Get away and gain what you need back – here’s how

We’re on our second day of the Get Your Glow Back Kundalini Yoga retreat and getaway on the beautiful island of Siargao. The island is on the northeastern tip of Mindanao and part of Surigao del Norte and has become a surfer haven, famous for perfect tubing right-hand reef break called Cloud 9.

First Kundalini Yoga workshop in Siargao, “Release your Inner Anger” 2015

The first time I went here was way back in 2007 and it was difficult trip to make. There were only 2 to 3 flights per week and I had to fly to Cebu first to catch a tiny 12-seater aircraft to get to the island.  Another time I went through a a straight flight to Surigao, and it entailed taking a two-hour boat to cross to the island, then an hour ride on a habal habal. 

Now with two to three daily direct flights from Manila, there are more restaurants run by foreign chefs and they say Boracay-peeps are moving here to establish boutique hotels, coffee shops and lounge bars. It is a scary thought considering the island’s carrying capacity, and I pray that the locals especially the municipal government regulate tourism facilities and learn from Boracay’s  experience where its overdevelopment was likened to a cesspool that lead to a shutdown early this year.

Now back to the retreat in this prana-filled haven.
The last two days was all about overhauling the nervous system. We have been programmed to be sympathetically dominant, to be in a fight or flight mode and stepping on the gas pedal; as opposed to parasympathetic, the slow down response or the break pedal. When the nervous system is weak and/or overwhelmed, the body becomes extremely out of balance and becomes fatigued easily. If the body is constantly impacted by stress, it tends to shut down. 

Yes, you can be a relaxed being. Keep reading for a meditation.
Relaxation is vital. To take control of our life, the yogis say, we have to be a “relaxed being”. When we are stressed, we are filled with chaotic energy and disturbed emotions. When we are relaxed, we are able to experience the qualities of peace, light, love, purity and joy.
 
I’ll be sharing a meditation to develop an unconquerable spirit to help you take control of your life. The meditation uses the mantra Jai Te Gung (click here for the meaning).  According to Yogi Bhajan, this mantra is a “powerful tool to cut through the darkness around you, whether created by your own mind or created by the minds of those around you.” He said that the mantra is to be experienced and can be chanted lying down, sitting or standing. Once this mantra becomes a part of you, it would echo in your ears when negativity creeps into your life, making it “a failsafe against the darkness within”. Note that mantras have the power to penetrate the subconscious mind and clear the programs that cannot be consciously accessed.

Meditation to develop an unconquerable spirit