i-Yoga with Ayee Domingo at Dragonfly Yoga Studio

Location: Dragonfly Yoga Studio, 127 Canyon Road, Beverly Hills Subd., Lahug, Cebu City, Cebu (province), Philippines

Passing Yogi
Every once in a while in Cebu, a passing yoga teacher conducts a free class and shares her yoga to the community. We are introduced to something fresh and new, aside from meeting new people from the local circle. Such was the case with the visit of Ayee Domingo who owns i-Yoga in Manila.

i-Yoga
I guess it would be fair to say none of the 15 or so participants had any idea what kind of yoga we were to experience. But like all yogis, we were open to anything put on the table. I looked-up her yoga on the internet and what I got was, "incorporates energy-cultivation breathwork with yoga postures and relaxation techniques". How is it different from...let's say Ashtanga where we employ Ujjayi breath in weaving the asanas through our vinyasas? I was curious.

Ayee Domingo
The first thing that caught my attention was that she was pretty...or in my birds-and-the-bees parlance, she was YogaHub material - Cebu's pretty people seem to be clustered there. She was articulate with a commanding grasp of English. She knew what to say, but at times, she was talking too fast - perhaps her mind was racing (like most productive people who find 24 hours in a day utterly insufficient). In my thought bubble, I was saying, "Ayee, lose the script...talk to me."

The Practice
The practice was unlike a led yoga class. It more focused on pranayama (breath) rather than asana (posture) - more like Kundalini as we spent most times seated doing a kriya (a completed set of repetitive movements). It also reminded me of the Art of Living 3-day workshop in Sudarshan Kriya as we employed advance breathing - specially Bahya Khumbaka (cesssation of the breath after exhalation). Make no mistake about it - Pranayama/Khumbaka is powerful and offers numerous benefits:

Ending Thoughts
With Ayee's karma yoga (free yoga), Cebu got a glimpse of what I would call pranayama kriya. It looks deceptively simple, but quite powerful - anything dealing with pranayama is powerful (given my Superman-Effect when I toyed with Pranayama back in Sagada).

Thank you Ayee! I hope you enjoyed your stay in Cebu and I hope you come back.

Cebu City, Philippines

tourist attractions

Tops - hilltop offering panoramic view of the city
Taoist Temple - temple on a hillslope in Lahug with panoramic view of the city

hotel

Hostel Seven Cebu - newly opened, resto/bar, central location, solo/group travellers
Juana Osmeña Street, Cebu City
S Hotel & Residences - new hotel, luxury rooms, central location
827 M. Velez corner Andres Abellana St.

resto / cafe / bar

Fujinoya - new and refreshing twists to Western style desserts using Japanese techniques
Wilson St., Lahug, Cebu City - tel. 888.6075
Bad Boys Wingz - Buffalo Wings, unique versions of sauces! Great service, accommodating staff, bad boys vibe
Kasambagan, Cebu City | (032) 415 4811

yoga

Love Yoga World - yoga studio
11/fl, Skyrise 2 Tower, IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City
Yoga Now - first Yoga and Wellness studio in Mactan offering daily Yoga Classes
at The Yacht Club Mactan

mountain biking

Cebu Mountain Bike Adventure - MTB tours, bike sales and repairs. Bed and Breakfast + Resto Cafe + wifi
1298-b V.Rama Ave, Guadalupe, Cebu City | 0942.959.7451