Lifestyle

The representation of Asian Americans in popular media has only been getting better with this generation of movers and shakers in Hollywood. After an overwhelmingly positive response from audiences for the world premiere of Crazy Rich Asians, more and more creators have been looking for ways to focus the spotlight on Asian communities in pop culture.

Even Filipino artists with talent and charisma in the showbiz industry have been finding themselves getting more roles then ever. Hawaii native Jacob Batalon, whose parents are Filipino, recently made news as one of the few Filipino actors to appear in a Marvel film. Jacob Batalon starred in both Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) as Ned Leeds, Peter Parker’s best friend.

Even before the premiere of the Spider-Man movie series, Filipino actors, musicians, entertainers, and the like have been working hard in Hollywood, building their craft and make a name for themselves. Here are 10 other Filipino celebrities who’ve made it in the United States.

According to National Geographic, sports climbing is finally making its debut as one of the new sports to be included in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Since the announcement, the global sports climbing community has bustled with excitement. Top athletes have begun training for Olympic spots and the sport itself has started gaining significant media traction. National climbing events all over the world are now shown on television and streamed across different platforms, in the hope that global support for sports climbing continues to grow.

With current advancements in medicine and medical technology, it’s no surprise that people are living longer. Medical practitioners are getting better at disease prevention and detection with more advanced technology and added scientific research. Despite this, South China Morning Post notes that the world still needs to be wary of chronic diseases. 

Additionally, healthcare costs remains a burden for most people in Asia, especially for those suffering from chronic disease. Even if Asian countries like Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, and China have introduced healthcare insurance, most plans are basic and fail to cover the cost of the medicine and procedures are required for chronic illness treatment.

Yoga has come a long way from when it was first introduced in the West in the 19th century, becoming the worldwide phenomenon it is today. Although its origins are hard to find, an article by Rappler notes that yoga made its way to a broader population after Hindu teacher Swami Vivekananda developed the practice based on the Yoga Sutras, a collection of aphorisms on the structures and practice of yoga written by Patanjali.

Healthline.com states that the word “yoga” comes from the ancient Sanskrit word “yuji”, which means to yoke or a union. This union highlights the importance of the mind-body connection in any yoga practice, referring to the surrender of one’s self to the body’s physical abilities and the present environment.

Plenty of people around the world practice yoga not only because of its physical benefits, but also because of the opportunities in spirituality it provides. Here are some ways in which yoga not only makes you stronger and fitter, but also helps you find yourself despite the hustle and bustle of your modern lifestyle.

Almost all cultures around the world, at some point, developed systems involving  medicinal and healing practices before modern medicine was accessible. In the Philippines, ‘hilot is an ancient Filipino art of healing’, and has long been considered a traditional counterpart for Western medicine. Hilot is systematic and comes from a long tradition, and the practitioners who meticulously study it are called manghihilot. Many Filipinos still turn to it to relieve discomfort and other aches and pains, and its popularity until the present day shows that local manghihilot must be doing something right.