By: Von-der By
Femininity and creation−this is how Tamara describes the island of Siargao, which coincidentally represents her entire being as well. This curious and adventurous woman−a little rebellious at times, her words− have been blossoming since she was a kid, having to train herself physically and mentally as a gymnast in Madrid.
Although it was rather a busy early years for her going to competitions, she is making it up at the present by trying to relive her childhood that she missed from an adult's perspective. One can see her always connecting with children wherever she goes in the world.
Like a child, she retained her deep sense of curiosity about anything that interests her. This allowed her to broaden her mind and perspective, and it made her conscious about life. She calls this recognizing the miracles behind everything.
True enough, Tamara's openness has allowed her to discover her passion for Yoga. It was a serendipitous moment when she accepted an invitation one day to try a yoga class
specifically— Kundalini. Being physically active since she was young, she used to be one of those warriors who, when anxiety and stress attack, would go to the gym and beat themselves out. However, when she realized the power that yoga can do to her mind, body, and soul, she fell in love with it.
Tamara knew how beneficial yoga is when it comes to taking care of oneself, which is why teaching it has been her way of letting other people experience what she experienced. In this world of distraction, it seems everyone already has the attention span of a goldfish. Tamara encourages people to listen and pay attention more, especially to their bodies to understand what are the reasons behind every pain and tension, for example. The key to self-care is awareness.
However, awareness is not the finish line of one's journey to taking care of themself. Doing something about what you're already aware of is just as important. As for Tamara, she makes use of her self-awareness by creating conscious decisions.
"It's really about being present and conscious. Like a healthy diet and lifestyle. You just have to listen to yourself. What do you need, really? If you have to stop, just stop. If you need to play, play. If you need to bring up your emotions, just bring it up. Be human."
Another way of putting self-awareness in to practice is by saying NO. Being busy has become synonymous with the word success in today's set up, but the real essence of success stems from your ability to discipline yourself, knowing your priorities, and saying no to unnecessary distractions. Tamara explains that the power of NO has its way of bringing yeses to her life. She understands that this is rather a challenging feat since we live in a society where everyone are both overtly and covertly told to please people, hence, saying yes all the time. Saying no is a form of self-care as every no to them is a yes to oneself.
"There are good thing behind every no. I don't call this being selfish. I just need to address my priorities first before saying yes."
When asked how else can one take care of themself, Tamara explains that there is no rule book for it. There may be books and videos scattered around, instructing people on how to be happy, but at the end of the day, it will all boil down to you— what your body wants. And this does not even have to be something grand like doing meditations daily for an hour or journaling three pages every morning. Even the simplest acts of just being silent for how many minutes in day and being present in the moment while savoring your food are already enough.
As what everyone would say, you only have yourself and that you should take care of it. Tamara is a living testament and great embodiment of how self-care and self-awareness are vital in living a conscious and peaceful life. In the months and years to come, Tamara will establish a project, which will involve creating a retreat place in Siargao for people where they can gather together and where she can offer ceremonies, yoga classes, workshops, health products, etc. Tamara will continue to influence and spread positivity until everyone she meets will have enough tools to have the life that they deserve.
