As more yoga centers open up across the city, the convenience of having a yoga studio nearby is giving more people added incentive to give yoga a try. Reflecting this interest surge in yoga, teachers with certifications in a variety of yoga styles are showing up. Ashtanga, vinyasa, Bikram, jivamukthi, gentle flow, power yoga, hot fusion and sivananda are all styles that are available locally.

With so many to choose from, a question often posed is, how do you know if you are already proficient in one style when you keep practicing so many?

As if in answer to this question, Bikram Yoga Manila, the pioneer studio that introduced Bikram yoga to the Philippines, just conducted a series of posture seminars at its studios over the past 2 weeks. These seminars were aimed at giving Bikram yoga students specific knowledge about the set postures that comprise the Bikram yoga series.

“With yoga, practicing a variety of styles has some advantages. At the same time, so does being dedicated to one style. You build an in-depth understanding of the style and the postures that are part of the practice. Our seminar is structured to give our students a step-by-step guide on how to dramatically improve their Bikram yoga practice”, says Tristan Choa, studio director of Bikram Yoga Manila (www.bikramyogamanila.com).

The discussion on the various postures was actually quite detailed. Each posture in the Bikram’s beginner series was broken down to how to set-up the posture properly, how to get in to the posture, how to sustain the posture and how to exit the posture properly. For students that couldn’t do certain postures, adjustments were given depending on what challenge their body presented. Choa even gave extensive anatomical detail where appropriate.

“We want our students to understand what each pose is all about so that they can be more mindful each time they practice,” noted Choa. And it seemed to work. The students who attended the clinic unanimously agreed that it was worth 4 hours of their Saturday to learn that they did. “I’m looking forward to applying what I learned the next time I get into the hot room,” said one student.

With 3 studios under its management – one in Salcedo Village, Makati, one in T. Morato, Quezon City and Core Yoga (www.coreyogaasia.com) in Ortigas Center – Choa hopes to continue playing a part in growing the popularity of yoga in the Philippines.