Coty Manalang-cruz: Helping people through Reiki yoga
THESE are indeed stressful times and people, especially the elderly, are looking for ways to de-stress to make everyday life more bearable.
The current pandemic has prompted former social entrepreneur Coty Manalang-cruz to open her Reiki yoga center to both local and foreign clients from ages eight to 86.
Reiki is a Japanese technique that promotes healing and self-improvement through energy. It works in conjunction with traditional medicine and therapeutic practices to encourage faster recovery.
For the elderly, Manalang-cruz conducts and evaluates their condition before they “plunge” into action. “The main challenge would be...i have to first learn and study their condition. This is so I know what positions can benefit them, as well as a position they can comfortably do with their age and condition,” Manalang-cruz said in an e-mail interview with the Businessmirror.
She and her elderly clients set a weekly schedule that is convenient for all parties. She becomes inspired and motivated to teach this group when they approach and tell her that they really want to change and improve their lifestyle. Aside from being a nurturing mentor, she charges them affordable rates to encourage them to stay in the program. “If they do it weekly or better yet twice a week, seeing them improve their flexibility, balance and stamina is a blessing,” she said.
For the elderly, she asks them to do gentle flow and always remind them to do only what they can. “Little by little, they will see the improvement, this is if they do it on a regular basis,” Manalang-cruz said.
Sessions with the elderly are done on a one-on-one basis.
She motivates her elderly students by setting an example, living a life that is more balanced. Another motivation is found within the students themselves, as they find it easier to perform yoga positions that they previously found difficult, but can now do with ease.
The class starts with a short meditation, to quiet the mind, followed by guided pranayama breathing. Her only open class is on Saturdays at 8:30 in the morning. The rest are private classes.
Although she does not impose dietary restrictions, she just tells them to try to eat a balanced meal with a bit of vegetables and fruits.
“I also tell them to stay away from sugar…with a smile,” she said. Reinventing herself
BEFORE becoming a Reiki healer, Manalang-cruz managed a business engaged in manufacturing health and beauty products.
Manalang-cruz noticed she had the innate talent, but she just was not ready to accept and hone it until a few years ago, when her sister died of cancer.
“I was thankful to be beside her while she was fighting this sickness. When she passed away, I started fixing her things, and I kept seeing Reiki books, articles, documentation, etc. Let me reiterate that I am for alternative healing and integrative medicine even before becoming a Reiki healer,” she said.
“I have done some Reiki sessions on myself, I just did not know that what I was performing was Reiki in itself, all this before my sister died. I decided to follow this path right away. So I went on a two-week cleansing with Shanti Ayuverda and went straight into learning how to be a Reiki master,” she added.
It was not an easy journey for Manalang-cruz because Reiki required a lot of dedication, time, meditation and a change of mindset. Doing yoga helped her a great deal to familiarize herself with the discipline.
Eventually,shedecidedtolearnhow to teach yoga “on the very first day of my training as a Reiki healer.” She took yoga to improve her focus, breathing and lifestyle. To become a Reiki healer, she decided to create a routine to optimize the teachings of the craft.
For Manalang-cruz, teaching yoga is very fulfilling as it enables her to connect to a lot of people physically, mentally, and even spiritually. In return, yoga teaches them how to enhance their lifestyle in a chaotic and challenging world.
“It is amazing to see that my students are starting to live a more balanced lifestyle, more aware of what they eat and take care of themselves from when they first participated in yoga or meditation,” she said.
Through Reiki yoga, her students were able learn to be the best versions of themselves, and she is very grateful for their accomplishments.
Man a lang- cruz encourages people to do yoga because it is designed for mentor, it gives her a great feeling of satisfaction to see students who first did not show enthusiasm in the early stage but later appreciated the benefits of yoga after they realized how it lifts their well-being.
Through teaching, Manalang-cruz feels blessed for being able to reach out to more people and promote a balanced lifestyle. “I wanted to connect to people more and be able to somehow inspire them by how I live,” she said.
“My presence in social media [Facebook and Instagram] also plays a big part in motivating people, as my Instagram and Facebook pages inspire people from all over the world,” she added.