Thursday, March 31, 2011

Come to FLOW for FREE!


  MECHANICS: SEND ME TO FLOW THIS SUMMER!!

1. Video must be at least 1 min long and maximum of 3mins to be uploaded in the FLOWSurfYogaSamba facebook fanpage wall
2. Themes must revolve around: Flow, Surf, Yoga, Samba, Summer
3. State the following:

HI I'M _______(name).

CHOOSE ME/SEND ME TO FLOW SURF YOGA SAMBA RETREAT WEEKEND FOR FREE BECAUSE _______ (blank)

FLOW WON’T BE THE SAME WITHOUT ME! VOTE FOR ME!!

Promo runs from March 24- April 20, 2011!

One winner will be announced on April 22, 2011 and will get to go to FLOW4 absolutely FREE!!!!!

4 finalists will get P500 off the regular rate!

Sample Video below:

Abhyangaaah

Meet Tza. She is a friend and co-classmate from my Yoga Teacher Training last 2009 in Boracay. She recently completed an Ayurvedic Massage Course at the Sivananda Ashram in India. I am happy that she decided to come back to live in Bahay Kalipay to join the growing community of healers to practice her new healing modality- Abhyanga, the Ayurvedic Oil Massage :)

"It is nourishing, pacifies the doshas, relieves fatigue, provides stamina, pleasure and perfect sleep, enhances the complexion and the luster of the skin, promotes longevity and nourishes all parts of the body". 

I was one of her first bodies to work on with heated oil and all that jazz....and it was absolutely divine! I highly recommend her to all you massage junkies. Include a massage with Tza in your itinerary when you come to Puerto Princesa. To book, you may contact Daniw (0927-8786227) or Tza (0920396-8127).

Monday, March 14, 2011

A Story of The Land

This essay is part of a book by NVRPA Chief Naturalist, Martin Ogle, entitled “A Sweet and Sublime Enigma,” published in 2006 by Xlibris. 

A Story of the Land
A nervous and tense silence hung in the air of the great meeting hall like a heavy load at the end of a frayed rope.  Muscles twitched like fibers snapping. The glitter of the massive crystal chandeliers and gold-inlay walls seemed only to add to the strained aura.  Then, slowly, a buzz of whispers arose, followed by steadily raised voices.  The voices became louder, some angrier, and within seconds general hysteria ensued.  The chairman rapped hard with the gavel, trying to regain order.  Leaders and representatives of the world’s economic powerhouses were astonished and confused and were groping for a way to respond to the odd proposal they had just heard.
My, my!  All this uproar on the heels of quiet words offered by such an unassuming man!  One would have thought that news of a stock market crash or declaration of war was rippling through the crowd, such was the din.   
"This is out of line," harumphed a European economics professor. "We are here to discuss serious matters."  "Waste of time," muttered a North American secretary of state.  The leader of a small Asian country simply paced nervously behind his chair.  All this because precisely at a moment of impasse in this great caucus, the man from Eastern Europe had taken the floor and made a most unusual request.  It took five minutes for the commotion to abate.
"Did I hear you correctly, sir," asked the chairman, as he pushed his glasses back up on his sweaty nose, "that you would like to tell this esteemed gathering a story?"  This time a muffled laugh broke the silence, colored with disdain.  There was a pause and then a "yes." 
"Yes sir . . . with your indulgence.  The situation we find ourselves in begs reflection . . . . a self-examination.  We must consider where our roots and meaning lie and build a new foundation for those who will follow us.  There is a saying found in many parts of the world . . . 'We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.'  We must give careful consideration to our place in this world and what we will leave for our children.  An often neglected, yet powerful way to do this is through stories . . . stories of our lands."  He quickly scanned the room and said “And so, yes . . . yes, I do want to tell a story.”  
Examine ourselves?  Roots and meaning?  Stories of our lands?  Never had such nonsense been uttered in front of this distinguished group!  But nothing could stop the odd sequence of events that had produced this moment.  Nothing else had worked all afternoon, and the thin man at the podium looked down upon the crowd with penetrating eyes that were softly demanding the attentions of those present.  The American secretary of state coughed insistently, as if attempting to change the mood, but no organized effort could be mounted to remove the man at the lectern.  And so he continued.
"When I was a child," he began, "I lived in a farming area famous for its sugar beets and potatoes.  Root crops.  Crops which lived and grew intimately in and with the soil.  We depended on successful harvests for our health and, in those days, our very survival.  Our lives were dependent on farming and the best farmers were the ones with a wisdom that went beyond mere knowledge.  The farmer had to love the soil, to understand the seasons and weather, the insects and diseases..."
At first, the crowd sat slackjawed at the absurdity of a story about root crops at an economic conference.  But it was, after all, a story, and they listened.  The representatives from Ireland and Indonesia could relate to root crops, and a number of others were vaguely comforted by the use of the word "wisdom." It seemed to be in short supply these days.  One could almost detect a collective sigh arising from the audience.
The Eastern European continued.  He wove a grand tale about the farmlands in which he had grown up and about how his grandfather had rescued the town from almost certain starvation because of his understanding of potato pests.  It was the year after the Great War, and had their crop failed, it would have spelled doom for the village.  There would have been no surplus in neighboring towns.  Heads nodded in response.  Many in the room had fought in that war or had directly experienced its hardships.  The story was coming alive in the hearts of those in the room.  The plot became richer as it captured the feelings and emotions of the world that emerged from World War II.  The world had rid itself of an evil force, was fast developing new inventions and farming methods, and was swept up in a wave of optimism rarely equaled.  For many countries it was a new renaissance; a new awakening.  And in the process, many fell asleep to what was happening to the land.
People were becoming completely absorbed as the tale twisted and turned through the years.  Here they sat, 50 years into the "new awakening," hopelessly deadlocked on how to bring success to the world economies.  And the Earth was showing signs of the strain created by past successes.  Almost 6 billion people where there had been 2 billion . . .  stupendous, unparalleled wealth coexisting with massive starvation and misery . . .  The Earth was being eaten alive, as it were, by a malignant human cancer.  The tale was almost too sad to bear.
But it was still a story, and the teller’s eyes reflected optimism once more as their burning brightness gave way to what might even have been called a twinkle.  He was telling of the lands from which many had come; lands which held hometowns and relatives, hills and rivers and trees, and great mysteries.  As he spoke, more than one pair of eyes became slightly misty and more than one heart felt a tug from an unidentifiable something.  And gradually the story of individual lands became a story of the land. It was a story of the Earth which then blossomed into a song of hope.  The air in the room was brittle.  All attention was trained on the Eastern European.  How he had gotten them to this point was itself a mystery.  Why, here was a dignified and powerful collection of more than 200 men and a few women, and they sat biting their lower lips like children listening to a ghost story.
How could people remain hopeful when what the modern world did best was to homogenize, grow and consume, and there were no alternate visions?  Almost in a whisper, the man continued.  "I am hopeful because I see many peoples around the world returning in many different ways to a story about the land which is an ancient story.  It is the story of the Earth as a living being. 
"Indigenous peoples around the world have, for ages, recognized and celebrated a living planet in their mythology.  And even we in the modern Western culture have not lost it altogether.  It is preserved in the feelings that arise within us when we eat good food or view a beautiful landscape, and in our language with phrases such as 'Mother Earth.'  Scientists are calling this ancient concept the Gaia theory, and there is strong and mounting scientific evidence that our Earth as a whole behaves as if it were one giant organism. A living, breathing being from which we take our life and breath."
That a simple story about root crops should have progressed to this point might have puzzled someone viewing the performance on TV.  But to those in the great meeting hall who had been captivated - albeit reluctantly - by the living, breathing human being in their midst, new chords were being struck.  A deeply buried awareness was rising to the surface.  They were hearing things which just an hour before would have caused indignation and scorn, but which were now hopeful and beautiful.
The speaker took a deep breath as if gathering strength for the last leg of a great journey home.  His shoulders rose and fell and his long exhalation traveled as a wind through the hall.  His eyes roamed the room and seemed to make contact with every person.  The story of the land was coming full circle. 
"This new, yet ancient story gives us eyes to see that we are parts of a greater whole.  Our destiny is not dependent merely on what we do for ourselves but also on what we do for the Earth.  If we endanger her, she will dispense with us in the interests of a higher value - Life itself.  What makes this story so inspiring?  One simple thing:  it reminds us of what we have long suspected, of what we have long projected into our forgotten myths and what perhaps has always lain dormant within us.  That is, the awareness of our being anchored in the Earth and the universe, the awareness that we are not alone nor here for ourselves alone, but that we are an integral part of something greater than ourselves."*  
This was the calm before the last storm of his powerful story.  The thin man stood more erect and then leaned out over the podium.  "Ladies and gentlemen, it is we, the world's leaders and economists, who are among the last holdouts to the wisdom of this great, ancient story."  He paused as if to let this statement sink in fully.  "Yes, we are the last holdouts.  And if we can muster the necessary time and effort - indeed, the courage - to consider what this story means, we can usher in hope for future generations that will follow us on this tiny planet.     
     "I invite you to help tell this story."

http://www.gaiatheory.org/story.htm

Sunday, March 13, 2011

What do you wear to work?

Last October 2010, I went to Bali for and attended a 7-Spherical Dance class conducted by Tanya Zaccak who I continue to stay in touch with via facebook until this day. Recently, she posted this--
Tanya Zaccak said to herself 10 years ago she would no longer need to work in 'office' clothes - it happened, 5 years ago she said she would no longer need to work in casual clothes, it happened. 1 year ago she started only wearing movement wear and has been since. She now feels compelled to continue along this path and projects that some of her most creative work in her future will be done in her finest underwear. I love my life!
I certainly believe that we gravitate towards people who emit the same frequency as you do. Her statement hit the spot-- I seem to be wearing less and less especially that I have started teaching yoga and moved to Palawan! 
What do you wear to work?

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Upcoming Yoga Retreats

Retreat season is in! Choose from these yoga retreats to rejuvinate your body and nourish your soul.

Yoga Dance in Bahay Kalipay on April 22-24 (Holy Week)

The 4th FLOW Surf Yoga Samba in San Juan Surf Resort in La Union on April 30-May 2

ANC Shoptalk interviews Denise Gonzales about the FLOW weekend


And for June 3-5, we have the Greenpath Back to Nature Yoga Retreat with Clayton Horton in Bahay Kalipay, Palawan
For more details, please email me at monica.eleazar@gmail.com :)

The Archetypal Beach Wedding

Last month, I posted about that dreamy wedding in paradise of Cat Juan and Carlo Ledesma. Manila Wedding Bees (Denise and I) were blessed to help materialize that day with the couple. Recently, the offical photos and video came out. 


I truly believe that the stars were perfectly aligned when these two met. What do you think?


Swoon over the photos by Mango Red here

And here's a wedding video by Bob Nicolas to melt your heart.

Carlo and Cat from Bob Nicolas on Vimeo.



All the love in the world,
Monica

Monday, March 07, 2011

Karawatan Kindergarten

Since we moved to Puerto Princesa a year ago,  I have been in search for a good school or play space for Santiago to interact with other children. When I say good, it must meet certain criterias:

1. Must have qualified, loving & patient teachers who can speak impeccable English and Tagalog. Parents should understand the importance of choosing the right people who will handle our children when we do leave them in school. I've always believed that the parent is the first teacher, so we should strive to find teachers that have the same values as us and can handle and love our kids the way we do too!
2. Venue should have an appropriate classroom setting and huge green outdoor area where children are free to run, play and just be. I've seen some classrooms that feel like a colorful big box where very young children are force fed information they have no use for. Oh and others don't even have spaces to run outside. This is so anti-kids because it is natural for children to move!
3. Not too many kids per class to give ample breathing space per student.
4. Curriculum is the key - since I have been exposed to the Waldorf Schools, Creative Space in Pasig and the dreamy Green School in Bali. I longed for a school that can deliver the same approaches with emphasis on the true nature of the child and eco-conscious ways :)

So, I didn't find any school that met those and have waited almost a year until this blessing came to be...

Karawatan: A Waldorf Inspired Kindergarten in Puerto Princesa

You are all invited to the Waldorf Education orientation by Teacher Mimi Abis on March 12 (Saturday) 4-6pm at the Karawatan Kindergarten Bacosa Compound Abanico corner Socrates Road, Brgy. San Pedro, Puerto Princesa. For more inquiries, please contact Dr. Grace Zozobrado-Hahn 0921-6541228.

Now you know where Santi will be going to Kindergarten this year! ;)

Please review links on other Waldorf Schools in the Philippines :)
http://sofiawaldorfschool.org.
http://www.manilawaldorfschool.edu.ph/main.php
http://www.gamotcogon.org/

Other informative links:
http://www.whywaldorfworks.org/
http://waldorfmom.wordpress.com/


In 2010: Santi plays with Benny and a friend on the sandbox of Mikael Playgarden, a Waldorf inspired day care in ISIP, Makati.

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Eat Chocolate!

What they really mean is Keep Calm and Eat Cacao :)

Unprocessed and unheated raw cacao is considered a live superfood. It has more antioxidant flavonoids than any food tested so far, including blueberries, red wine, and black and green teas. In fact, it has up to four times the quantity of antioxidants found in green tea.

Check out the interview below of the makers of Sacred Chocolate. My new heroes!


Now who wants to send me some here in Palawan? :)

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