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Sep 26, 2013
Yoga in Davao
Location: Davao City, Philippines
Davao Yoga Community
The one good thing about Davao is having a healthy yoga community. If and when I drift into Davao, there is Holiday Gym that can squeeze me in to teach my Karma Yoga, or there's People's Park where I can teach free yoga in an outdoor setting. Sometimes, free yoga is offered at Abreeza Mall, usually back to back with a Zumba class. It's all good even though yoga is largely viewed as a 'woman thing' in Davao, or the rest of the country for that matter.
Just Do It
It wasn't until after a month in Davao when I offered to teach free yoga at Holiday Gym. Even though I'd workout at People's Park, I didn't feel the calling to conduct a yoga class there...at least, not for the moment. I was too busy getting settled before that. I suspect that not being into the yoga flow for sometime now, I was just looking for an excuse to push it aside. With a set class at the gym with students participating, there was no choice but to do it. This regularizes my practice as well.
Conducting the Class
It was good to see familiar faces from my last visit in Dec 2012, and new faces to who were curious about the new yoga class. In doing a class, I'd visualize the day before what I'd like to do, verbally exercise my cueing, but on session day, I just let the flow take over. I don't really know what asana follows until I get there. It works out if I don't get too hung-up on student expectations, but simply let the flow take me where it takes me, being mindful of the students' skill levels. I always tell them to listen to their bodies - that it's not about the other guy. If they need to come out of a pose to do child's pose, that they should do it. I encourage them to exercise the range of motion available to them when doing a pose. Every body has a unique anatomy - so a book-prescribed '45 degree' turn of the foot may be best at a different angle for someone else.
Personal Brand of Yoga
I noticed that nearly every brand of yoga implicitly packages itself as the superior yoga (it's not yogic to actually say their yoga is the one true yoga. LOL.) I say every person should have a unique yoga program for himself/herself - based on life experience (evolved? impressionable?), anatomy (stiff? flexible? strong?) and goal (flexibility? relaxation? enlightenment?). Of course it's best to initially stay grounded on traditional yoga that have withstood the test of time - not the experimental nouveau mongrel types that just got trendy as flavor of the month. From that traditional grounding, you can stay tuned on what your body is saying...and follow that trail. It helps to constantly ask yourself the question, "What pose excites me now? Do I feel like doing this a certain way?". It takes practice to have that mind-body dialogue going.
Modification
After getting my Ashtanga grounding, I've modified my yoga according to what I feel like doing, integrating Burpee segments into a Vinyasa, exercising mindful focus on body sensation during Shavasanna, which is Vipassana-inpired, etc. I share this and it's up to them to continue doing it, if it calls out. The bottom line being, "What excites me now".
Ending Thoughts
As I was getting aclimatized into my teaching routine, the call to move on has once again loomed on my horizon. It was time again to pack up and take to the open road.
--- TheLoneRider
ps - If you want me to participate and write about your yoga studio or your yoga practice, email me. For my complete yoga profile, you can visit this page: YOGA by Gigit
Fritz's Yoga Class at Abreeza Mall
 Davao City, Philippines
 tourist attractions
 - hotel
 Bahay ni Tuding - central Poblacion location, wifi, hands-on owner
160 San Pedro Street, 8000 Davao City
0947 361 3544 | 7°03'57.6"N 125°36'28.3"E The Pinnacle Hotel and Suites - central location, new management, newly renovated
Sta. Ana Avenue, Davao City 8000, Philippines
(+63) 932-8708621 | 906-3185885 | 7°04'34.2"N 125°36'54.2"E The Apo View Hotel - Davao's iconic hotel, old world charm, casino
150 J. Camus Street, Davao City Philippines 8000
+63 (82) 221-6430 to 40 | 7°04'09.2"N 125°36'27.4"E North Zen Basic Spaces - great rooms at affordable prices
Sobrecarey St. (corner Lapu-Lapu St.), Davao City, 8000
(082) 295.3997 | 7°04'43.0"N 125°37'04.3"E Urban Living Zen Hotel - newly opened - all NEW!
F.s. Dizon Bacaca, 8000 Davao City
(082) 287 3133 | 7°05'28.4"N 125°36'22.3"E The Royal Mandaya Hotel - heart of downtown Davao City
J. Palma Gil Street, Davao City, 8000
(+63 82) 225.8888 | 7°04'09.4"N 125°36'36.8"E Alu Hotel Davao - central downtown location
M. Roxas Avenue corner Padre Faura Street, Davao
+63 82 227 5232 | 7°04'07.7"N 125°36'51.7"E One Oasis Davao - hotel accommodation in a condo unit
Eco-west Drive, Ecoland, Davao City
suki_tac@yahoo.com | 0925.500.3211 | 7°02'49.2"N 125°35'19.1"E
 van rental
 Apollo Van Rental - Davao City tour, Samal Island tour, airport transfer
0925.500.3211 | suki_tac@yahoo.com
 yoga | health | fitness
 tour
 resto |  cafe
 advocacy
- one of the cleanest potable water in the country
- smoking is banned from commercial establishments
- pineapple samurais are endemic here and nowhere else in the country (pineapple vendors who cut-up whole pineapples into chunks with just a few strokes of their carving knives)
- public utility drivers conspicuously display their IDs
- durian Mecca of the Philippines (not to mention Marang, Mangosteen and Sweet Pomelo)
- you want to add some more? please submit on the form below
- the weighing scale of fruit vendors specially the durian push cart vendors are a blatant cheat - showing almost twice the actual weight
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- Tirumalai Krishnamacharya Oct 5, 2016
- Ashtanga Yoga with James Fritz Freire at Holiday Gym and Spa Oct 1, 2016
- There was a Bomb Explosion? Sep 30, 2016
- Jin in Davao Sep 29, 2016
- Scrubs and Hilot at Holiday Gym and Spa Sep 22-29, 2016
- The Fabulous Dabawenyos Aug 22-Sep 26, 2016
- Nirvana Breathing Fitness with Lita C. Quisumbing Sep 21, 2016
- Massage, Sauna and Ear Candling at Holiday Spa and Gym Sep 17-19, 2016
- Downpour in Davao Sep 18, 2016
- Lounge One Yoga Sequence by May Bel Le at North Zen Hotel Sep 16, 2016
- Celebrating Davao's King of Fruits - Durian! Sep 11, 2016
- The Blast that Rocked Davao Sep 2, 2016
- Hatha Flow Yoga with Joanna Lizares Co at Holiday Spa and Gym Aug. 31, 2016
- Conducting a Power Yoga Class at Yoga Davao Aug 29, 2016
- Good Eats with Mel Pangan's Davao Food Tour Aug 26, 2016
- Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Aug 25, 2016
- A Gifted Dell Laptop from the Usual Suspect Aug. 24, 2016
- The Duterte Phenomenon Oct 21, 2015
- 20 Days in Davao City July 4- 24, 2014
- Goodbye Davao...Again! Sep 28, 2013
- Wine and Cheese at Malagos Farm House Sep 27, 2013
- Custom-made Peanut Butter at Davao City's Bankerohan Market Sep 27, 2013
- Yoga in Davao Sep 26, 2013
- Celebrating 25 Years of Habitat for Humanity Philippines Sep 18, 2013
- Clobbered in a Vicious Karate Match Sep 17, 2013
- Back Into the Black Sep 1, 2013
- No Reply Aug 30, 2013
- Full Body-Cavity Search without the Latex Aug 25, 2013
- Fun Day with Crocodile Sonny and Sports Unlimited Dynamic Duo, Dyan Castillejo and Marc Nelson Aug 15, 2013
- Fun! Fun! at Maxima AquaFun, Samal Island Aug 11, 2013
- Goodbye Davao Jan 22, 2013
- Davao City's Peace and Order Jan 21, 2013
- Holiday Spa Yoga, Davao City Jan 20, 2013
- Free Yoga at People's Park Jan 12, 2013
- Davao City: Family Ties Dec 15-22, 2012
- Breakup Diaries: Chance Encounter in Davao City Dec 19, 2012
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- Mount Apo March 15-18, 2008
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Sep 26, 2013
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