Ria Tirazona is a yoga facilitator/education and licensed Psychologist from Manila. She manages a branch of a local yoga studio brand, YogaPlus. As a self-confessed emotional eater, Ria struggled with weight issues for most of her life. Through yoga, she found that she deserved to celebrate her body and treat herself with love and compassion. This is what she wants everyone to also discover. Her passion as a yoga facilitator and therapist is to support and empower others in discovering their personal path to wellness through trauma-informed, accessible, mental health aware practices such as yoga, meditation and mindfulness. She likewise wants to let people know that indeed, yoga is for EVERY BODY. Ria draws from her clinical psychology training in working with beginners, the older and less active students, and people with injuries, chronic illnesses, and weight, emotional or mental health concerns. Her nurturing yet playful classes are relaxing yet surprisingly challenging. She emphasizes building strength and functionality in movement while harnessing softness in the body and mind. In this episode, we learn about Ria's background growing up in Manila and what drew her to yoga. We learn about the yoga scene in the Philippines and how it has been affected by COVID-19. Ria fills us in on some of the economic realities of life in Manila and we also learn about how The Philippines has the highest social media engagement in the world! We also talk about how social isolation may lead to emotional eating, toxic productivity and toxic positivity. Links Ria's website: https://yogaplus.ph/ Ria's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biggerbodyyogaph/ Nurturing Yoga and Pilates Video Course: https://www.gardenofyoga.com.au/learn/nurturing-yoga-and-pilates/ This episode is sponsored by Yoga Australia: https://www.yogaaustralia.org.au/ https://www.instagram.com/yogaaustralia/ The opinions expressed in this podcast do not reflect the view and opinions of the sponsor.