WATERLOO: The WOD Nation Experience

Lately, my fitness had gone to the backseat for reasons excuses most corporate slaves can relate to. What makes me sweat were only limited to long walks and stairs action - all commute-related. Can you imagine? So when I heard about WOD Nation from my Church mates, I was easily convinced to give it a try. Yes, the idea that you don't know what high-intensity and body-conditioning sets of exercise await you can get daunting. But you know how I once confused my body with an episode of Muay Thai after interchanging gymming, badminton, swimming, yin yoga and dancing for the past few months (that unfortunately led to knee injury # 2) and how I interchanged badminton, yoga and boxing (but that's sooo July 2012)! The element of surprise was never an issue.

I've heard of short-time circuit training (7-minute daily workouts, the likes) from Rodel and our pastor/s before and had my sort-of introduction during this event. With my sedentary lifestyle for the past months, I could really use this free CrossFit class held last Monday (they have free classes every Mondays and Wednesdays from 19:30-21:00 until the end of February).

The trainers explained that WOD (stands for Workout of the Day) is a fitness program that employs functional or natural movements (sitting down, standing up, carrying stuff, etc) at high density and at fast pace. Still sounds vague? Then you might want to read Coach Kit's blog entry and attend their classes in Ayala Triangle. In that order.

I signed up for Level 1. Coach Ken thoroughly demonstrated how to execute my least favorite exercises: squats and push-ups. Squats can be really painful for the glutes and knees, making the chair pose as one of the most difficult yoga poses for me. Coach Ken was quick to explain that we must point our knees to our feet's direction to prevent them from locking. We must also hold our chin up and press our should blades together. Ouch!

Squats via heyfranhey.com

Push-ups, as I learned in yoga, is not about arm strength alone. It's about core activation. In my case, it's all about core, arms and knees. I recall how we utilized arm straps and how we were asked for our elbows to form 45 degrees in yoga. After a couple of attempts, I cheated. Coach Ken made it easy for us by making us holding our arms up then letting it down. Imagine how our arms look close to chest? That's how they should be when we do push-ups.

Before I assumed a prone position on the ground, I swallowed my fear and reminded myself again that my once injured knee doesn't own me. I own my knees! The coaches told me I can do knee push-ups instead of the usual. But, as always, I really found it hard to engage my core and carry myself. 

Push-ups via bodybeth.wordpress.com

I was wrong to assume that Level 1 peeps would only do repetitive squats and push-ups all throughout the 12-minute timeframe. Very. We were asked to do a lot more exercises that felt like I signed up for Level 2! We're supposed to do as many reps as we could within a minute (yeah, felt like Minute to Win It!) and proceed to the  next. And count them. If I did 15 push-ups in a minute, we'll continue to crunches and start counting at 16 and so on.

So we started the challenge with push-ups. I can barely remember how many I did, but it felt like a weak start. In yoga, we were taught to be gentle to our bodies. That night, I was gentle for about 30 seconds then I pushed myself to my limits. I tried to strike a good balance between quality and quantity, but I've had poor pushes. 

Level 1

Butterfly crunches via breelena.blogspot.com

I like a good butterfly stretch, but doing crunches in a butterfly pose is a different story. Before the minute ended, I can barely lift myself off the ground. But I felt my hips open after this.

Good mornings via Wikipedia

I just discovered there are about a thousand variations of good mornings. We did the one without barbell. It felt like a good follow-up to butterfly crunches as it felt less painful. Since we're in standing position, I was immediately ready to race to my water bottle as soon as the 1-minute rest began.

Then, push-ups again. At this time, I momentarily forgot where my elbows should be. Luckily, one of the coaches reminded me to push it in. Wow, it pays to be in front!

Inch worms via bridalworkoutdvd.com

Inch worms had to be my favorite. Maybe because it reminded me of one of the coolest bands out there (haha) or maybe because it felt like a pre-sun salutation routine. It was a good stretch. Then, one of the coaches told me that my butt is still quite high before I crawl back to my toes and he waited until I did it right. Man, I felt my legs burn! 

Inch worms via manbicep.com

Then, we're back to squats again. Then rest again. Water time! I wanted to drink away, but I know it's best to hydrate myself enough. Else, I will feel bloated and I'd have a harder time during the routines.

And push-ups again. I was already tired and I found it harder to lift myself off the ground. I know I can do knee push-ups, but I somehow found myself doing full push-ups. I think I spent the last 15 seconds resting and panting away.

Burpees via tyrensa.com

We did burpees sometime; I can't recall when anymore. The clap at the end felt like little triumphs I had no time to enjoy. It was intense!

Squat thrusts via bromehill.com

As the last routine, I felt myself dash in each squat thrust in hopes to reach beyond 120 (a good score for Level 1, according to one of the coaches). And I did! Yippee! Yahoo! Yehey!

Check out our scores!

Not bad for a first-timer! Yay!

Photo collage by Erika Cruz.

Class picture via WOD Nation's fanpage

Class picture via WOD Nation's fanpage

Moments after the workout, I already felt the shoulder pains and instantly I resolved to use my backpack to work the following day instead of the usual shoulder bags. I can imagine myself rolling over in bed just so I could undress myself (just like the last time when Rodel made me do bench press, shoulder press, bicep and tricep curls, lateral raises and sit-ups). My joints were in pain, but I know I did them a favor. And I enjoyed it!

Cold compress for my knees and 2 days after my first WOD experience, I still feel every inch of my body crying in pain. Bus drivers and commuters confuse me as pregnant and my colleagues had to walk slower so I can catch up with them. As they say, pain is weakness leaving the body. This weakness, too, shall pass.

So why I am typing away tonight instead of attending Operation ENDURING FREEDOM? Well, for reasons that most corporate slaves can sadly relate to. 

15-Day Unlimited Yoga Pass in Urban Ashram

This forever newbie was misty-eyed upon hearing about this 15-day unlimited yoga pass in Urban Ashram. It made me recall my hatha yoga days in the now-defunct Soma Yoga Center along Pasay Road in Makati that lasted for about 3 months in 2004, followed by short-lived gymming in Fitness First in hopes to pursue yoga while cutting costs. Thanks to graduate school since 2005, I opted for armchair research during idle time. The next episode was being introduced to yin yoga, thanks to Ekāgratā Śālā's generous holiday treat in December 2010 and being re-introduced to this slow, soothing practice during Dona Tumacder-Esteban's beachfront classes during Coco Beach's 25th anniversary in November 2011. Yes, I'm shaking my head here in noticing the vast gaps between my practice.

So I'm fully aware of the benefits regular yoga practice can give and I can hardly wait for it to heal my busted knees, lessen my back pains and grant my clarity of mind, but I just can't afford it at this point. I know, preventive measures are less costly than surgeries, chemotherapies and the likes. And this promo is definitely the answer to my prayers to slowly veer away from my desk jockey job! So...how did this student of life do in class, you ask?

The forever newbie

Day 1: Flexibility Not Required (FNR) with Lasse and Maricar
29.05.2012, Tuesday

Any first day in class can be exciting and intimidating at the same time. The additional attraction was the company of my raw food support groupies Ingrid and Andrea. I haven't seem them in a while (last time was in May, next to that was December 2011) so imagine the tight hugs and loud whispers (mine, of course) as we settled ourselves inside the studio. To my shock, it was huge. Turned out that night's classroom was equivalent to 3 rooms converted into 1 to accommodate the large number of confirmed attendees. (In my calculation, 1 room can accommodate 18 students. You do the math.) Now intimidating felt an understatement.

How the studio looks like

Photo from Yogini From Manila

Lasse directed us to his neck condition before he officially started the class. According to him, that's what 20 years of sedentary work can do. I was dumbfounded. First, his countenance hardly betrays his age. Second, THAT is a great motivation to take my re-introduction class seriously.

My body needed to remember all the asanas I've repeatedly done in the past. And it sure paid in the form of buckets of sweat. I admit I was being competitive - and it didn't help that I was being competitive against others instead of myself - and I found it difficult to keep up with them. It made me wish we were practicing under dim lights and there were soothing music in the background to direct my focus.

Chair Pose.

Photo from Yogini From Manila

Then, I felt myself get weak and dizzy before Lasse instructed us to do the chair poses. I attempted to ignore it until I felt an ever stronger force that made me dash outside the class. From chair pose to the toilet! (Thank God they have bidet!) Just when I thought I was ready to go back, the latecomers made me go back to the rest room. So I just waited for my friends to step out of the mat. Regular yoga practice corrects the digestive tracts, but I wasn't prepared how fast it would take effect on me. Or it's just coincidence, maybe?

Urban Ashram's restroom

Photo from Yogini From Manila

Day 2: Vinyasa Flow with Martin
30.05.2012, Wednesday

I brought my digestive discomfort with me when I went back the following day. Thanks to my boss, I arrived very early in the ashram again so I have ample time to freshen up. During the shower, I was praying hard there'll be no sequel to yesterday's sob story. I would really like to endure all the asanas that evening.

It was a very challenging class. I found it hard to find my balance, particularly when I'm standing on my right foot (it must be the knee injury). Warrior poses proved to be hard that time, too. I struggled for both arms to be aligned and for my right knee to be deeply bent above the second toe. I was always the first one to quit on these poses out of ngalay and, in one instance, Martin asked me to widen my stance and activate my quads. When he asked the class to externally rotate the upper arm and internally rotate the forearm, I struggled and went straight to not locking the elbows. Next time I'll try harder, I promised.

The hard part didn't end there. Before we get to do the corpse pose, I watched fellow students do plough pose, wheel pose and inversions while I did modified poses.

Martin in arm balance pose

Photo lifted from Urbah Ashram.

Savasana pose with Ingrid

By the way, Martin was nice enough to ask us first-timers for our names before the onset of class and, based on latter encounters, he did remember mine.

Day 3: Off the mat.
31.05.2012, Thursday

The evening classes are full. Still nursing that gassy feeling.

Day 4: Off the mat.
01.06.2012, Friday

Heavy workload + sudden knee pains by the end of shift.

Day 5: Vinyasa Flow with JP
02.06.2012, Saturday

It's my first day on the mat without the company of Ingrid and Andrea. Their 15-day pass had expired. I missed them, but it's a great reminder that I'm there for the practice, not for social activity.

Since it's vinyasa class, I braced myself for 1.5 hours of sweet torture. It wasn't as challenging as the last time, but I felt my body started to sweat profusely even before we get to do sun salutations. The highlight of this practice? JP spotted me cheating on upward-facing dog and asked me to lift my knees. See, downward-facing dog is my second favorite pose as it gives me a good stretch while resting at the same time. I typically rush in doing upward-facing dog for the much-awaited repose, not realizing the knees should be off the mat. I felt my lower limbs tremble each time. When it was time for inversions, JP cautioned yoginis having their period not to follow suit. It was my second day, so I did a butterfly pose while my upper body was lying flat on the mat instead. (Sorry, I don't know how that pose is called.)

Inspite of the combined post-yoga and menstrual period pains, I felt strong enough to take a long walk from the ashram to Shangri-La for lunch AND from Shangri-La to POEA area to meet friends for some ukay ukay adventure. Under the heavy rains, mind you.


Day 6: Off the mat.
03.06.2012, Sunday

With an intimidating line-up of classes comprised of level 2/3 of vinyasa flow and mysore (read: self-practice), I decided to chicken out. I remember how Dona Tumacder-Esteban discussed rule # 2 in yoga: be gentle to yourself. And so I did.


Day 7: FNR with Martin
04.06.2012, Monday

The moment I saw Martin taking a peek inside the studio from outside, I already knew it's going to be another painful practice and soothing sleep later. Since I promised myself to try harder, I pushed the mat harder, pulled myself longer. After lifting myself higher for the bow pose and the likes, I groaned along with the students. I tried harder to externally rotate my upper arm, internally rotate the forearm, too. Hence, when Martin encouraged us to try salabhasana, I was momentarily out of strength. I can't lift my legs anymore.

I found it difficult to execute crescent poses, too. When I emerged out of the studio, the full moon greeted me and I felt guilty for not doing my best that night.


Day  8: Off the mat. 
05.06.2012, Tuesday

Thanks to the typically toxic workload during quarter-ends, I was too tired to attend yoga class or Bible study that night. Forgive me.

I noticed how my regular practice so far tamed my appetite. Put menstrual period and stressful conditions together, my appetite should be in haywire already. I recall how unbelievably starving I get after swimming sessions to the point that my consumption is equal to the calories I burnt earlier. Whereas my stomach feels satisfied in a banana after yoga. Wow, this is amazing!


Day 9: Vinyasa Flow with Maricar
06.06.2012, Wednesday

Maricar greeted us, "Are you feeling strong tonight?". It made me swallow hard. Just like her husband Lasse, she started her class recounting how her lower back pains made her committed to her yoga practice. How inspiring.

I felt her nurturing energies in instructing us. She was generous in explaining the anatomical focus in almost all poses, reminded us that it's our practice, not a competition and asked us to execute them in a slow pace and made us stay there for a few minutes - which is good news for newbies like me but bad news if you can't pull your torso lower in plank (with or without straps) and if you tremble in doing upward-facing dog. In fact, the pace made me shake in doing downward-facing dog, too.

My greatest take-home? How to stand on and off the mat without straining my weak knees. In doing the tadasana,we must put big toes together and lift the inner arches. I encourage you to try it. As much as possible, I try to stand like that eversince (much to my boyfriend/boxing trainer's chagrin. Boxers don't stand that way, I learned.)

Again, I was feeling light and strong after class that I managed to walk from the studio to Shangri-La. I had light dinner when I made it to Cubao. I laud how patient and low-maintenance my stomach had been!

Day 10: Off the mat.
07.06.2012, Thursday

Again, the evening classes are full. What's with Thursday classes? I must be missing a lot!


Day 11: Off the mat.
08.06.2012, Friday

The first Friday of the quarter-end.


Day 12: Off the mat.
09.06.2012, Saturday

Woke up really late for the 08:00 class. Sure, I can take a cab. But I was worried about doing yoga practice with an empty stomach. I subsequently found out from Grace that it's ideal. She normally grabs a banana or drink coconut juice before the practice. Worse, I fell asleep and woke up late for the 10:00 class. Sayang!


Day 13: Vinyasa Flow with Martin
10.06.2012, Sunday 

Martin made us all face the wall. With our respective blocks (I needed 2), he made us squeeze our knees against the block in doing the warrior and triangle poses. I felt my knees protest in pain and my arms in ngalay. He also asked us to use the straps to achieve the 45-degree in doing planks. Yes, it was painful! I was so tired after that Martin had to pull me lower to correct my child's pose. And I'm ashamed to admit I was unable to do the external and internal rotation of the arms right. Definitely, I'll miss Martin.


Day 14: Hatha Yoga with Tanya (substituting Janaka)
11.06.2012, Monday

Knowing it's going to be my last practice, I lingered outside the studio before class to stare at the beautiful clouds above. I was already nostalgic!

Reception area with overhead lighting by Kenneth Cobonpue

Photo from Yogini From Manila

I felt very fortunate to catch the hatha class before the end of my 15-day pass. It was, after all, my introduction to yoga. The class began with lots of breathing exercises. I recognized how my lower back disliked doing backbends and how my lower abs ached in leg raises. Tanya asked us to imagine Janaka's abs in doing the latter, but I can't relate.

Then, a confusing twist happened. I found it effortlessly easy to do upward-facing dog yet I felt restless in downward-facing dog. I'm totally clueless why.


Day 15: Off the mat.
12.06.2012, Tuesday

The last class was held at 16:00 due to the holiday. My shift ends at 17:30. *sniffs*

***

Needless to say, I truly enjoyed my yoga experience in Urban Ashram. I like how passionate and inspiring the yoga instructors are, how eco-friendly the establishment is and how relaxing the studio is (except for the occasional sounds of vehicles outside). For newbies, it's reassuring that they provide yoga mats, blocks and straps and for those who live and work far from Pasig, it's comforting that they have shower rooms with organic body wash and shampoos. I hope to bring my energies again for more practice. Namaste!

Special thanks to Yogini From Manila for the photos. You can see more photos here.

Yoga for Big People

ECHOYoga's Yoga for Big People/Restorative Yoga

Imagine my happiness upon hearing about this class from my best friend Grace. Finally, an [re-]introduction to yoga that instantly shatters any form of intimidation. In my mind, I belong here!

After the long wait, I found the time and budget to attend this class 3 weeks ago. Newbies can borrow any of their yoga mats, blocks and other aids but it is highly recommended to bring your own towel especially if you sweat profusely. That particular Monday, neither Vicky Ortega nor Jeannie Javelosa were unable to conduct the class. Paulo, who holds vinyasa flow classes every Saturday mornings, took over.

Beginner's luck or not, I took great satisfaction how the 1.5 hours of stretching and deep breathing resulted to the relaxed aura I had long sought for. [Too bad I had no photos to prove it.] Unlike the other attendees who had officially ended their work day, I felt every sinew was rejuvenated that I can tolerate any form of corporate slavery in my graveyard shift. And you must know that I love complaining about work-related stress.

The following Monday, I had a scheduled training in our Eastwood office. I opted to go for Muay Thai training in Elorde Boxing Gym to confuse my body with a sudden anaerobic treat. As I have detailed here, I landed in a hospital to re-stage a knee injury. Until now, my subconscious asks what would have happened if I skipped workout that day and patiently waited for the next opportunity to do restorative yoga. Your guess is as good as mine. Ommmm...

***

Photo shamelessly lifted from ECHOYoga's official website. Photo by Silvina Gall.

To help us understand how yoga will make our bodies -and lives- improve, I threw in some questions for Vicky Ortega to answer. Here's how it went.

Lornadahl: I would like to congratulate you for coming up with yoga classes for big people. I really enjoyed my first time and I'd be back for more soon. Why did ECHOYoga come up with such? How is it different from other beginner's class?
Vicky Ortega: The inspiration behind yoga for big people was my own experience in still being able to do yoga even when my weight was 178 lbs. I remember Jeannie Javelosa saying that I was probably the only teacher who, because I am also plus sized, would have the best chance of making yoga for big people relevant. I understand the issues of big people from a personal perspective.

It is similar to a beginner's class in terms of pace. However, there is a focus on understanding the physical needs of big people. The asanas are adjusted and props, such as blocks, bolsters and rolled mats, are used as support to help the students do the asana safely.

Lornadahl: Do big people tend to have a harder time to do the asanas?
Vicky Ortega: There are certain physical realities that big people have to contend with, such as tummies and bigger thighs. And, of course, weight. So the asanas are adjusted to address those needs. But the benefits of the asanas remain the same.

Lornadahl: I've had a history of kneecap dislocation and meniscus tear. Will yoga eventually help me heal and make my knee stronger? What kind of yoga would you recommend for me?
Vicky Ortega: Yes, yoga is a very healing practice. Through consistent practice, it can help your body open up and strengthen your muscles. I have a 72 year old student who needs knee replacement surgery. After 10 one-on-one lessons of yoga, she walks better and is more confident that her body can still stretch, stand and bend even though her knees remain weak. Depending on the condition of your knees, I would recommend gentle flow yoga for you. It is slower and the teacher can adjust the asanas for you.

Lornadahl: How will students benefit from yoga?
Vicky Ortega: Yoga is the science of breathing. Many of us don't realize how constricted our breathing is till we begin to breathe in yoga class. Just learning how to breathe fully can release a lot of stress and tightness in our body. Doing the asanas will help open our body. It is always a gift to realize that our body can do more than we expect it to. Simply being able to reach the floor with our hands gives us a sense of liberation. That I can still stand on my head, even with my size and weight, gives me a sense of liberation. I am not bound by the limitations of size and weight.

Yoga is also very healing. About three years ago I suffered from trigeminal neuralfia, a very painful nerve condition that made speaking, eating and even smile extremely painful. My medicines could not completely manage the pain so I turned to yoga as a complementary therapy. Today, I teach again and my pain is managed very well. Yoga has also helped me manage the amount of medicines I take.

Lornadahl: Wow, that's impressive! Will yoga work for weight loss? How is it different from other strenuous workout?
Vicky Ortega: Yoga can work for weight loss, if done consistently---at least 5 times a week. The practice of yoga asanas leads to certain sense of calmness which helps the mind quiet down and allows one to meditate. Yoga is a practice that unites mind and body. After a practice session, one tends to feel more energetic and also more peaceful. This is what makes it different from the primarily physical workouts.

***End of Interview***