[vc_row section_top_margin=”normaltopmargin” section_bottom_margin=”normalbottommargin” section_schema=”normal” section_background=”color” background_color=”#fcfbf8″ background_repeat=”repeat” moving_direction=”horizontal” parallax_speed_1=”300″ parallax_speed_2=”300″ parallax_speed_3=”300″ parallax_speed_4=”300″ parallax_speed_5=”300″ parallax_speed_6=”300″ parallax_speed_7=”300″ parallax_speed_8=”300″ parallax_speed_9=”300″ parallax_speed_10=”300″ section_id=”facultyraissa”][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″ position=”none”][vc_single_image image=”122″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”300×300″][vc_custom_heading text=”Whatever makes you happy makes you a better person” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:1.8%20em|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20italic%3A400%3Aitalic”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Raissa Paje-Bayawa” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:1.4%20em|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Satisfy%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” el_class=”facultyName” css=”.vc_custom_1411960878734{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Raissa is a graduate of the University of the Philippines, Diliman, where she obtained her BS Psychology degree. She is a proud alumna of the UP Psychology Society and UP Christ’s Youth in Action. She went to the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center where she finished her medical studies then proceeded with her training in Pediatrics at San Juan Medical Center. She is now a practicing pediatrician in Metro Manila.
Those who know her very well would agree that Raissa has always loved children. As the vice-president of the UERM Red Cross Medical Volunteer Corps back in medical school, she spear-headed the very first “Card Para Sa Pedia Ward” Christmas card drawing contest. Together with her peers, they were able to help the less fortunate children confined in the hospital at that time. Not surprisingly, a few years later she decided to be a doctor for kids.
Raissa attended her first yoga class several years ago. But it was only in September 2012, when she truly fell in love with the practice. She began experiencing first-hand the wonderful health benefits of doing yoga regularly. She admits that it can be difficult to include yoga, or any form of exercise or fitness program, into a very hectic work schedule. But she also believes that we need to exercise all the more when we are stressed–to release mental and emotional tension, to remind us that there is more to life than work, to give ourselves some time to just breathe, to decrease the risk for cardiovascular diseases, to fight obesity, and simply to be healthy and happy. Yoga can be our way of being kind to ourselves.
A deep desire to share yoga with her patients, and children in general, compelled her to take the Rainbow Kids Yoga Teacher Training Course with Lei Sadakari last April 2013 and the Kidz Yoga Australia Intensive Teacher Training with Grace Hetherington in October of the same year. It seemed to be the perfect complement to her practice of Pediatrics as she pursues her advocacy of disease prevention and health education. She finds it a real blessing to be able to interact with well-children, and through yoga, be able to share with them the value of taking care of one’s self even at a young age, of having fun while being healthy, of balancing work and play, and of living a life of learning and self-empowerment–so that they will grow up to be healthy, productive, well-rounded and happy adults in the future.
Raissa regards this as her most important lesson in life: whatever makes you happy will make you a better person. Fortunately, there are so many things that make her happy like reading and collecting books, making bookmarks, writing, studying (yes, even studying can make her happy), attending conferences, running, swimming, trying out different sports, traveling to new places, being at the beach, spending time with family and friends, and of course, yoga.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row section_top_margin=”normaltopmargin” section_bottom_margin=”normalbottommargin” section_schema=”normal” section_background=”color” background_color=”#ffffff” background_repeat=”repeat” moving_direction=”horizontal” parallax_speed_1=”300″ parallax_speed_2=”300″ parallax_speed_3=”300″ parallax_speed_4=”300″ parallax_speed_5=”300″ parallax_speed_6=”300″ parallax_speed_7=”300″ parallax_speed_8=”300″ parallax_speed_9=”300″ parallax_speed_10=”300″ section_id=”facultykarla”][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″ position=”none”][vc_single_image image=”172″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”300×300″][vc_custom_heading text=”Being a child at heart allows her to create a space that is fun and enjoyable for the kids in her care” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:1.8%20em|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20italic%3A400%3Aitalic”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Karla Patricia Co” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:1.4%20em|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Satisfy%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” el_class=”facultyName” css=”.vc_custom_1411961117341{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Karla is a bundle of delight of all sorts! Known as the team’s unicorn mascot, Teacher Karla’s happy disposition enables her to talk and interact with children of all age groups, anytime and anywhere. Being a child at heart allows her to create a space that is fun and enjoyable for the kids in her care. As a classroom teacher, she makes it a point to design age-appropriate activities that are appealing to her students, and this she does for her kids yoga classes as well. She is highly spontaneous and responds well to the kids’ energy, allowing her to creatively modify class plans as needed.
Teacher Karla also ensures that her students are not just having fun but are also learning. She puts great value in imparting lessons about life, academics, movement, and of course, arts with her students. Having a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Santo Tomas, she can be really crafty. She is elated when her hands are dirty and happier when reluctant children trust her and eventually have the time of their lives.
Karlamel Sundae (another nickname for her multifaceted personality) has a great story to tell when asked to describe herself and about how she came to teaching kids yoga.
She excitedly relates, “I am your friendly rainbow-farting unicorn! I discovered my love for teaching when I was in college. I enjoyed painting so much (sans talent) that I decided to share it with others and started having art classes for the kids around my area. When I graduated, I entered the world of advertising. I was fired a month after. You think I lost hope? Na-uh. I continued fighting my way into the industry and I made it! I began working in a fancy publishing company. After a year, I called it quits. I knew then that my only option was to join the academe. So I did. After all, YOLO, my dad always tells me. Now, I am in my happiest state. Ever. Don’t frown. There is joy in this story. In the middle of all the chaos of job hunting (and shifting), my adventurous self was looking for something else to do. A year after graduating college, a good friend invited me to do yoga. I have always been curious about it so I gave it a try. And I never stopped doing it since then. Doing became practicing and practicing became living. My Ashtanga practice is as eclectic as I am. I am sometimes up, but am often face-flat on the floor. I was enjoying my journey so much that I decided to share it! Who else would benefit from my rainbow-filled dreams but the kids, right?”
And being the go-getter that she is, Karla got certified to teach kids yoga by Rainbow Kids Yoga last April 2013. That’s where she met Chief Fairy Godmother Raissa (also known as Dr. Paje-Bayawa) and the rest is well… History? Join her write more pages in her yoga journey as you relish her classes and join in her adventures![/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row section_top_margin=”normaltopmargin” section_bottom_margin=”normalbottommargin” section_schema=”normal” section_background=”color” background_color=”#fcfbf8″ background_repeat=”repeat” moving_direction=”horizontal” parallax_speed_1=”300″ parallax_speed_2=”300″ parallax_speed_3=”300″ parallax_speed_4=”300″ parallax_speed_5=”300″ parallax_speed_6=”300″ parallax_speed_7=”300″ parallax_speed_8=”300″ parallax_speed_9=”300″ parallax_speed_10=”300″ section_id=”facultykristina”][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″ position=”none”][vc_single_image image=”173″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”300×300″][vc_custom_heading text=”Her passion for teaching kids yoga translates tangibly in her well-crafted class plans and hand-made visual aids in class” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:1.8%20em|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20italic%3A400%3Aitalic”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Maria Kristina Talusan” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:1.4%20em|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Satisfy%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” el_class=”facultyName” css=”.vc_custom_1411961160195{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Kristina, fondly known to her beloved students and colleagues as Teacher Karis, is a graduate of Capitol Medical Center with a degree in BS Nursing. Life took her to a different, yet beautiful and fulfilling path which led her to teaching kids in preschool. She is presently taking up her Masters in Education, with a minor degree in Teaching in the Early Grades at the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
She began her yoga practice with the simple desire to alleviate her back pains. As she continued her journey on the mat, she realized that she was getting more than what she wanted. She was drawn to the mind and body connection of yoga. The awesome feeling of “being in the present” is what keeps her coming back to the mat.
The practice of yoga has helped her be kinder not just to her self but also to every single living thing on earth. She is passionate about sharing her passion of having a healthy, happy, sustainable and well-balanced lifestyle that is full of kindness and love.
As a preschool teacher, she wanted to share her passion and the benefits of yoga to her students. She took the Rainbow Kids Yoga Teacher Training under Lei Sadakari in April 2013 and joined Happy Heart Kids a few months after. Her passion for teaching kids yoga translates tangibly in her well-crafted class plans and hand-made visual aids in class. Believing that children learn best when they are having fun, she makes sure to plan fun and developmentally appropriate classes while considering the different limitations and learning styles of each child. She conducts her regular weekend yoga classes at Onelife Studio in San Juan with a gentle and happy heart and genuine enthusiasm to spread yoga love to kids.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row section_top_margin=”normaltopmargin” section_bottom_margin=”normalbottommargin” section_schema=”normal” section_background=”color” background_color=”#ffffff” background_repeat=”repeat” moving_direction=”horizontal” parallax_speed_1=”300″ parallax_speed_2=”300″ parallax_speed_3=”300″ parallax_speed_4=”300″ parallax_speed_5=”300″ parallax_speed_6=”300″ parallax_speed_7=”300″ parallax_speed_8=”300″ parallax_speed_9=”300″ parallax_speed_10=”300″ section_id=”facultykarla”][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″ position=”none”][vc_single_image image=”172″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”300×300″][vc_custom_heading text=”Her soft spot for children was innate hence the strong passion to also share the practice with the younger ones – infusing play, music, movement, art, and imagination to the class.” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:1.8%20em|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20italic%3A400%3Aitalic”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Camille Marie Nierra” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:1.4%20em|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Satisfy%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” el_class=”facultyName” css=”.vc_custom_1411961210031{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Camille graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Development Studies and a Minor in Hispanic Studies. She is an upcoming postgraduate student in the University of the Philippines-Diliman, pursuing a Masters Degree in the field of Family Life and Child Development.
It was ultimately a life-changing occasion when Camille stumbled upon yoga in June of 2012, while she was searching for avenues to balance out the stresses experienced in her previous job and to quell the demands of early adulthood. Yoga became the utmost instrument in helping her find her center, enabling her to slow down, and allowing herself to be in tune and grounded to the present moment. Less than two years after undergoing regular classes, she felt the desire to learn more about yoga and to deepen her own practice. She underwent KidzYoga-Australia’s 32H Teacher Training Intensive under Grace Hetherington in October 2013 and Ashtanga Vinyasa 108 Yoga Shala’s Ashtanga Vinyasa 200H Teacher Training Program under Jovan Nikolic in February 2014.
Camille began teaching privately to adults shortly after graduating from her Ashtanga Vinyasa Teacher Training and joined the Happy Heart Kids Yoga faculty in May 2014. Coming from a big family, she was used to being surrounded by little nieces and nephews whom she loved to play and spend time with. Her soft spot for children was innate hence the strong passion to also share the practice with the younger ones – infusing play, music, movement, art, and imagination to the class. She believes that children who are exposed to kids yoga are able to have better learning abilities, positive body image, and healthy relationships, to name a few. These are all fundamental factors in molding happy and confident children, and eventually, content and successful individuals as they grew older.
Overall, the fulfillment and joy she feels when teaching yoga stems from the ability to share the benefits of the practice with others; as well as how much it has enhanced the quality of her life and state of mind. Teaching enables her to impart new learning from her seasoned teachers and gives her a concrete opportunity to contribute to the well-being of her students. As of the moment, apart from being a humble yoga practitioner and instructor, she remains a daughter, a sister, a student, and a wanderer of life – consistently seeking for deeper meaning and increased centeredness.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
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