MARILEN ELIZALDE, WELLNESS WARRIOR: EMPOWERING OTHERS TOWARD SELF-CARE
Yoga teacher and aromatherapy advocate maintains that she’s not sharing anything new, but her lifestyle has made her a poster girl for wellness
When History teacher Marilen Gonzalez Elizalde was about to quiz her students about their recent lesson, their minds went blank. The middle-school students had stayed up late the night before, indulging in their favorite entertainment. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation negatively affects students’ performance, resulting in memory lapses, poor attention and comprehension.
Sleep, Elizalde cites, is one of the pillars of wellness which she has been espousing. She has since shifted from teaching ancient civilizations to yoga, aromatherapy and self-care. She lists other wellness boosters that are all too familiar—movement activities; diet (everything in moderation); meditation to improve awareness of mind and body; and detox from gadgets (know when to shutdown), foods that cause inflammation, toiletries and household products with harmful ingredients.
Elizalde maintains that she’s not sharing anything new, but her lifestyle has made her a poster girl for wellness.
Twenty years ago, she took up ashtanga yoga, the most intense among the modern yoga styles, as alternative to the gym. After a 400-hour teacher training in ashtanga, she has since furthered her knowledge by getting more accreditation from different teachers.
Yoga journey
She took up aromatherapy after hearing a testimonial from a mother who claimed how essential oils and clean living improved the health of an autistic child. As Elizalde mastered concocting oils, she stopped getting migraines, thanks to aromatherapy, while abstaining from foods with allergens.
When her husband, Santiago “Santi” Elizalde, president and CEO of Roxaco Land, was diagnosed with high blood pressure, she then consulted another doctor and oiler, who gave her a formula of essential oils. After a month of aromatherapy and regular walking, Santi let go of his maintenance medicines.
The pandemic then became a turning point. To beat the general pandemic stress, Elizalde’s yoga classes went on livestream via Facebook. Getting her credentials as an aromatherapist, she gained a strong following that requested webinars on feel-good topics, natural personal care products and cleaning products. (She swears by a paste made with Datu Puti white vinegar and baking soda as a natural disinfectant.)
During the hard lockdown, her husband, who was initially resistant to yoga, and her daughter Isabel went to her little shala (a place for yoga) and requested workouts. Unlike other yoga styles, ashtanga follows a standard sequence of poses which, when memorized, enables the practitioner to practice on his own. Over time, the couple’s osteopath, Japan-trained Dr. Jason Prado, noticed that Santi’s tight body loosened up.
She adds that yoga can reduce snoring through the breath work and poses, which open up the chest, throat and nasal cavities and expands lung capacity.
Elizalde notes in jest that the “patience, practice and surrender [of the ego],” cultivated in her yoga, enabled her to sail through her 30-year marriage.
Eight limbs
During the viral surge in January, her husband and three children caught COVID-19 while she remained safe. “I diffused eucalyptus and other blends for the respiratory system to help them. Whenever I go out, I put a drop of peppermint or eucalyptus on the corners of my mask. If I’m not feeling well and when I get sniffles, I massage my toes with oregano, rosemary, cinnamon, frankincense and lemon with virgin coconut oil. Each oil has a specific therapeutic effect,” says Elizalde.
Eventually, she developed Uma, a wellness brand that shares her knowledge of yoga, aromatherapy and healthy living.
In her quiet way, she has been giving inputs to the wellness experience at Anya, which she describes as “Santi’s baby.” Inspired by their trips to world-famous resorts with indulgent spas, Santi envisioned a luxury resort of international standards with a Filipino touch. Since the hotel’s inception, she has been replacing the spa’s massage oils with mineral oils with healthier formulations.
This year, Anya distinguished itself in the Tagaytay hospitality scene as a dining and wellness destination. Santi consulted her on coining a name for the expanded services. Elizalde cites niyama, a Sanskrit word roughly translated as positive practices. She explains that niyama is the second of the Eight Limbs (eightfold path to freedom from the effects of materialistic world) written by Hindu philosopher Patanjali.
“The yoga sutras of Patanjali are universal. They are more about how your practice reflects how you live,” she explains.
This concept has been adopted as a brand, the Niyama Experience, services that consist of an expanded spa menu, integrative and anti-aging treatments by partner European Wellness Retreat, movement classes, alternative healthy menus and Inner Journey workshops and retreats.
The newly refurbished Niyama Wellness Center includes a wider assortment of massages. Unique in Tagaytay are the cupping therapy and gentle manipulation, taught by Dr. JP Prado, to release tight areas in muscles, tissues and joints. It likewise houses the European Wellness Retreat for high-tech treatments for regenerating tissues.
As she built a reputation as a wellness warrior through webinars and Zoom talks, Santi egged her to hold face-toface workshops at Anya. Elizalde was initially reluctant, not wanting to conduct the workshop just because she’s the boss’ wife. Santi reminded her of her credentials which she had accumulated for two decades.
“I don’t claim to be an expert,” maintains Elizalde. “We have choices in life. Choose to help you start the wellness journey so you don’t fall ill. After my 20-year yoga practice, it has been natural to find other modalities related to wellness. I love to share my passion and hopefully, to empower anybody who can move towards wellness.”