Yoga in Baguio: Pranalaya Yoga and Wellness
- themovingashram
- May 5, 2017
- 3 min read
Moving ashram traveled more than 200 kilometers away from the Metro and climbed the southern tip of the Cordillera Mountain popularly known as the City of Pines to feature our first space for yoga practice.
Baguio City is more than a place for strawberry picking, cold climate, pine trees, mountain scenery, indigenous art, low-priced fruits and vegetables and many famous artisan cafes especially now that it has started to grow its own yoga community.
We discovered a new space for yoga practice on the hilltop called Pranalaya Yoga and Wellness which can be found at the heart of Baguio City.
Pranalaya is a newly renovated studio in Mabini Street just across the famed Session Road. The studio was established in December 2015 in the outskirts of Baguio and has since attracted new students. It re-opened the studio in the city center more than a month ago to encourage more locals to practice yoga.
I had a chance to practice with the yogi behind Pranalaya, Gelie Dela Peña, at her old studio in Bakakeng right before she moved her new studio to the city proper. After the restorative class, I had the chance to talk with this amazing yogi who enlightened me about how she founded her own studio.
“I decided to establish the studio with the sole intention of sharing the gift of yoga,” she said with excitement.
Gelie is hands on with the operations of the studio. She is a mainstay of Pranalaya who not only teaches yoga classes but also organizes workshops and special events among other things.
“I would like people to see Pranalaya Yoga as a community of like-minded people who value their personal health and well-being and who also live their lives with mindfulness, gratitude and vibrancy,” she added.
Pranalaya teaches Vinyasa, Hot yoga, Restorative yoga and antigravity yoga. Aside from the yoga classes, it offers fitness classes such as zumba, ballet fitness, and belly dancing. The studio also offers classes for beginners and kids.
Image by Pranalaya via Facebook
Once in a while, Pranalaya organizes a “karma yoga activity”, an outreach activity or free community class intended to deepen students’ appreciation of the blessings they receive each day. She said that there are also workshops where guest teachers from Manila or abroad teach in the studio to give an opportunity for practitioners to deepen their practice and connect their light with one another.
“There are so many benefits to the practice, as well as with the other classes that we offer, and I think it’s about time to share it with the people of Baguio,” she added. The yoga community in Baguio is still young which she estimates at around 40-50 regular practitioners but more individuals are now being introduced to the practice since a few studios opened in Baguio.
Gelie said everyone should practice yoga because taking care of oneself is not a luxury but an important aspect of our lives.
It was relaxing to start my day with a yoga practice in Pranalaya not only because it was in Baguio but also because the class taught me to be more aware of the small details I tend to forget.
Pranalaya is just one of the few yoga studios in Baguio. There are a few yoga studios around the city and more locals are becoming interested in Yoga, especially in hot yoga due to the cold weather. All studios in Baguio have common intention – share their light and love and ultimately introduce yoga to residents and tourists alike.
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