A new home for the Iyengar Yoga Center Manila
MANILA, Philippines – The Iyengar Yoga Center Manila (IYCM) marked the opening of its new studio at the Rockwell Center in Makati with a blessing and cocktail celebration held last Sept.11, IYCM founder and director Rina Ortiz and other IYCM teachers hosted the event, with Mumbai-based senior Iyengar yoga teacher Jawahar Bangera, IYCM’s well-loved mentor, teacher trainer, and consultant, as special guest for the occasion.
The 150-square meter space, designed by Ortiz and architect and Iyengar yoga teacher Audrey Shih, features birch wood floors, laminated walls, and large glass windows that allow for much natural light. “It’s an ideal place for practitioners, whether old or new students, to venture into unknown territory,” says Ortiz. “It’s a wonderful place to discover the blessings of the practice of yoga.”
Iyengar yoga is a style of this 5,000-year-old Indian belief system originated by living yoga master BKS Iyengar, who, at 92, still oversees the teaching at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, the school he founded and named after his late wife in Pune, India. It is a style that pays close attention to form, emphasizing precision and alignment in the various asana or poses, to allow students of all levels to enjoy better health, increased strength and flexibility, and stability of mind.
The Iyengar Yoga Center Manila first opened at the LKG Tower on Ayala Avenue in 2004, after Ortiz was certified, the first Filipina to receive a certification in this style of yoga. The IYCM remains the only home of certified and trained Iyengar yoga teachers in the Philippines.
The IYCM is at the 4/F, South Joya Tower, Rockwell, tel. no. 798-0070 and 0917-5359711. Please log on to www.iyengaryogamanila.com for more information and class schedules.
