Is yoga a therapy or a lifestyle? 

With over 300 million people around the world practicing yoga there are, potentially, over 300 million answers to this question. The responses would point toward the direction of how yoga impacts the overall health and wellbeing on the individual’s body, mind and spirit. 

Best friends Amanda Griffin Jacob and Karmela Oreta have been yoga practitioners for more than a decade. Engaging in health and wellness activities is but one of the primary reasons that bond them. 

Amanda wanted to fit well in her wedding dress so she tried hot yoga for the first time. She's always been active and into different sports so adding hot yoga to her repertoire wasn’t difficult at all. 

Meanwhile, Karmela just moved from London to Shanghai. She quit her job as public relations consultant for Stella McCartney and adidas so she had more time to herself.  Hot yoga was the first style of yoga she’s ever tried and immediately loved it.

“We both love hot yoga for the many benefits it offers – detox, weight loss, immune system boosting, and flexibility. It is physically and emotionally healing and it strengthens mental power. As long-time practitioners, we use it as a tool for meditation. It’s a perfect balance of nurturing mind, body and soul,” says Karmela, adding that glowing skin is another benefit, thanks to the infrared lights used in hot yoga.

Having integrated hot yoga into their daily life, they harboured a desire to share with more people the many health benefits of yoga. They recently announced the soon-to-open Vida Yoga with not one but two studios in the Philippines:  the Alabang studio at Commerce Center on the last week of June, and the BGC (Bonifacio Global City) studio in Arya on September 1st.  

“As a long-time hot yoga devotee, I have partnered with my fellow veteran practitioner and friend, Karmela, and Hot Yoga teacher/former Evolve Studio owner Ginger Diaz Serrano, who are not only as passionate about hot yoga as I am but also committed to the advocacy of the health and wellness space in the Philippines,” Amanda says. 

Vida Yoga is a comprehensive and holistic approach to wellness that goes beyond the mat. It's about making intentional lifestyle choices like food, fitness, and daily consumption that can have a positive impact not only on your own health but also on the world around you. 

“Living your best life isn’t just a trendy catchphrase. It's a mindset. We’re all about embracing the modern, mindful approach to wellness and doing things on our own terms. Because let's face it, life is too short to live by generic ideals. Our hot yoga and other wellness practices, along with our carefully curated food and lifestyle products, offer a holistic approach to wellbeing that focuses on your physical, mental, and emotional health,” Karmela enthuses.

The studio provides a fresh and modern take on hot yoga but is not limited to physical practice. It’s about creating a space where individuals can disconnect from the stresses of daily life or connect with others to find support and guidance in making mindful lifestyle choices. 

“Vida is not just a wellness studio. We're a community of individuals who are here to help you explore yourself, break boundaries, and redefine life on your own terms. It’s a journey that will encourage you to make mindful choices towards a more fulfilling, empowered life that may somehow change the world,” says Amanda.

Improved physical fitness. Hot yoga is a form of exercise that can improve cardiovascular health, flexibility, strength, and balance. 


Improved mental health. Hot yoga can also help improve mental health by promoting mindfulness, reducing anxiety, and increasing feelings of positivity and wellbeing. 


Professional guidance. Vida Wellness provides professional guidance from trained instructors who can help individuals safely and effectively practice hot yoga, preventing injury and maximizing the benefits. 


“We want to offer mindful lifestyle choices through our yoga studios and classes so that living a conscious lifestyle is accessible to all and can create a positive impact on each one of us and others in this world,” says Amanda.

Vida Yoga is bringing in internationally renowned American Yogi Copper Crow to lead the 200-hour Hot Yoga Teacher Training (HYTT) from July 10-31, 2023 which is a Yoga Alliance-registered course created by Copper. 

The course will focus on three distinct styles: classic 26+2 (otherwise known as the Bikram method), static hatha, and dynamic vinyasa flow. HYTT is a full-time programme of intense practical training in asana, vinyasa, pranayama, mudras, yogic philosophy, esoteric sciences, cleansing processes, meditation, chanting, teaching skills, class sequencing, and anatomy and physiology. 

The HYTT course outlines how to practice and teach each style, providing graduates with the necessary skills to offer more variety of classes and connect with a much wider audience of students. ‘Hot’ is the focus of the course. However, all techniques are broken down and can be applied to teaching non-hot classes. HYTT provides the most essential skills that are necessary to step into a classroom upon graduation and confidently guide classes that range from 45 to 90 minutes, demonstrate proper alignment, make hands-on adjustments, and give clear verbal cues.

Vida Yoga is also offering a Tibetan Heart Yoga (THY) workshop on June 9, 2023 in Arya Residences in BGC with an international Yogi flown in from Singapore. 

THY is an ancient series of holistic practices that bring together the physical and subtle body, mind, and emotions to create a deeply profound yogic experience. Known as the Yoga of Compassion, this practice combines the physical poses we all know and love with a traditional Tibetan Buddhist meditation technique known as the Tong-Len (method for destroying suffering and giving away joy and kindness). These two practices together work to untangle the knots around the heart, opening the heart chakra and allowing for a profound experience of connection, love, and compassion for all beings.

It will also conduct a ‘Playing with Fire’ workshop on June 7, 2023 at Commerce Center studio, which is beneficial for everyone, from those who wish to get introduced to hot yoga to others who are experienced and want to delve deeper into their practice.  It will demystify hot yoga to understand why it’s not just good for your body, but also for your emotional wellbeing. This is also a great prep for folks thinking about hot yoga teacher training.

“Our goal is to empower people to make mindful lifestyle choices in their mental, emotional, and spiritual health aspects so they can lead purposeful lives that impact others,” Karmela says. She shares three tips to achieve a mindful life. 

• Learn what you can see, what works for you and your body and enjoy the process. 

• Self-awareness and being conscientious of others and the world we live in, and hoping to make it better is what we believe is healthy.  

• Staying positive and being the best you can, or at least trying, is for us health and wellness.

“By prioritising your wellbeing, you can unlock your full potential and create a positive impact that goes beyond yourself,” says Karmela. “That’s exactly why we’ve created a space where you can slow down, tune in, and tap into your inner power.”

Debbie | ws

(Images courtesy of Vida Yoga unless otherwise credited). For more information on Vida Yoga, please follow @vidayogaph on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated on its classes, workshops, and teacher training.