‘Find your center’: Kaye Peñaflor’s yogini experience

Trapped cars in traffic honking, colleagues nagging, family feuds ensuing, a sea of people hustling, work and tasks unending – these are just a few of the things that reality offers that some have to go through everyday.

In a world filled with noise, it is so easy to get carried by the ‘stress current.’ It is so easy to not just feel but get lost, and see yourself all over the place. One may find themselves seeking different ways to ignore all these to be able to cope from day to day.

For some, it is easier to just ignore this world and plunge into your music; bring out your earphones, and ironically find that piece of quiet amidst that maxed out volume.

But there are those people who chose to dig deeper in themselves for inner peace and embrace the ways of yoga.

And for Kaye Peñaflor, a certified instructor, yoga is more than a practice and definitely more than an escape. Yoga has brought her many things and here is her story.

Peace & Pace

To achieve peace, it can be said that setting and following your own pace is important.

“In the end, we just want the calm. We no longer appreciate extravagance and grand. The noise of the world is sickening. Competition. Ranks. Status. In the end, we just crave for silence. Simplicity. Family. We just want to rest our hearts. It’s tiring pleasing the world.”

This is how a viral post online spoke to many online users on a different level. And true enough, Kaye’s situation is very much the same.

In early 2000s, her face was already a recognizable in television after being a segment host on flipTV – a lifestyle show for first generation Filipinos on OMNI TV and Sport Compact TV on Global TV.

“In 2005, I decided to step away from the entertainment industry because I did not like being objectified and it began to affect how I looked at myself.”

As a personality seen on television, images are not only perceived but also imposed intentionally or unintentionally; which boxes the reality of the person. What Kaye went through is only one of the challenges of the people of the ‘industry.’

“I also knew that if I were to ever return to television, it would be of my own accord.”

A year later, Kaye finally crosses paths with yoga.

However, it was not really this yogini that stepped onto that yoga mat on her own interest. It was actually her friends who first set up a studio. She was just one of those friends who wish to support their business ventures. But the experience actually made her realize how yoga was going to be a favorite “me time.”

“Yoga is more than the poses we see. The Eight Limbs of Yoga are a guide, or a path one may follow to connect to enlightenment.”

According to Kaye, the principles of yoga helped her in various ways and not only physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

On the outside especially for beginners, yoga is simply like a practice that one turns to, to relieve stress, but she knows full well that there is definitely more into yoga.

Kaye shared various principles, but made it clear that other than the poses, yoga has its own code of ethics, concept of self-discipline, internal awareness, meditation, and many more that she now lives by.

Through Yoga, Kaye was able to reach a certain form of relationship and understanding with herself, created through yoga.

“I am better equipped to experience life’s ups and downs with an equanimous mind. Through this practice, I understand what my body and what my mind needs to re-calibrate if I am feeling ‘off.’”

Having this strong connection with herself, somehow Kaye still ‘goes back to the industry’ with her newfound core – as the host and producer of “Live Breathe Yoga.”

“With ‘Live Breathe Yoga,’ I have creative control over how I am portrayed and the content being produced.”

Now on its fourth season since its airing in 2015, her show is dedicated to inspiring the viewers practice and elevating the mind, body and soul.

Her show features different segments that can touch the consciousness of its viewers, offer healthy variations for their palates, and of course the physical aspect.

Roots & Fruits

Now that Kaye has ‘found her center’ all thanks to yoga, not only is she making a career out of something she is passionate about as the founder of kaye.yoga, a company committed to creating empowering programs for the community . But she is also using her knowledge to show to the whole of the world the Filipino in her.

“One of my favorite ways that I have incorporated my heritage into my day to day is with a movement program that I created called Pineapple Flow (formerly known as Pineapple Flower Yoga).”

It is normal for beginners to have stiff shoulders, back pains, and other forms of discomfort once they start practicing yoga, but Kaye found a way to ease this and even pinch in some Filipino-ness.

“This program takes the skills and movements from Filipino folk dance to complement a dynamic yoga practice. My experience as a Principal Dancer with Folklorico Filipino Canada is what helped me find the correlation between the two.”

The organization that Kaye mentioned is Canada’s second eldest folk dance troupe and apart from being a cultural ambassador, it allowed her to step her foot into different international stages of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Italy, Mexico, and Spain.

“Additionally, I am a Principal Dancer with Hataw Performing Arts, a neo-Filipino folk dance company that burst onto the Toronto performing arts scene in 2015, who have made their mark on notable stages such as the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Harbourfront Centre.”

Of course, Kaye has also arrived at the Philippine lands before.

“The first time I went to the Philippines was after winning a pageant when I was 18 years old. My dad joined me for this visit and I got the chance to meet all of my relatives that I had only known about through photos and phone calls.”

Not only was this homecoming all about reunions, but this visit, according to Kaye is what gave her “independence of living” for four months – where she also entered the entertainment industry here.

The yogini, however, had a confession to make.

“It wasn’t  until I started travelling after high school that I really started to appreciate living in Canada. Before a trip to the Philippines, I was told what to expect so I didn’t experience the culture shock people alerted me to.”

She could not help but compare how the countries were.

“When I returned home to Toronto, it became clear how fortunate we are to live in Canada and how we often take it for granted.”

Twenty years after, Kaye comes back after being invited to share on health as an expression of art.

Fringe Manila described her visit as the “seasoned Filipino-Canadian yoga practitioner” who “brought her dynamic Strength and Length Aerial Workshop to Fringe Manila” in 2018, where the participants were able to “explore their bodies and create a display of strength and beauty.”

“During my six-week visit, I got to share my love for yoga, movement, and self-care with the arts community before exploring the islands with my Mom. I look forward to visiting again in the future.”

Yoga is indeed a vital part of Kaye’s life, and to this, she shared an important message.

“When you build a stronger, healthier relationship with yourself, you can encourage a ripple effect among your family, friends, and your community.”

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Kaye and her co-host, Steph Ouellette will be at the Danyasa Eco Retreat Center in Costa Rica for a unique yoga retreat experience this December 2 to 7, where Aerial Yoga, SUP Yoga and Acro Yoga with Next Level OM will be explored. For more information, visit www.nextlevelom.com