Moving to Paradise, Coming Back Home and Chasing New Dreams Whenever We Can

ONCE UPON A TIME

It's no secret that my family once chased our dreams of living in paradise. We packed up our bags and left the city for greener pastures in Puerto Princesa, Palawan when Santi was only 3 years old. We bought hectares of land and built a farm house an hour away from town in hopes to live an off-the-grid lifestyle. Unfortunately, our plans were prematurely executed, I would say. My husband and I learned the hard way that you should always have more than just Plan A and Plan B because life never goes as planned, right?

But, oh we had such a good break while living in Philippine's last frontier. We've created so much memories that my son can cherish for a lifetime. No one can take away these precious moments from him. They're worth much more than money can ever buy!

Everyday is beach day!

Learning about animals at a local organic farm

playing with a local at El Nido beach

My husband getting lost in his thoughts while embracing all the green sights

Set up camp at Montible River with Ernie Lim and family

Dolphin watching at Puerto Bay

I collaborated the first few yoga retreats at Bahay Kalipay and lead unforgetable yoga classes underneath a canopy of stars, in pristine beaches and unpopulated mountains spots. To fully realize and live your dream at a very young age (I was in my 20's!), what an experience it was!

Early days on Maia Earth Village

Yin Yoga Mandala at Nagtabon Beach

photo by Kat Jack

BACK TO REALITY AND COMING FULL CIRCLE

So we've been living in Manila again the past few years, back to the grind, finding motivation to live a life of meaning amidst the rat race. On weekends, we must thrive in nature to survive. This is why we go out of town as much as we can to fuel up for the week. We've also learned to spend afternoons out cooling ourselves in the garden, maybe in the pool, to get some fresh air, negative ions and a change of scenery. 

I am thankful to FLOW Retreats for giving me the opportunity to teach in amazing venues all over the Philippines and beyond! These serve as my mini-breaks from the concrete Manila jungle.

I recently came back to Puerto Princesa for a Yoga and Detox retreat at BK earlier this year. Tabitha Fernan has an amazing account of that refreshing weekend here. Thank you to Air Asia Philippines for our wings during the event.

photo by Tabitha Fernan

NO MISTAKES, ONLY LESSONS

While we may not be living in our past big dream anymore, we're constantly creating new ones. We visit places that inspire us to maximize our potential here on Earth. It is when we pull ourselves out of our comfort zones that we are able to see things in new light and maybe manifest a miracle or two. That is what we do when we travel. 

And just recently I learned, that is also what we do when we choose to stay even if we want to run away. 

It is all in the here and now. Wherever you are :)