Country > Philippines > Cebu > Cebu City
Date > 2017 > Nov
Activity > Yoga

Nov 11, 2015

Yoga Adjustment and Alignment

Location : Cebu City, Cebu (province), Philippines

Yoga Adjustment and Alignment

Some teachers I've talked to, regard alignment and adjustment as the same thing. I make that distinction here before I go any further:

Alignment - ensuring the student's body geometry on a pose is sound - like being vertically stacked on a handstand, or shoulders directly above the wrist on a plank.

Adjustment - once aligned, assisting the student to sink deeper into the pose - like stepping on the student's hands while lifting the chest up and straightening the arms on a Wheel

The Talk
I'd been practising yoga for about 15 years now, on and off the mat. I remember that even from day-one, the teacher told us that yoga is not about the pose - it's about the breath. The yoga video-talks say the same thing whether it's from a guru or an established teacher. The yoga books echo all of that - it's not about the pose, it's about the breath. That's the talk.

The Walk
In actual yoga classes though, it is standard practise for the teacher to adjust the student to sink deeper into the pose - sometimes with such emphasis and intent that it seems to be the objective. In fact, I have seen iconic gurus adjust their students with such intensity that the student practically grimaces in pain. The scene almost resembles that of a Thai massage - where the masseuse pulls the patients arms while using his legs to push against the patient's body. I've also seen students and teachers (attending another class) alike get injured through adjustments by the teacher conducting a class. In a lot of classes, the breath is not even given that much emphasis. This is where I find the disparity between the Talk and the Walk.

Dilemma
If yoga is all about the breath and not so much the pose, then why is it that teachers adjust the students sometimes beyond the safety edge resulting in injuries? If the student is already on his safety edge and taking refuge in the breath, then why even adjust the student to begin with? Is the pose more important now than the breath? If flexibility is the main objective of yoga, then shouldn't the gymnasts, dancers and ballerinas make the best yogis?

Adjustment Issues
Personally, I align the student for proper body geometry, like having the wrist directly below the shoulder on a plank. But I would refrain from adjusting the student to sink deeper in a pose, like pushing the back down to the knees on a seated forward bend. My reasons are as follows:

the adjustment, even if done the right way, may not be compliant to the student's unique body anatomy. This could be painful and injurious. Again, I've seen this happen to a seasoned teacher who attended another teacher's class.
the student may already be max-ed out on the pose. Even the slightest adjustment, again, even if done the right way, could cause a full body cramp. This happened to me a few times already while I was attending someone else's class.
even if the student may not be max-ed out on the pose, how does the teacher know where the safety edge of a particular student end, and injury begin? Only the student knows that, but oftentimes, the student, thinking that teacher knows best, would endure the adjustment which could result in an injury.

As a Teacher
As a general rule, when I teach a class, I rely largely on my cueing, to take the students all the way to their safety edge, reminding them that only they will know where that fine line is. Once there, explore that space without going beyond, or risk injury. I tell them never to kill themselves over a pose - because it's not about the pose - it's about the breath and the mindfulness they put into the pose. And that if they injure themselves because they pushed their bodies beyond the limit, then, they misunderstand what yoga is all about - that they don't get it!

As a Student
I teach yoga, but a lot of times, I'm also a student, attending someone else's class. Since I max-out my stretches on a pose (or in my parlance, Samastitihi pa lang, nagpapakamatay na!), I'd rather not be adjusted by the teacher. I try to make that point without making the teacher uneasy. However, I always welcome being aligned - it's rare for a person to have that special gift of knowing their body-bearing, when in space.

Ending Thoughts
I'm not saying adjustment is bad. A lot of students have benefited from being adjusted if the safety edge is not crossed. The students themselves, oftentimes, want to be adjusted. They take pride and accomplishment in using their flexibility as a yogic benchmark in their deepening practice - "I can reach my toes now...I must be doing better with my yoga".

I'm simply citing adjustment as a caveat because it's so easy to get carried away with the pose (with resulting injuries) and lose touch that yoga is about the breath and the mindfulness first, before it's the pose. Maybe it's just me, but even if a student still cannot reach his toes after a year of yoga, but he is focused on the breath and mindful of the body sensation while doing the poses, then he is doing perfect yoga. Yoga is a journey...of staying with the breath and mindfulness while weaving the asanas into a meditative vinyasa. Yoga is not a destination of 'reaching your toes' - my metaphor for pose-driven objectives. Getting flexible (or stronger, or more balanced) is a side-effect of yoga - not the objective.

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

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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

Cebu City to Ormoc by boat

SUPERCAT - 3 hours, 5:30 am | 9:00 am | 12:30 pm | 4:00 pm
Business Class: Regular 1500, Student 1,200, Senior/PWD 1,071
Tourist (Aircon) & Economy (Non-aircon): Regular 1100, Student 880, Senior/PWD 785
OCEANJET - 3 hours, 5:00 am | 6:00 am | 9:30 am | 12:00 pm |1:00 pm | 4:30 pm
Open-Air (OA) 1100, Tourist Class (TC) 1100, Business Class (BC) 1600

Cebu City to Bantayan Island

The best and fastest way is by Ceres Bus at the North Bus Terminal, adjacent to SM City. The bus takes 4.5 hours going north until it reaches Hagnaya Port. From there, you pay the ferry company separately. The bus boards the ferry until it reaches Sante Fe Port (1.5 hours) in Bantayan Island. From Santa Fe, the bus goes to Bantayan Poblacion and then to Madridejos.

Ceres Bus - PHP 260 (to Santa Fe), 4.5 hours to Hagnaya Port + 1.5 hours by ferry.

Schedule: according to the dispatcher, trips begin at 6 pm (this arrives Hagnaya around 10:30 pm but the first ferry leaves at 1 am...that's a 2.5-hour wait at the port), leaving every hour until 1 pm the following day (I speculate that 1 pm is the last trip to avoid rush hour traffic along Consolacion). This doesn't match the ferry schedule so the bus simply waits until a ferry departs. e.g. the 6 pm trip arrives 10:30 pm and waits for the 1 am ferry. The last trip, 1 pm, arrives 5:30 pm, in time for the ferry's last trip.

Bus arrives at terminal 30 mins before departure. Luggages are P150/pc if no passenger.

Alternatively, you can get off the bus at Hagnaya Port and take the ferry independently. There are 2 ferry companies:

Super Shuttle Ferry
PHP 359 + 25 Terminal fee, 1.5 hours

Island Shipping
PHP 350 + 25 Terminal fee, 1.5 hours

Cebu City to Dumaguete

Cebu City to Dumaguete by Boat

George and Peter Lines - Mon/Thur/Sat/Sun 10pm, (035)225.4337, 0922.557.1023
Oceanjet - via Tagbilaran, daily 6am, dumticketing@oceanjet.net, 0918.898.2188
Cokaliong - Mon/Tue/Wed/Thur/Fri/Sat 7pm, Sun 12pm, 6 hours, (035)225.3599

Cebu City to Dumaguete via Liloan (bus, boat, jeep, tricycle)

Cebu City South Terminal - take the southbound Ceres bus to Liloan, P200, 5 hours
Liloan - the bus drops you off at the Liloan Port where you board the Fastcraft to Sibulan, Negros Oriental, P62, 30 mins
Sibulan - at the Sibulan Port, the jeeps wait for Fastcraft passengers to take them to the public market in Dumaguete, P12, 30 mins.
Public Market - at the market, you can take any tricycle to your hotel, P8 for short trips

Cebu City to Tagbilaran, Bohol

Weesam Express - Pier 4, departs 9:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 6:30 PM, 2 hours
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 - Pier 1, departs 6-7-8-9:20-10:40-11:40AM, 1-2-4:20-6:35PM, 2 hours
Open Air / Tourist Class P800, Business Class P1000
+63 932 8734 885 / +63 922 8572 300
SuperCat (2GO) - Pier 1, departs 08:15-13:30-15:10-18:00-19:40
P 500.00
+63 32 233 7000
Lite Ferries - Pier 1, departs daily 12:30pm, 10:00pm and 1:00pm (Mon, Wed, Sat)
Standard (Lying) Php 150, Tourist (Lying Aircon) Php 340
+63 977.822.5483 / +63 998.999.5483 / +63 925.347.5483 / (032)255-1721 to 26 / (032)414-9001 to 03
info@liteferries.com.ph / www.liteferry.com

Cebu City to Siquijor by Boat, via Tagbilaran

Cebu City to Siquijor, via Tagbilaran

Lite Ferries - Pier 1, departs M/W/SAT at 1:00pm, 10 hours, economy Php 649 (through barkota.com), layover in Tagbilaran 5:45pm-8:00pm, arrives Larena Port, Siquijor at 11:00pm
+63 977.822.5483 / +63 998.999.5483 / +63 925.347.5483 / (032)255-1721 to 26 / (032)414-9001 to 03
info@liteferries.com / www.liteferry.com
Ocean Jet - Pier 1, departs daily at 1pm, 5 hours
Open Air P1600
+63 932 8734 885 / +63 922 8572 300

Cebu City to Siquijor by Bus, via Liloan (Santander)

(as of Jan 2023)

Sugbo Urban
There is only one bus plying this route - Sugbo Urban. Tourist class coach, a/c, comfortable, Sun-Fri (these dates keep changing). P420 for bus, P275 for ferry to Liloan. Leaves Cebu City (South Bus Terminal) at 8 pm (Sundays 1 am), heads south to Liloan (Santander), takes the ferry to Larena Port, Siquijor, docks around 5 am, makes a clockwise roundtrip around Siquijor Island - Larena, Enrique Villanueva, Maria, Lazi (stops at Lazi market for breakfast and leaves 6:50 am), San Juan, Siquijor (arrives 8am, P50 from Lazi to Siquijor Poblacion) and catches the 1pm ferry at Larena Port for Liloan, Cebu and resumes its land route. Arrives Cebu City 10 pm.

Sugbo Urban is the cheapest and most convenient way because when it reaches Larena Port (Siquijor), it continues its trip around the island (clockwise) along the circumferential road, passing through - Enrique Villanueva, Maria, Lazi, San Juan, Siquijor...and back to Larena. It spares you the cost of hiring a tricycle or habal-habal which charges exhorbitant fares. Besides, it's a long trip to the other side of the island to be taking by tricycle.

This is also the slowest. The bus arrives Liloan Port around 12:30 am but the ferry leaves 2:30 am (2 hours of waiting time). The ferry trip is a slow 4 hours (this should only take 1.5 hours with Montenegro or Alesson), arriving Larena around 6:30 am. This 4 hour voyage offers no comfortable sleeping - you stay upright on your seat or sleep on the floor on a cardboard. The boat waiting/voyage takes 6 hours. Altogether, the entire trip takes 11.5 hours until the bus reaches Lazi.

Cebu City to Camotes Island

Cebu City to Camotes Islands

via Poro - from Pier One in Cebu City, take the Ocean Jet for Poro, 2 hours, daily trip - 6am and 3pm (0936.823.8762 |0956.270.6610 | 0999.889.9999).
via Consuelo - from Cebu City, take the northbound bus passing through Danao and get off at the Danao Port. At the Port, take a Jomalia Shipping boat for Consuelo (San Francisco, Camotes), P220/pax, a/c, 2 hours, daily trip - 5:30am, 7:00am (special trip), 8:30am, 12:00 noon (express), 2:30pm, 5:30pm and 9:00pm (express, Fri/Sat/Sun only).

Camotes Islands to Cebu City

Poro - Cebu City (fastest and most direct) - go to Poro and take the 8am or 5pm Ocean Jet to Pier One in Cebu City, P380/pax/aircon, 2 hours
Consuelo - Danao - Cebu City - go to Consuelo (San Francisco) and take the Jomalia Shipping boat to Danao, P220/pax, a/c, 2 hours, daily trip - 5:30am, 7:00am (special trip), 8:30am, 12:00 noon (express), 2:30pm, 5:30pm and 9:00pm (express, Fri/Sat/Sun only). From Danao, take the Ceres Bus to Cebu City