DAY 3 – WEDNESDAY
Although it wasn’t part of the Yoga retreat, Nic and I signed up for the Discover Scuba Dive—our first ever! Marco, our instructor guided us through the whole thing. I swear that guy would make a great yoga teacher–he was so calm and collected and the way he gave instructions was so straightforward and precise. While we were with him, I kept thinking how good he would be if he were to teach kids to dive!
We started off with a quick lecture on the very basics of diving. We then got our feet wet…in the pool! LOL But that’s really the first step. We learned the basic skills needed once you go underwater.
For someone who’s so used to breathing in and out through the nose (from my yoga practice), I found it difficult to adjust in the beginning. Consciously shifting the pathway of the air from your nose to only your mouth was the most challenging part. I had to keep telling myself not to panic because as you probably know, running out of breath underwater could get pretty scary. The thought of it happening when you’re meters deep into the ocean doesn’t help either.
He brought us into the ocean after learning the skills in the pool. Both nervous and excited, I went in.
Marco did say during the lecture that diving is very much like meditation to him. He’s probably the second person to tell me that so I couldn’t wait to experience it myself. And when I did…
Even though I’ve never been comfortable being in the water for too long, I consider this one of the best experiences I’ve had. It was indeed a different world underneath!
What felt like 10-15 minutes in the water turned out to be 40-50. Once I’ve gotten used to being in the water and breathing through a tank, I saw the experience the way Marco did—a form of meditation and a pranayama practice. I guess when you know your air supply is limited, you automatically don’t take it for granted. You take long, slow deep breaths and you start to relax and just listen to the sound of your inhalations and the bubbles you blow out in the water.
I loved the silence that came with diving–having only your breath to listen to and the very subtle sounds you make as you move in the water. I was a bit hesitant when Nic told me she wanted to sign up for it. As it turns out, it’s actually one of the best mindfulness exercises I’ve had during this trip.
Day 4- THURSDAY
Our asana practice has become a lot more challenging over the past two days. The morning class focused on backbends, which hurt the back of my neck at first but eventually helped release the tension that has apparently built up around my cervical spine. I’ll talk more about this in another blog entry.
When we started out, the pain was almost unbearable and the thought of holding the pose for five slow, long breaths nearly had me coming out of it with a sense of panic. I held it though, and focused rather on the breath, which, felt AMAZING after class. The pain was gone when I tried to tilt my head back. It still surprises me how keeping still and making the most subtle adjustments in your body works wonders. A little patience with your body really goes a long way.
If you’re not aware yet, backbends energize the body and that’s exactly what my morning practice did too (apart from relieving the tension in my neck and shoulders). I had so much energy that I was able to shoot this video with Nic!
The Treehouse where we hold our classes is such a gorgeous platform overlooking the ocean. Everyday, we practice to the sound of ocean waves and birds singing—literally. Some days I couldn’t help but smile in Child’s Pose (so that Rae couldn’t see and think that I’m a mad woman smiling to myself), because their songs were just beautiful sounds I’d probably never hear when I practice in the city.
Read about the rest of my experience at Atmosphere Resorts and Spa here and here.
Atmosphere Resorts and Spa is located at Maayong Tubig, National Road, Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines. Learn more through their website: www. atmosphereresorts.com
