“We salute your community for providing free yoga lessons to foreign workers. And in this way your community helps to develop the peace and unity to peoples with different nationalities.” — St. Anne’s Filipino Catholic Group Coordinator Lorenda Rafanan.

By Foster Barnes TUESDAY, 14/10/2014. The Andiappan Yoga Community (AYC) is growing and adding classes almost weekly. Our yoga program for Hong Kong’s overseas workers is our largest and fastest growing volunteer-run program. And since July of this year, AYC has partnered with St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Stanley to share yoga with the Filipino overseas workers from this parish.

AYC is grateful and honored to have a diligent, compassionate team dedicated to sharing yoga with the members of St. Anne’s. YAC Volunteer Teacher Nancy Wang organizes the group of teachers who also include YAC Volunteer Teachers Jen Chan, Melinda Juang, Cindy Mok, and Chloe Sze. “We love and like the teachers very much. They are fully trained and so sympathetic, and they walk along the class observing and helping. We salute them for their kindness,” says Lorenda.

Classes consist of about ten to 20 overseas workers from this parish between the ages of 30 and 50 who meet twice a month on Sunday afternoons. Since yoga classes can be cost prohibitive — and because daily physical labour takes a toll on the body and the mind — these free, volunteer-run yoga classes are quite popular among the overseas worker community.

It is now widely accepted that the benefits of yoga are far-reaching. And according to Lorenda, the parish wanted to provide yoga classes for their members because they understand that, “Yoga is important to help people relax and release them from the stress of everyday work.” Stress builds up in our bodies and our minds and ultimately effects our health and well-being. Yoga is one of the most practical ways to manage and alleviate stress. This is primarily done by stretching, extending, and stimulating the spine, the pathway of the central nervous system.

More and more we are learning that the benefits of yoga are ever-expanding. And the participants from St. Anne’s Filipino Catholic Group confirm these benefits with reports that their bodies are becoming more supple; twisting and bending is becoming easier for them; they are becoming more conscious of their body shape, and more thoughtful about the foods they eat; they are feeling refreshed and alive after class, released from the frustrations of a stressful lifestyle; they are feeling more relaxed; and developing a peace of mind.

“Students sweat a lot and they all say they love it! I can see that some regular students have improved physically,” says Nancy.

But beyond the physical and mental benefits of yoga is also access to a higher, spiritual, moral path. “While the concern of our parish is for our spiritual well being—yoga is concerned for our physical well being. We need both of these,” says Lorenda. “We need to develop our spiritual, physical, mental, and moral well being. To attain all of these we need to have self-discipline.” 

Indeed, the practice of yoga is also a path to self-discipline. Yoga requires patience. It demands practice, even daily practice. In fact, some of St. Anne’s members have even started to develop a home practice, as they have come to realize that one or two classes a month are not sufficient to make significant progress. Yoga expects us to be present in the moment. It requires concentration, balance, focus, a slow and steady breath. But yoga also promotes a quiet, mediative mind. It’s not only physical. Mental strength and flexibility need to be cultivated. So not only will yoga contribute to our physical and mental well-being, if it is practiced mindfully, it can lead us on a journey inward towards spiritual and moral growth.

And this is why AYC members share yoga. We believe in the benefits of practice because we have experienced them ourselves. We love to share our yoga with others so that they, too, may experience these benefits. As such, AYC would like to acknowledge Mabel Mak, a founding member of Anahata Yoga, for bringing this teaching opportunity to AYC. And we are grateful to St. Anne’s Filipino Catholic Group of St. Anne’s Church for opening their hearts and doors to yoga. We’d also like to thank St. Anne’s Filipino Catholic Group Coordinator Lorenda Rafanan for arranging and organizing this class. And AYC would especially like to extend our gratitude to Spiritual Director Fr. John Mc. Auley for his prayers and for providing the venue at the parish hall. And finally, we are humbled and honored to witness the participants enjoying the benefits of their yoga practice.

Namaste, St. Anne