Marilen Elizalde talks about the two modalities she's grown attuned to which give her a meaningful life
A wellness warrior is someone who strongly advocates for health through several practices. These may include consistently hitting the gym, engaging in outdoor activities, achieving physical goals that intensely get the sweat out, or doing Zumba, Pilates and CrossFit while convincing people to be physically and mentally active. Thus, when it comes to promoting and following a lifestyle of health and wellness, there is an abundance of choices. Marilen Elizalde, however, opts to be a yoga advocate and aromatherapy enthusiast.
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“After I realised I was not going to have a career in dance, I switched from jazz and tap classes to aerobic classes,” says this enthusiast who once dreamt of a dance profession. “I discovered the gym and slowly began to enjoy it. I started with weight training and aerobic classes, then went to the gym for regular workouts.”
Then came yoga.
“About 20 years ago, I began my yoga journey as an alternative to gym workouts after my daughter was born. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with yoga,” shares Elizalde. One of the first factors that drew her to yoga was the fact that, according to her, the daily practice is so fluid that no two days are alike. “Sometimes I feel great on the mat, sometimes I feel like I’m dragging a ton of bricks. Some days are long and arduous, some days are short and sweet,” she adds.
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Yoga means union: allowing the body, mind and spirit to become aware and move as one. Some people see it as a physical activity that tests one’s ability to stretch and hold positions in place to calm the mind; but for Elizalde, the meaning of yoga is deeper. “To move into stillness. To ground me when my mind is going in so many directions. To reset, recharge,” says Elizalde.
