Gameplan: Anti-gravity yoga for newbies

MANILA, Philippines – We wake up every day to disheartening news, heavy traffic, and an unending workload. But instead of getting suffocated by these stress-inducing triggers, Sunlife Go Well ambassador Bubbles Paraiso said it is best to pause and meditate.  

“I always tell my friends this. Sometimes you know, go home, don’t play any music. Just keep quiet. Sit in the middle of the room and close your eyes. And just try to listen to everything around you. It’s desensitizing yourself also and being in the moment. Then once it hits you, when you open your eyes, everything is just so clear all of a sudden. People who hear this who haven’t done this would think that I’m crazy, but it works,” said Bubbles.

Yoga has been an essential part of shaping Bubbles’ mindset and well-being. “I swim, I bike, I run. I do a lot of yoga. It’s also about feeding your mind with everything that’s substantial. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. It’s all about time management. It’s all about how you’re going to spend your time and how productive you want to be,” she shared.

Yoga for newbies

Although she has embraced this lifestyle for a few years already, Bubbles maintains that anyone can do it as well. And that’s what Gameplan host Katz Salao decided to find out for herself as she joined Bubbles for a session of anti-gravity yoga.

“Bubbles is training twice a day and doing yoga. She’s eating healthy and eating well and fueling her body. She’s just a reminder that if I want to get somewhere, I should just start now,” said Katz.

Anti-gravity yoga combines traditional yoga, pilates, and dance with the use of a hammock. Even beginners with zero background in yoga are welcome.

“Whenever I would suck doing the pose, it was because I was second-guessing the move. But when Bubbles was encouraging me to just trust myself and trust the hammock, that’s when I was able to do the poses better, even if it was my first time,” said Katz.

“Your practice is your practice. It’s different from whoever is beside you on the mat. Because if you keep comparing yourself to others, the progress of other people, then you’re going to be unhappy,” advised Bubbles.

Changing mindsets

As much as yoga strengthens muscles and enhances flexibility, the practice also shapes the mind and nurtures the being.

“I got more conscious of what I put inside my body. It also helped me function better because I’m more mindful [of] everything that I do. Every time I feel irked about something, I’m like, ‘Nope, you’re not going to have power over me.’ So I just let go,” said Bubbles.

There doesn’t need to be a lot of time spent or a grand event to tell ourselves to start embracing a more holistic lifestyle. Preparing our own food, fueling our bodies right, and spending 30 minutes to work out every day brings us one step closer to living better, more well-rounded lives.

“Sometimes we think that our bodies are robots or are machines and it’s just a pattern. I don’t really listen to what my body needs. Today taught me that you really have to give your body what you feel it needs, not just follow whatever trend is out there,” Katz said.

“It’s really about the choices that you make, and changing your mindset. We always have a thousand and one excuses. And if you keep saying tomorrow, it’s never going to happen, trust me. If you decide, ‘Okay, I’m going to try to get fit’ – try it now,” added Bubbles. – Rappler.com