Yoga led by Bubbles Paraiso
Feel the relaxing effect of yoga and the rush of running.
Participants of the GoWell Namaste Run, a yoga-run-yoga activity, got to experience both disciplines at the first staging of Sun Life’s GoWell event at Ayala Center Cebu.
Yogi and triathlete Bubbles Paraiso spearheaded the yoga class, while renowned Filipina marathoner Jaymie Pizarro, who’s known as the “bull runner,” led the two-kilometer run.
“Our goal is that you come as strangers and leave as friends.
One thing that motivates you to get fit and adopt a healthy lifestyle is to have a group of like-minded people help
sustain that kind of lifestyle,” said Pizarro, who is also Sun Life’s Marketing Manager for Health and Wellness.
GoWell is Sun Life’s wellness community that offers events and information to help one achieve his or her wellness journey.
Aside from Bubbles and Jamie, the other celebrity ambassadors are Tessa Prieto-Valdes, Rovilson Fernandez,
Piolo Pascual and son Iñigo. “Our ambassadors are real athletes, who live a balanced life. If you noticed, we have ambassadors for different generations and different sports—Bubbles is for yoga, me for running, Tessa for Zumba, Rovilson for CrossFit, Iñigo is for the youth, while Piolo is for cycling and strengthening,” said Jamie.
The activity started in the morning with pranayama breathing led by Bubbles, then an easy two-kilometer run headed by Jaymie, and ended with a 45-minute yoga session by Bubbles.
‘HEALING’ A BROKEN HEART
In a chat after the event, Bubbles revealed that it was a former lover who introduced her to the practice of a healthy lifestyle.
“An ex-boyfriend was a fitness enthusiast. He is a non-showbiz guy and he’s married na so okay na tayo dyan. He’s really into fitness that he got me into healthy eating as well. No matter what happened to the relationship, the takeaway is that I became a better person,” she shared.
Bubbles became a fitness buff, occasionally joins yoga classes, goes to the gym to lift weights and do cardio, as well as work out on an elliptical machine.
However, it was only when she got heartbroken that she found her new love—yoga and running.
“I needed to get out, so I booked myself a flight to Bali, parang ‘Eat Pray Love.’ I embarked on a teacher’s training in yoga since we are opening a studio anyway. I flew to find myself, but I found yoga instead, and I loved it,” said Bubbles.
“What’s good about yoga is that it doesn’t discriminate against age. If you can’t touch your toes today, maybe in three months, you will. It’s all about mindset,” she added.
When she flew back to Manila and opened her own studio Beyond Yoga Serendra, her first students were friends.
It was during one of her yoga sessions when she was introduced to running and, eventually, biking.
“We were supposed to be doing our yoga class, when they suggested that we run instead. There’s this group that runs every Thursday, so we joined them. And then I saw that the environment was so encouraging and they were all race athletes, they were so fast and it inspired me to be just like them,” she said.
So she started running regularly, and a few weeks into it, TV host Kim Atienza convinced her to do her first 10K race.
Biking came in later, after she started hanging out with triathletes and made her first race during the Ironman 70.3 in Cebu.
“I think it’s more about feeling good than looking good,” said Bubbles when asked why she became a triathlete.
“When you feel good, your eyes will show it. They will glow. Getting abs and the cuts is just a bonus.”
“The real high comes right after a workout or when you celebrate breakthroughs like perfecting your headstand,” she added.
Bubbles said she also had to give up certain indulgences such as desserts and junk food, which she loves so much, not to mention, the nightlife.
“On special occasions, I still do nights out but usually I cap it early. I drink wine at 6 p.m. and end my night at 9 p.m. so I can still sleep before 10 p.m.
I usually wake up 3:30 a.m. on Saturdays for early bike rides,” she said.
If there’s a piece of advice Bubbles wants to share to individuals starting a healthy lifestyle?
“Never doubt yourself. Don’t be impatient. It’s a different journey for everybody,” she said.