Passive Income I'd been wanting to monetize my yoga know-how in a passive-income way. I've tried a few approaches, but none of them worked or resonated. I had an Aha Moment one day that complied with my vision. I did the research to implement it, and it worked!
A Life of Yoga I've more or less decided that I'll devote the rest of my life to pursuing my yoga practice - not unlike a monk who gives up life in the default world to live in a monastery. The ramifications are profound. This means that I will no longer pursue other 'careers' - this leaves out potentials for A.I. and other technological opportunities presenting themselves. This also means I have to find ways to support myself. I don't want to teach one-on-one yoga in person (unless a student who is ready knocks on my door) since it takes a lot of preparation, time and effort, plus I have to keep teaching to make money. Ideally, the income should be passive.
Online Presence Since online presence seems to be the new way of making money, my direction was in that. There were a few possibilities but also drawbacks.
Be a Youtuber - yes, money has been made here and made celebrities of normal people. But to be a Youtuber, you have to aggressively develop new content and keep monitoring how many likes, subscribes and notifications they receive. It's also a constant marketing effort. I know some people who went for this approach until it exhausted them. No, this is not for me.
Develop an Online Course - this would be passive income. Do it once and you can sit back. This is what Wim Hof did. I ventured into this with a partner who took care of production. We made a few videos focused on Pranayama (breath regulation for strength and longevity). The videos were not of professional quality, but it was a good start. The next question was, on what platform? Do we develop our website? I can do that. But how do we put the payment mechanism in place? I distrust all banks including Paypal.
What if we simply upload the videos to Udemy? This was less painful, but I realized that the leading pranayama teacher in Udemy was offering 'whatever you can pay' for a full course. The choices went down to as little as 10 Euros. With his popularity and following, I guess he can do that and still make money. We can't. Besides, competition in Udemy was cut-throat.
Pay per Class - this is where my Aha Moment kicked in. For years now, I had been posting free yoga classes with full and detailed text instructions. It can easily be followed with no video. But what if I add a video option for those who wish to pay $10? Again, they don't really need the video to do the class, so opting for the video is completely no-pressure - I like that. Payment? Bitcoin. I also posted instructions on how easy it is to have a Bitcoin Wallet (it took me 3 minutes to open mine). Video mechanics? Password-protect the video file on Youtube. Downside? I cannot fully automate the process. I have to manually give the user access - but that takes less than 5 minutes. Content? Since every yoga teacher is already teaching the same old standards, I'll only teach the yoga hacks I've developed. Do they work? I am the perfect embodiment of my practice. So I know it works. Besides, the classes are unique because I developed them myself.
Ending Thoughts This business model works perfectly for me. I have no plan of making myself rich doing this. I just want enough to pay for my rent and food so I can continue to deepen my yoga. If I get a few sign-ins a month, I'll be ok. This is also no-pressure for me. I can simply add classes as I continue my yoga studies, and then develop videos for them. I don't have to do any kind of marketing or be pressured into constantly developing content. Lastly, I don't have to elbow myself into a crowded market - no one else is teaching my classes.
So far, I have about 4 videos from my old classes. I started with those. I haven't made new videos but 2 are already lined up: Forever Young(yoga class to delay or even reverse the aging process) and Siddhis(yoga class to develop Siddhis or beyong-human powers).
(October 22, 2023) Political posters with smiling candidates are now seen across town for the forthcoming barangay elections. Since vote-buying has now become institutionalized across the country, there is once again an air of optimism amongst the locals. They eagerly anticipate the P150 cash + goodies (rice, flour, etc) that the politicians give them in buying their votes...more »»
(August 26, 2024) I've done property mapping for friends using TheLoneRider as the server. I've had no luck selling this service even though it should be compelling to property sellers. This time, I am freeing my personal site and use Google Sites to offer this service....more »»
More on Lazi:
Lazi Local Info
Resorts - Lazi has some beach/dive resorts on its west coast - Gabayan Riviera, Lazi Beach Club, Bahura Dive Resort. However, the popular area for tourist resorts are in San Juan
Transport - Lazi is the junction where the jeeps begin their clockwise route (Lazi-San Juan-Siquijor Port) or the counter clockwise route (Lazi-Maria-Larena Port). Because the jeeps are rare with about 2 to 3 trips/day only in the morning, it's practical to just have a motorcycle here in Siquijor. With its affordability (a brand new Rusi motorbike is as low as P45k), people just buy motorcycles...especially those who live up in the mountains.
The Boulevard - Lazi's main draw is its seaside cobblestone promenade. When the sun goes down, people gather here for eats, drinks, open-air, harbor view and the sunset
Lazi Port - Kho Shipping, the shipping line operating from Lazi Port, has stopped its service to Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Dumaguete, Tagbilaran and Cebu. Passengers can go to Siquijor Port or Larena Port for boat services out of Siquijor Island
More on Siquijor Island:
Siquijor Island Local Info
Jeeps - there are only 2 routes for jeeps within Siquijor Island - and they are rare. Most people have their own motorcycle transport.
Siquijor Port to Lazi - last trip leaves at 3pm from station near market
Lazi to Siquijor Port - jeeps depart from the Lazi Port area. 5 jeeps, the last trip at 12:30 pm. Lazi to San Juan, P50.
Larena Port to Lazi - jeeps are unpredictable. As of this writing, there is only 1 jeep plying the Larena-Lazi route. This jeep leaves Larena for Lazi at 9:50am. After that, no more jeep. You'll have to take a tricycle to Siquijor Pob for jeeps going to Lazi
Lazi to Larena Port - 6am (daily) and 9 am (M-Th)
Food - these were suggested by a local to me
Lechon manok & liempo - roasted pork belly and chicken at Joel's in Siquijor Poblacion. I've tried this myself...yummy, even if the chicken was no longer hot
Bibingka - sweetened rice cake by Fidy's Bibingka (P30) in Sawang, Maria. I've come back for this and I buy for other people as well as 'pasalubong' - they love this
Siopao - at the Rosita store near Thrifty (P25) in Siquijor Poblacion
Peanut butter - by Rene. Just ask around in Siquijor Poblacion. It's popular
Torta - sweet cakish bread at the Thrifty story in Siquijor Poblacion
Siquijor Island Map Siquijor - Dumaguete Boat Trips(as of Jan 2023)
Montenegro Lines - at Siquijor Port, P234.00/pax, P169/bicycle, 7:30am/10:00am/2:00pm/4:30pm
Aleson Shipping - at Siquijor Port, 6 am and 6 pm daily, 1:30 pm M-Sat, Regular P200.00/pax, Aircon P250.00/pax
Siquijor - Tagbilaran - Cebu City Boat Trips(as of Jan 2023)
En route to Cebu City, the ferries usually make a stop-over to Tagbilaran (Bohol) to pick-up more passengers or unload.
Ocean Jet - 8:20 am, at Siquijor Port To Tagbilaran: P800/tourist & open air, 2 hours (arrive 10:20 am), P1200/business class To Cebu(Pier 1): P1600/tourist & open air, 4 hours (arrive 12:40 am), P2400/business class
Lite Ferries - at Larena Port, no Senior Citizen discount for online ticket purchase To Tagbilaran: T-Th-Sun, 3 hours, depart 7 pm - arrive 10 pm, P475/standard (Tourist, PHP 750) To Cebu: T-Th-Sun, 10 hours, depart 7 pm - arrive 5 am, PHP 605/standard (Senior P484), Tourist, PHP 770
Apekoptravel - at Larena Port to Tagbilaran: 1:00 pm, xxx hours, P750
Reserve through call or text: Cleare - 0938 283 4760 | Grace - 0936 534 6564 | Jessel - 0961 759 6711,
Pay via G-Cash: +63-917-880-1464, Email: momovillageadventure@gmail.com,
Facebook messenger: Apekoptravel. Enter your birthday and nationality to get discounts:
0 to 3 years old free,
4 to 9 years old will have 20% discount,
10 years old and above full price,
Filipino Senior Citizens will also have 20% discount
Siquijor - Plaridel Boat Trips(as of Jan 2023)
Lite Ferries - at Larena Port, T-Th-Sun, 2:00 am, 5 hours, PHP?
Siquijor - Cebu (Liloan) - Cebu City BUS Trip(as of Jan 2023)
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. Larena Port 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 (Sundays at 3 pm) for Liloan, Cebu and resumes its land route. Arrives Cebu City (South Bus Terminal) 10 pm.
Sugbo Urban is the cheapest and most convenient way because it goes around the island (clockwise) along the circumferential road, passing through - Enrique Villanueva, Maria, Lazi, San Juan, Siquijor...and back to Larena where it takes the ferry at 1 pm. This saves you the hassle and high transport cost of a tricycle. Besides, it's a long trip from the other side of the island to be taking by tricycle.
Suggested Destinations After Siquijor Island
These are the nearest popular destinations from Siquijor by boat
Bohol - Bohol is an island northeast Siquijor. Tourist attractions are Chocolate Hills, Tarsier Monkey, Loboc River Cruise, Beaches of Panglao, whale sharks (recent offering), freediving (recent offering)
Cebu - Cebu City is the usual gateway into the Visayas. But in Cebu Island itself, there are many offerings - Whale Sharks of Oslob, sardine run at Moalboal,Thresher Shark of Malapascua
Dapitan (Zamboanga del Norte) - I haven't been there but a lot of island ferries ply this port. There must be something here.
Dumaguete - Dumaguete is a small charming progressive coastal town in Negros Oriental. Cafe and restaurants line the famous Boulevard Boardwalk. Tourist attractions include Japanese Shrine, Casaroro Falls, snorkeling along the southern coastline (Dauin, Masaplod Norte, etc), Balinsasayao Twin Lakes