MANILA, Philippines - Yoga in the Wild, a celebration of a life inspired by more than four decades of yoga practice and adventures in the natural world, will be launched today, 5:30 p.m., at Powerbooks in Greenbelt 4, Makati.
Published by Talikwas Editions and distributed by Anvil Publishing Inc., the book is authored by Lucia “Ciay” Misa, who is based in New Hampshire but spends part of each year at Talikwas Yoga Center, which she established in El Nido, Palawan and where she conducts yoga workshops.
What has motivated and centered Ciay Misa is the discipline of her daily yoga practice and meditation, which she began when she was 20 years old. In Boston, she sought out the best teachers, and her practice has molded itself into an organic connection to the natural world. Since 2004, she has enjoyed her retirement into a life of simple abundance close to nature.
The book compiles her essays that have been published and won distinctions in the US, as well as in local anthologies. She shares her knowledge of yoga practice as well as accounts of her travels and mediations on living.
The book evolved on its own momentum. A set of excellent photographs taken by Shuji Koto, featuring Ciay in yoga poses in El Nido, flowed onto its pages after her friends prodded her to feature them.
As Mariel Francisco describes in her foreword, “Seeing these nude photos of her lying on boulders or entwined in trees, I said to myself, ‘What could be more natural? Like a beautiful lizard sunning itself, she seems to be just part of the landscape.’”
Paulynn Paredes Sicam pitches in: “Ciay Misa writes about her life and adventures as a woman and a yoga teacher with passion, pain, humor and truth. She allows the reader into aspects of her life ... (and) also brings us to the mysterious caves, trees, loons, mountains, rivers, lakes and oceans she has encountered in over 30 years of yoga practice, culminating in her acquisition of Mastalikwas where she envisions a retirement community where people can live and die close to nature and in peace. Yoga in the Wild is an autobiography, a travelogue, a yoga instruction manual, and a celebration of a life lived fully. It is a delightful read, whether or not you’re into yoga.”