, body-flexing yoga class.
After the yoga, we immersed in a 30-minute meditation with Mr. Erwin Go from the Chu Un temple. It was a very relaxing experience and something that we can all practice in our daily routines.
The registration fee of Php 200 included a vegetarian breakfast after the yoga and meditation session. We all feasted on tofu, mushrooms and fruits. It was a different breakfast spread from the usual tapsilog and tosilog but it was a great way to end the program. We went home with a clearer mind and a happy tummy.
I was able to talk with Ms. Jean Torrefranca, one of the owners of Surya Nanda studio and she mentioned that their group frequents the meditation sessions of Mr. Go every Thursday nights. Their yoga studio is less than a year old but their classes are always full, according to my colleague who goes there. Even doctors and lawyers who are regulars in the yoga classes mentioned that yoga helps them in their cases by clearing their minds and bodies. Surya Nanda’s yoga classes are also way cheaper than in Manila which makes me wish it was also that affordable here. If it is, I’ll be sure to go weekly.
All in all it was a great experience and something that I will try again soon when there’s an opportunity.