Learning to be In Yoga at ECHOyoga Shala

I’ve always wanted to do yoga but prior to the session I attended last Saturday, I had only tried yoga once, a long time ago, when my best friend asked me to join a trial class. So, when my former boss and forever mentor, Chit Juan of ECHOstore, emailed me and asked me to invite bloggers for a trial session at ECHOyoga Shala, I immediately said “yes!”.

 

 

Here’s a background of ECHOyoga Shala.

 

ECHOyoga is the wellness side of ECHOstore Sustainable Lifestyle, the green retail store. ECHO means Empowerment Care Health and Oneness. Jeannie Javelosa co-owner of ECHOstore has been teaching yoga for close to 15 years, and with her co-teacher Marilen Elizalde, launched ECHOyoga five years back, offering weekly and corporate classes. Today, the two certified yoga teachers bring their passion for wholistic living through yoga in a new space called ECHOyoga Shala, located in Kalayaan Avenue, behind Rockwell in Makati.

 

 

ECHOyoga Shala opens its new space with the objective to offer a wholistic approach to a sustainable lifestyle, strengthen community collaborations and bring a deeper understanding of yoga practice. It is open daily, from 6:30 am to 8:30 pm with five daily classes, weekend schedules and workshops plus a daily early morning Self Practice space.

 

 

Yoga in all its varied expressions will be offered to beginners, intermediate and advanced students classes like Gentle Flow, Restorative Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Ashtanga Vinyasa and Power Yoga. ECHOyoga Shala’s thrust to go beyond just the physical practice of yoga as exercise includes sessions on Meditation, Breath Control (Pranayama) for distressing, and even “Off the Mat” community talks are led by certified and trained yoga teachers, with international experiences. Other offerings include counseling and life coaching sessions, and body-energy work therapies.

 

 

If yoga is to be embraced for a sustainable lifestyle, ECHOyoga Shala’s classes, sessions, workshop, community talks are sequenced and offered to guide the students in their yoga practice and discipline to develop a strong healthy Body, a steady focused Mind, a compassionate Heart. The ultimate goal is the development of a personal Self-Practice and tools that can be used for a deeper appreciation of life.

 

According to Jeannie, most people nowadays want to take yoga classes because they want to lose weight or to become sexier. However, yoga’s benefits goes beyond the physical aspect. ECHOyoga aims to be able to teach its students how to be “in yoga”. Beyond the physical aspect, yoga is a way of life. They aim to share their practice so that people can experience their life through yoga. Apparently, one can be “in yoga” even when one is just sitting down and doing “nothing”.

 

 

Aside from just teaching yoga poses, ECHOyoga guides its students so that they can “develop a strong healthy Body, a steady focused Mind, a compassionate Heart”. They do this using their teaching philosophy, which is grounded on the Eight Limbs of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. This develops inner change which eventually manifests outwards as well, helping people create a more meaningful, sustainable life. This is what I love most about ECHOyoga. They make working out more meaningful!

 

Here’s what will greet you at the door.

 

 

They’re currently selling some ECHOstore Body Basics products plus some yoga products as well. They’re still developing the retail aspect of the store but pretty soon you’ll see more yoga-related products here.

 

 

Here’s the foot reflexology area. You can see where they place the yoga mats too.

 

 

Outside, you’ll see the Eight Limbs of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga prominently placed on the windows.

 

 

Our trial class lasted for about an hour, with Jeannie as our instructor.

 

 Jeannie says that…..

“there must be no demarcation between the yoga mat and life”.

She says that whatever we apply in yoga, even just the technique of proper breathing, can be applied to every aspect of our lives as women and moms. So true! She encourages us moms to take care of ourselves because by being healthy and well, we are also better able to take care of our family.

 

It was actually a Gentle Flow class, which is a good place to start for beginners like us. Here we are doing the Tree Pose.

 

 

This is the Staff Pose.

 

 

We ended with a Savasana Corpse pose. Honestly, it felt so good just lying there and being still. It felt so good that I stayed in that position a bit longer than the rest. Hahaha!

 

 

It was really such a work out. Our bodies were really stretched, I tell ya! It was kinda a challenge for me but mostly because I haven’t really been working out. It really felt good afterwards though. (The next couple of days is another story!) We all enjoyed it so much that  we’re actually planning to schedule another session for our group. Yay!

 

Thanks so much ECHOyoga Shala for teaching us a whole lot about yoga and about life!

For those of you who are interested, ECHOyoga Shala offers a wide variety of not just regular yoga classes but also for acupuncture, reflexology, and even counselling. Here are just some of their upcoming workshop schedules.

AWAKENING THE SUBTLE ENERGY BODY (Friday Night Program for March / 6:00 -7:30pm)

• Pranayama and Sound Vibration Meditation
• Chakra Cleansing Meditation
• Yin Rhythms
• Pranayama and Witnessing Meditation (March 28)

 

Saturday WORKSHOPS In celebration of Women’s Month

• Yoga for Menstrual Health (March 22, 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.)
• Yoga Circle for Midlife and Menopause (March 29, 4 – 6 p.m.)

 

ECHOyoga Shala also offers Deepening Education Programs. The EYS-DEP Programs offer an ECHOyoga Certificate of Attendance and/or the lineage tradition certification. This will run during April and May, Saturday afternoons, from 4 – 6 p.m. with Reiki Master Mac Gerald Cueto.

• Program A: Reiki (in the Usui Reiki Ryoho Japanese tradition) Level 1 and 2
• Program B: Reiki Level 3 (Mastership Program)
• Program C: The Beginner’s Mindfulness Series (Teacher: Imee Contreras)

 

BODY ENERGY HEALING sessions are also offered by appointment.

• Acupuncture by Mac Cueto (by appointment only on Tuesdays and Thursday mornings, and all day on Saturdays)
• Reflexology (Body and Foot) by Peter and Bing Wong (by appointment only every Monday – Wednesday and Friday)

 

Now attention to all Moms out there! ECHOyoga Shala will also be offering your kids a fun way to spend their summer afternoons with their Kids Yoga sessions. They will start in May, every Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 3 – 4 p.m.

The fees are as follows:

Package fee: Php 4,000
Early bird rate: Php 3,800 if signed in on or before April 15
Drop in rate: Php 500 per class

There will be eight sessions that will help kids ages 6-10 years old.

• breathe – tune in a focus
• have fun – be creative and playful with friends
• balance – feel posed, composed and alive
• stand – become stable, strong and grounded
• forward bend – reach release and flex
• back bend – be supple, open and trustful
• partner – have fun working together
• time in – unwind, rest and revive

 

The Kids Yoga classes will be led by Teacher Marilen Elizalde: Marilen is first a mom with three children, then was a Middle School teacher and is now, a certified Yoga Instructor. Allow Marilen to transform an hour into a session of insight, loving action, playful stretches and spontaneous heartfelt joy.

 

Also, for the preggy moms, do watch out for announcements regarding a Pre-Natal Yoga class that is also being prepared for May.

 

You can find ECHOyoga Shala at the 3^rd Floor, Steps Dance Academy Building, 8465 Kalayaan Avenue (behind Rockwell), Barangay Poblacion, Makati City.

 

For more information about ECHOyoga Shala, do visit:

Website: http://echoyoga.echostore.ph
Landline: (02) 956.7119
Mobile: 0906.5063958
Email: [email protected].
Facebook: ECHOyogaShala
Twitter and Instagram: @ECHOyogaShala