Flow:SurfYogaSamba in Zambales!

The annual FLOW SurfYogaSamba weekend retreat last November 30-December 2 was a special milestone as the team celebrated their 3^rd year at Casa San Miguel, Zambales. “We’ve been organizing boutique retreats since 2009 and we are glad that many people are finding out about us & truly enjoying our approach to alternative weekend getaways”, says Noelle Hilario, one of the co-founders of FLOW.

Monica E. Manzano, also one of the partners is a certified yoga teacher. She prefers to practice amidst greens and fresh air. “I used to live in Palawan for 2 years and I feel that you can really heighten your yoga experience by immersing in nature”. She led a sunset Yin Yoga class in the whimsical garden of artists, Plet Bolipata & Elmer Borlongan.

Each participant received an earth-friendly FLOW tote bag filled with sponsored goodies which they used all throughout the weekend. For this retreat, we had Bobble filtered water bottles,  healthy doses of Moringana superfood capsules and tea bags, Vitaminboost & Lightwater from Suncoast, face & body sunblock from Belo Essentials Sun Expert, Human Nature feminine wash, Travel Magazines and travel tags, Flow tees plus gcs from Aloha Boardsports, Beyond Yoga, Fitness Lab and Strip & Browhaus.

The following day, PETA vegan advocate and Aloha Boardsports team rider, Corey Wills taught a Surf-inspired yoga class which helps build strength needed to paddle out and face the waves. He also taught yoga poses to help loosen tight muscles after surfing. Then some AcroYoga moves to go with the class to lighten up the mood. 

Despite having no waves during the retreat weekend, participants learned ground training and safety skills from the qualified Surfasana team. Head coach Nuno Rumao together with Corey Wills, Jessal Ramos, JJ Montelibano & Camille Post Santiago taught with so much heart and enthusiasm. Participants also learned the basics of paddling, “popping up” or getting up on the board, balancing, surf rescue techniques, as well as how to read waves and even water safety.

Everyone enjoyed these giant flip flop floaters from Havaianas during downtime at the beach as well as the eco-friendly Bobble water bottles!

Each night, Toni and Bogey Bernardo of Escola de Samba de Manila would take on the authentic Brasilian batucada beats with Denise Gonzales-Bernardo leading the Samba dance steps for beginners. The participants were eager to learn some new dance steps which they used during the culminating evening bonfire at the gardens, while others practiced their music skills with the many percussion instruments and one-on-one instructionals from Toni and Bogey. Denise is the third founder of the healthy trinity. 

This vegetarian/vegan-friendly retreat will not be complete without emphasis on health. The FLOW girls share the benefits of drinking green smoothies. Noelle, Denise and Monica each shared their favorite breakfast-on-the-go smoothie recipes powered by Moringana- whole food Malunggay Capsules made from Pure, Organic Malunggay leaves. Mona Lisa Neuboeck, a certified raw food chef gave a very enlightening lecture on how to create yummy snacks for any Raw Food Surf Trips. She made raw sushi from coconut meat with vegetables in nori sheets and also taught the group how to make instant raw vegan breakfast porridge perfect for travelers.

At the last day of the event, everyone gathered for a short closing program where each one received an Aloha Boardsports and Billabong certificate of completion for the surfing classes. Each participant also went home with a prize but premium items from Havaianas, Billabong and Lagu were given to those who performed well in surfing, yoga and samba classes.

This wraps up another epic weekend, thanks to all participants (from Canada, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines), teachers and sponsors: Havaianas, Aura Athletica, Bobble, Belo Essentials Sun Expert, Moringana, Lightwater, Vitaminboost, Beyond Yoga, Aloha Boardsports, Billabong, Browhaus, Strip, Lagu, Human Heart Nature, Fitness Lab, Travel Magazine, When In Manila and My Life on Board.

For more information on their next weekend retreats, please check out www.flowsurfyogasamba.com

The Flow:FarmYogaSamba Retreat At GK Enchanted Farm

The very first Flow:FarmYogaSamba Weekend Retreat was celebrated last September 22-23 at the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan.

Upon arrival, participants were given all natural Filipino iced tea by Bayani Brew as welcome drinks.

 An organic farm tour was led by different GK volunteers to get to know the lush surroundings.

All meals were served in the gorgeous open-aired Grass Roots Café under the supervision of Bea Gomez. 

They are famous for their farm fresh vegetables, organic duck eggs, herbs and locally made cheeses. For the green warriors, we also chowed down on vegetarian friendly creations like the Puso Ng Saging Burger and Pesto Pasta.

The group was able to learn how to make Theo & Philo chocolates and specialty herbed cheeses before the afternoon delight which was sunset Yin Yoga led by Monica Eleazar-Manzano at the grand Grass Bamboo Palace.

A very relaxing sunset Yin Yoga session with the sound of birds chirping in the background and breezy fresh farm air!

 

The next day, early risers greeted the sun with Vinyasa Yoga overlooking the endless green rice fields. 

Endless greenery background

Afterwards, Escola de Samba de Manila worked up the participants with Battucada drumming and Samba dance moves.

 Of course, everyone learned how to make basic green smoothies with local fruits and greens.

Participants also enjoyed their Raw Vegan Food bowls.

Foodie blogger Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet won a Anti-Gravity Yoga pass!

His wife Rachel, went home with a GC from Strip Manila!

Carmel won a box of healthy Moringana tea!

Each participant received a Flow eco bag filled with goodies from sponsors.

Check out the event video above!

Flow:FarmYogaSamba would like to thank Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm, Moringana, Human Heart Nature, Beyond Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Vitaminboost, Lightwater, Sweet Ecstasy, Browhaus, Strip and When In Manila.

Their next event is a Flow:SurfYogaSamba Weekend Retreat at Casa San Miguel Zambales in collaboration with surfer, yogi and raw foodists Corey Wills and Mona Lisa Neuboeck! Like Flow on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more updates on their upcoming events and retreats!