Country > Philippines > Bohol > Panglao
Date > 2024 > April
Activity > Yoga

April 23-28, 2024

Teaching 'Energising Yoga' at Jing Yoga & Wellness

Location : Jing Yoga & Wellness, Panglao, Bohol, Philippines

Saying YES to Life
As synchronicity would have it, by the time my participation in the Bohol Yoga Festival ended, Jing, an Ashtanga Yoga teacher, invited me to sub for her classes for a week and house-sit for her. This extends my stay in Bohol. I'm in transition and not in a rush - Bantayan can wait. I said YES.

House Sitting
Jing's house is about 7km from the studio. It's a bungalow with 2 cats I feed and about 10 plants I water. I have my comfy a/c room. The living room also has a/c which is handy when it gets hot in the middle of the day. I have wifi and a place to do some online work. I was comfortable.

Jing Yoga & Wellness Studio
The studio, however, is right by Alona Beach where all the town's actions are happening. It's inside Alona Pawikan lodging where hut-styled cottages go for P2000/night. The studio is open-air on all 4 sides - the air flows through, but the mosquitos could be annoying. It's a good place to practice yoga though. Capacity could be as high as 20 pax. Classes go for P400 a pop.

Energizing Hatha
Jing's class was Energizing Vinyasa - I simply renamed it Energizing Hatha but it was essentially a milder version of a Siddhi activation class - moving energy using pranayama (breath regulation), kumbhaka (breath-holds), bandha (energy locks), and mudra (energy seals).

For newbies and first-timers, I went as basic as teaching them how to breathe properly. I then followed that by expanding hardly-used respiratory cavities that have long remained dormant. In the end, they were surprised at how much air they could take in - essentially increasing their VO2 Max (the lung's capacity to take in air). With more air comes more energy for increased endurance, strength and performance.

the studio was airy and allowed airflow

Student Feedback
For nearly all who came, it was a new experience - even for those who have done 5 years of yoga. The students appreciate the way I explain things to them - this way, they know what they are doing, why they are doing it and the processes that take place as they do it. It was a pleasant awakening for them to get a taste of what lies beyond asana. Benjamin, a guy from Chile was even willing to pay double just to have a class going. Sira, an apprentice to Jing, commented that my yoga was the kind of physical/mental/spiritual yoga she had long been looking for. An Ashtanga couple was surprised at the layers of yoga I introduced to the class - and even added a tip! T. Jang, a Korean who struggled with his English remarked, "Thank you. Meeting you left a very deep impression on me.". Because they see that I am the embodiment of my practice, they feel confident about the practice even though it's different from the usual yoga studio offerings.

Ending Thoughts
To come back to teaching after 15 months of pure training in Siquijor and have the students come out of my classes 'awakened' is such a feel-good validation.

With this teaching gig, I got to stay longer in beautiful Panglao, I got to share my yoga, make a little money, and have a roof over my head. Is my universe telling me something about calling Bohol home (instead of Bantayan Island)?

When I said YES to Jing, I also said YES to LIFE!

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

Kat's Birthday at Oceanica

(April 24, 2024) Bohol Yoga Festival was the genesis to many synchronicities for me in Bohol - meeting interesting lives I've later reconnected with, getting a one-week yoga teaching gig + house sitting, a day of dive and beach with Joan / Fred and the festival crew, and now, an invite by Jen and Kaye to Kat's birthday celebration at the posh Oceanica Resort....more »»

Bohol, Philippines

tourist attractions

Danao Adventure Park - zip lining, cable car ride, caving, river rides/trekking, off-road buggy ride, root climbing, rappelling and ultra-glide rides
Alona Beach - hub for tourists with hotels, resorts, restos, bars and dive shops
Chocolate Hills - hills side-by-side shaped like giant Kisses chocolate
Tarsier - pocket-sized marsupia looking like a monkey
Balicasag Island - one of the best dive spots in the Philippines
Loboc River - river cruise on a boat
Anda Beach - fine white sand beach with resorts, restos and cottages, 3 hours by bus from Tagbilaran
Cabagnow Cave Pool - brackish water pool about 5ft deep inside a limestone opening on the ground, 8 feet deep, P50
Lamanok Island - walk on a 100m bamboo bridge on stilts to a resto area to take a boat tour to caves and nearly attractions, P300
Combento Cave Pool - cave pool with underwater cave system, P20
Can-umantad Falls - long narrow drop until it hits a bulbous mound spreading it into a a curtain-like water canopy and down into a splash pool
Canawa Cold Spring - deep refreshing cold spring with developed pool area
Firefly Tour - evening boat ride into the river to watch fireflies

hotel

Fox & The Firefly Cottages - SUP paddle boarding, luxury riverside native cottages, mountain bike tours, SUP yoga
Baranggay Valladolid, Loboc, Bohol
Bohol Tropics Resort - seafront location, manicured surroundings, swimming pool, resto/bar
0133 Graham Avenue, Brgy. Cogon, Tagbilaran, Bohol 6300
Oasis Resort - Alona Beach location, dive center, resto / bar
Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol

yoga

Jing Yoga - health & well being through yoga
The Courtyard - Airport Road fronting the church
Bohol Meditation and Yoga Center - 2nd Floor Lim Magtajas Bldg. CPG Avenue

Bohol Travel Info/Tips

Bohol FYI / Tips

the tourist area where most of the hotels, restaurants, ticket offices, tour operators are, is located within the Alona Beach area
the tourist attractions in Bohol are far apart and spread-out. It would be difficult to visit them all using public mass transit. Better hire a van (P3500/day) if in a big group, or rent a motorcycle (P400/day + gas)
Bohol relies on its tourism for revenue. As expected, everything they can capitalize on from tourism is extensively used and developed

Tagbilaran Port to Panglao

You can charter any tricycle from the port all the way to Panglao (~P300), but if you want to do it on the cheap,

don't take the tricycles lined-up inside the port. Walk past the port gate and immediately outside, you'll see many tricycles. Take one to the bus terminal in Dao (~P15)
in Dao, take the jeep that plies the Panglao route (~P20)

Tagbilaran (Bohol) to Cebu City by boat

** schedules and rates keep changing, call for latest schedule

Weesam Express - departs 6:15 AM, 11:30 AM, 4:00 PM
one way: Economy (aircon) P500.00, Economy (non-aircon) P400.00, First Class P600.00
round trip promo (at least 2 days advance booking): Economy (aircon) P600, Economy(non-aircon) P500, First Class P1200
round trip promo (1 day or on the day booking): Economy (aircon) P800, Economy (non-aircon) P700, First Class P1200
Ocean Jet - departs 6-7:05-8:20-9:20-10:40-11:40AM, 1-2-3:30-4:20-5:30-6:30PM, 2 hours, arrives Pier 1 in Cebu
Open Air / Tourist Class P800, Business Class P1000
+63(32)255 7560 / +63 (32) 255 0115 / 0917 638 0000
SuperCat (2GO) - departs 5:50-11AM, 3:45-5:25-8:15PM, arrives Pier 1 in Cebu
P 500.00
+63 32 233 7000

Things to do, Places to go in Bohol

Chocolate Hills - this is a clustering of more than 1200 hills within a 50km² area. They range in height from 30-50 meters. What's unusual is their near-perfect conical shape resembling an individual chocolate chip. No one knows how they were formed. Entrance is P50/pax.
Tarsier Conservation Area - located Upper Bonbon, Loboc. The tarsiers are no longer being played at by tourists as circus props, but instead, visitors now view them in cordoned-off areas in their natural 6ha habitat. As they are territorial and nocturnal, they are predictable on where they can be viewed. P50/pax.
Alona Beach (Panglao) - Alona Beach is the tourist hub of Bohol. It has 1.5 kms of white sand beach lined-up by bars, hotels and restos. Alona is also the jump-off point for Balicasag Island, a world class dive destination.
Danao Adventure Park - located in Barangay Magtangtang, 72 kms (2 hours ride) from Tagbilaran. Adventure activities include river trekking, tyrolean traverse, rappelling, bouldering, rock climbing and ziplining.

Bohol Blogs

Bohol blogs