Yoga Practice vs. Veterinary Studies

I admit it. I started practicing yoga solely for physical reasons. It was the summer of my fourth year in veterinary school, and I was fresh from the stressful world of college life in Los Baños, a city not far from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. I needed a breath of fresh air from my usual routine.

Seeking a Way Back into Ballet

I was quite the athletic type back then and made keeping active a priority. All that had gone out the window when I enrolled in college.

I yearned to get back into ballet. Dance had been my outlet for most of high school. But I was in no way flexible or robust enough to suddenly go back into practicing. I couldn’t even touch my toes! Yes, I’d let myself go…

Looking around for a solution, I came across a yoga class at a gym in my hometown. This sparked an idea. I would take a few months worth of yoga classes, and then slowly ease my way back into ballet. It was the perfect plan, or so I thought.

The only problem was, I was not the type to slow down and become mindful of my breathing. I despised slow paced “exercises” and “routines.” I was a high-intensity workout kind of person. Nonetheless, I decided to give yoga a try since it was my ticket back into dancing. How single-minded of me. Little did I know how much yoga would change my life.

My First Yoga Class

My first yoga class was torture. I remember crying over the simplest asanas. My body was in so much pain, but I kept pushing on as I wanted to finish the sequence.

It was worth the sacrifice. I felt a cleansing of my body — as if a heavy burden had been lifted off my shoulders. My body may have ached the next day, but I was hooked. This was the start of our magical relationship.

I committed to practicing three times a week, slowly adjusting my body to a regular sequence of the Power Yoga classes. My teacher was very focused on the physical aspect of the asanas (poses) and emphasized alignment and form. There was even a whole portion concentrated on building and toning abs. It wasn’t something I wanted to obsess about, but since I enjoyed all the other segments of her classes, I didn’t mind going along with it.

Yearning to Go Deeper

I stayed on for a few more months until I felt a desire to study yoga in more depth. After all, the asanas couldn’t be all there was to it. I’d heard about the spiritual side of yoga, but the classes I was taking weren’t exposing me to it.

I bought a few books and began to read about pranayama (breathing exercises), mudras (hand positions), bandhas (internal muscle control) and mantras (chanting).

I was surprised that these weren’t discussed and explained in the classes I had been taking. But I guess, since we were in a predominantly Catholic country, some people might not be so comfortable with these concepts with Hindu roots. Everyone just thought yoga was an exercise to get fit and slim. It was a sad reality that I had to transcend.

Yes, Yes, Yes! A Retreat!

I heard about a yoga retreat to be held at nearby Danjugan Island. “YES, I AM IN — SIGN ME UP!” These were the exact words that popped into my head. And so off to the island I went, along with a few other participants and two yoga teachers.

The experience was fantastic. Finally, I was able to meditate with a group and experience what it felt like to share such great energy with kindred souls. For the first time, I was in the company of people excited to discuss the spiritual side of yoga. I was so grateful for the privilege to attend that retreat.

Joining a Studio

After the retreat, I found out that the teachers involved had just recently opened up their own studio at the other side of town! I enrolled immediately. They had a range of classes, unlike the gym I used to go to. Now I had the chance to try styles such as Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow.

One of my favorite things about these classes was that I was able to get to know not only the English names of asanas but also their Sanskrit names. I honestly believe there’s a different power to practice when the original language of the asanas is used.

My teachers shared stories of their yoga instructor training course in Bali, Indonesia. With a disciplined daily practice and supplementary theoretical classes. I knew that I was far from becoming a teacher, but I dreamt that one day, I could send myself to a yoga school too.

A year passed, and I was overjoyed with my improvement. It truly was on a journey with yoga. A lot of the poses were tough at first, but with regular practice, I was pleasantly surprised with my progress!

I remember when I struggled for a year with Wheel Pose, a challenging backbend that requires upper body strength to pull off. Finally, after my first year anniversary with yoga, my back came off the floor and arched over my mat! The same excitement washed over me when I was able to accomplish my first headstand too.

That wonderful feeling of fulfillment is priceless. I’ve been able to feel it again and again with my practice until now. There’s nothing quite like it. Oh, and don’t get me started on the yoga glow. It’s not a myth! I’m here to testify. Every class is like coming out of detox session. Your skin is radiantly glowing, and you feel like the lightest being on the planet.

Awakening

On my second year with yoga, I transferred to a studio that was much closer to home. That’s when I met Tin. She is one of the most spiritually focused and peaceful yoga teachers I know to this day.

She started each yoga class with pranayama exercises and chanting. After the asana sequence, she’d give everyone a massage for harmonizing the chakras. In each class, I learned something new; challenging poses and meditation techniques. We became good friends, and I took her as a mentor.

After studying more about yoga, I felt a sort of stirring of my soul.

I always knew something needed to change, and I needed to keep meditating. Tin guided me and reassured me I wasn’t losing my mind. I was merely awakening to the truths of the universe.

Yoga Friends

My practice buddy outside of the studios was Jamie, one of my good friends from high school who also started practicing yoga the same time I did. We would meet up and practice sequences together.

To share our love for yoga, we decided to start an Instagram account, “@OurOmJourney.”

We wanted to share our adventures as “yoga besties.” The community on Instagram was so supportive! We made new friends and even got the opportunity to volunteer for the Global Mala Project event in Manila. We were blessed to be able to try new yoga styles like Jivamukti, Kundalini, Yin, and of course… Acro, which became one of our favorites.

On My Own

After every summer, I had to return to college for my studies and had no choice but to discipline myself into a schedule of self-practice. There weren’t any gyms or studios offering yoga classes, so I was on my own the rest of the year. This was a huge challenge for me. To begin with, my school schedule wasn’t all that friendly, but I persevered.

When I found time, I rolled out my mat in my tiny dorm room. When I couldn’t find time, I made time. There was no excuse. I obsessed over being able to practice at least an hour every day. I kept pushing myself because I believed it was the best thing for me.

I needed yoga to de-stress, the workload at college was almost unbearable. But every time I missed a day of practice, I would be full of self-loathing. I felt that I would never become a yoga teacher with my stubborn attitude. Add on to that, exams, homework, and lab kept coming. This continued until I eventually experienced burnout.

I felt like yoga and school were competing for my time. I decided I had to give one up, but it couldn’t be school. My family wanted me to finish my degree no matter what. So bid my goodbyes to yoga. I felt my world crash and spiral down. I felt so lost without my practice. I buried myself in schoolwork to try and forget about yoga.

Finding My Way Back to Yoga

Two semesters later, a some friends of mine kept bugging me to teach them yoga. I explained to them that I was out of practice, but they kept insisting, saying that our university town was in need of it more than ever.

I decided to meditate on it. I listened to my intuition. Maybe I had been too hard on myself the past year. I had become so obsessed with my schedule and discipline that I forgot yoga was supposed to be helping me, not adding to my stress. I agreed with my friends on the condition they called me their guide — not their teacher — as I still lacked the formal training and education for it.

I am so grateful my friends convinced me to do it. All I did was share what I knew and lead a yoga sequence for them every Sunday. However, in the process, I probably learned more than they did. I discovered new things about both myself and yoga.

I found my way back to my yoga practice and accepted the beauty of my journey thus far.

Nothing will ever be perfect. I know I’ll likely fall out of practice again in the future. But that’s alright. I will choose to be kind to myself.

Now on my third year of my yoga journey, I am still far from becoming a teacher. I might just be a student forever. But I am at peace with that.

What’s important is I regularly show up on my mat and enjoy the journey I am still on.

Have you struggled to balance yoga practice with other commitments? What did it feel like? What did you end up deciding? I’d love to know your story too!