Whatever, they glow.

Irene and I sometimes talk about these people: the monks, meditators, some sisters and brothers, some of the religious, even martial artists. They are the very few whose faces are so unencumbered by stress or worry. Their eyes smile when they smile, their skin is clear, their smiles so sincere. Their faces literally light up the room. And when you talk to them, they look into your eyes. You feel they are there. More than what you see, they emit a powerful positive vibration. You feel light around them, or they feel light around you. Whatever, they glow.

I've been to Fo Guang Shan twice. The first time, I met the Head Abbess Venerable Miao Jing and talked to her in person. The second time, I saw her as well but didn't get to speak to her. Her companions in robes also have that glow, but hers is brighter and I know I shouldn't be saying this. But it just is.

Anyway, this is the Rappler story about an event I covered in Fo Guang Shan.

http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/10883-from-the-heart-the-calligraphy-of-venerable-master-hsing-yun

Meeting Gladys, Wushu champion

She’s young, fair, and feminine. She has long hair and a small frame. Her voice is soft, and she talks very little. In every way, Gladys appears to be a fragile girl.

But that’s as far as first impressions go. Gladys is a fierce creature. She is determined, focused and hardworking. At 18, she’s won at least seven medals in international wushu competitions in Zhen Zhou and Shanghai, China in 2010 and earlier this year, 2012. Look into her eyes and you’ll see a real champion there.

Wushu is Chinese for “martial arts”. It is a type of full-contact and exhibition sport that originated from traditional Chinese martial arts. Gladys C. Sia started with wushu in 2004, when she was only 10.

A first year Financial Management student in FEU Manila, Gladys joined her first wushu competition in the same year she started with the sport. She didn’t get any award but six years later, she was able to snatch three medals (Gold, Silver and Bronze) at an international wushu competition in Shanghai and Zhen Zhou, defeating athletes from China, Hong Kong, Russia, Malaysia and Singapore. In 2012, she won four medals: Bronze in Chang Quan (long fist routine), Gold in Jian Shu (sword routine), Bronze in Qiang Shu (spear routine), and a Silver in Xing Yi Quan (basic routine).

“Endurance is important in wushu,” Gladys says, “You shouldn’t run out of breath because you have to finish a routine in 1 minute and 25 seconds. If you go beyond that, you lose points.” Gladys trains for endurance by running and doing exercises like sit-ups. When she’s not competing, she still trains 2 to 3 times a week in Philippine Mei Cheng Shaolin Kung Fu Research Center in Manila, where she is a senior athlete and helps train the junior students.

In Mei Cheng, the students learn from the senior students like Gladys, but everybody refines their routines on their own. In the absence of a permanent wushu master, they are left to perfect their form on their own, with the help of the internet and each other. In this setup, cooperation plays a big part.

“When your team supports you, you will get better,” Gladys shares. “Our team members help each other.” In wushu, Gladys has learned to be more open minded and disciplined. She has also learned to trust herself and believe in her capabilities. “What you need is faith and trust in yourself, and of course, hard work.”

Gladys also observed that when she trained every day, she rarely got sick. But aside from the health benefits of wushu, she encourages women to take up the sport because it’s also a good way to learn self defense. She says, “At first it was easy, and then you learn to enjoy it even if it becomes more difficult when you learn the routines.”

Gladys will soon be preparing for her next international competition in Zhen Zhou, China in October this year. But in the meantime, she takes a break to climb trees and laugh with her friends.

(This article appeared in the August edition of the Sassa Activewear newsletter.)

My love affair with Ayurveda

I met Father Jacob around 7 years ago and since then, I have always come to him for my ailments. Even for advice. I support his projects and try to help whenever I can. On his birthdays, I am usually there to celebrate with him and the other friends who love him dearly. I learned to love all his spicy Indian dishes because he keeps on feeding me with super anghang food items. I've seen him through three clinic addresses already, and have met a lot of wonderful people through him. I cherish this relationship with Ayurveda and Father. He is really someone I can count on, during times of health and emotional crisis. He's a funny guy, very wise, and very kind.

A few weeks ago, I interviewed him for Rappler. This is the story.

http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/11074-a-season-of-sickness-ayurvedic-tips-for-healing

Photo courtesy of Jes Aznar.

A little backstory

In July, Bowi got sick three times. The first time, he was confined in St. Luke's for 5 days. Some days later, just after his birthday, he caught a cough and cold. And then towards the end of the month, he contracted parotitis, inflammation of the salivary gland. Similar to mumps or could be mumps, we didn't really know for sure.

He was sick for more than ten days. There was slight fever and pain in the area. On the day that I left for Makati to interview a foreign celebrity, there was a typhoon and it was very windy. And Bowi was feverish in bed. This is the story that came out of that short trip one stormy day.

http://www.rappler.com/entertainment/10725-simon-says-live-life-fearlessly

Shibashi and energy work

Yesterday, Sunday, during tai chi in UP, I tried something for the first time.

Since Irene was there in charge of counting sets, as opposed to doing this on my own during daily practice, I was able to really focus on correct breathing, form, and--get this--energy visualization.

To be able to move energy is an important goal in tai chi practice. It's something I have always aspired for, and my more-than-a-decade of on-off tai chi practice somehow has led me to this. It makes me happy, and humbles me, to at least be able to START on this work. I am grateful to have reached a certain maturity in the art that I am now READY to start energy work.

I am not saying I have already perfected form and breathing. I just get the feeling that, somehow, and by some strange twist of chi, my body and spirit are now ready to deepen my appreciation and practice of this martial art that I have practiced since the nineties.

Anyway, I would like to share some of the insights that came to me during this very enlightening shibashi session.

When you do energy work in tai chi, it is not just the energy within your body that you are trying to move around. I feel that somehow, you are also establishing a particular relationship with the energies around you: the atmosphere, the people practicing with you, the Universe. This is felt during certain movements: your energy body blends with energy around you that somehow the physical borders that we see with our eyes (the outlines of our physical bodies) are blurred. You merge with what is around you, in energy. This tai chi experience underlines the basic truth that we are one--one with each other, one with the Universe. It was a good feeling to reach this realization, which added a spiritual dimension to a physical practice. It is what tai chi is all about anyway.

When your practice is sincere and correct, ego disappears. While every practitioner should always be strict about form and breathing (the physical aspects of tai chi), this somehow takes a backseat when true practice pushes soul consciousness to the fore and lets you forget about "looking good" for a while. The form becomes automatic and less of an effort. It is not a conscious concern anymore of the person practicing. To move and breathe in the right way becomes second nature, and the practitioner can now give full focus towards inner work. Important note: One cannot attain this level of focus unless one has "perfected" the physical requirements (form and breathing) of a certain routine. For example, I am able to give focus on energy work only during shibashi, but not while practicing TCA (Sun Style) or any of the Yang routines. Not yet, at least. There is a long, long way to go.

Tai chi is faithful to those who love it and practice it with a sincere heart. It will not let you down. Discipline and consistency are not my greatest strengths, so sometimes the lazy bug would bite me and for weeks I'd survive without so much as lifting an arm to do a basic qigong exercise. But one would discover that, upon returning to tai chi, while you will definitely be rusty with the moves and sequence, your inner self would have retained the deeper lessons. Proper breathing will still be there, the softness of movement remains, the knowledge about proper execution will be present. Basically, the ingredients to doing good tai chi will not easily leave you. Not if you have practiced it a long time, and definitely not if you love it tenderly with all your soul, heart, body, and chi.

Photo courtesy of Elmer Esma.

Her father's princess

When she was a little girl, her father would run after her with an open umbrella whenever they walked to school. No strong sun nor fat raindrops could fall on her shiny hair. This is the image that her old best friend from grade school remembered most about her.

Somewhere along the way, this tiny princess with the sad eyes and thick, black hair turned into a regular girl. Ordinary and no longer special. Her father passed on and like everyone else, she eventually got bruised and battered, neglected and wounded. So often, she became unsure of herself, her actions, her words, even her feelings.

Until one important day came that shook her to the core and forced her to rise from the ashes, so to speak, and reclaim her title. Prinsesa Imelda. Her crown is no longer dusty.

These are my stories.