Country > Philippines > Bohol > Tagbilaran
Date > 2024 > July
Activity > Yoga

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July 14/28, 2024

Yoga Talk Community

Location : Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines

A Yoga Community
Ever since I began to volunteer as moderator for Cebu's Theosophical Society weekly meetings, I've pondered on having such an exchange of ideas within a community of yogis. There are language talk groups and meditation talks, but I haven't come across yoga talk. And yoga talk doesn't happen in the yoga studios either - it's just practice and everybody goes home. Practitioners don't really know much about yoga beyond what they hear from their teachers - which I find extremely limited. I felt that there are enough yogis out there who might be interested, or perhaps even looking for such a thing.

Since I was still in transit from Siquijor, I had no venue or community to start the project with.

Developing the Community
After staying in Bohol for nearly 3 months now and finishing the month-long Yoga for Kids and Yoga for Adults, I began to feel the semblance of a germinating yoga community. So upon arriving back in Bohol from a decompression in Cebu, I formed 2 groups - Yoga Class and Yoga Talk. The Yoga Class can call a practice any day, but Yoga Talk only happens every other week - 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month at 2 pm at Sweet Home Cafe.

Presenter / Moderator
I see my role in the Yoga Talk not as a presenter doing a monologue on Yoga, but as moderator who facilitates and encourages interaction with the participants. They can take turns sharing their thoughts and I would simply augment with some of my narrative. The talk starts about yoga but it can extend to where the conversation takes us. At least that was the plan.

July 14

First Run
The first yoga talk finally happened with 8 of us from the yoga classes sharing experiences and insights that began from yoga and extended to Quantum Mechanics and Simulated Realities. It was fun!

Lyz, Daphne, Beverly, Gel, Kim, Berlyn, Monica and me

What is Yoga?
Since most of the core members had their first yoga class with me, they really didn't know much about yoga. What exactly is yoga? This was the pressing question they all had in mind.

I asked them to take turns sharing their thoughts on what yoga is given what they know and given their class experience with me. Their answer would be evolving through time. If they continue their practice, their answer would change after 5 years. Their answers were rather short and it was my comments that took too long - so it still ended as more like a monologue. Next time, I'll remind myself to keep silent.

An example of the conversation:

Yoga is therapeutic >> the mind has healing properties >> the mind can even architecture reality >> reality is malleable >> the double-slit experiment provides data that the mind can influence how reality manifests >> putting intention, gratitude, visualization, feeling and thinking in the thought can increase its likelihood of manifesting >> reality is a simulation?

For a first meeting, it was well attended. Nearly everyone who attended my classes was there.

July 28

Nearly everyone who attends my yoga class were unavailable and I was advised to cancel the talk. But for a community to gel, there has to be consistency. So I just posted to the group that I"ll be there even if no one confirmed. If no one shows up, that I'll just enjoy my cuppa coffee. I also invited a few friends outside the chat group - Ludwig, Kins, Mehul, Sheryl and Krish. Good thing, Ludwig showed up.

the gathering was more like a conversation with lone attendee, Ludwig

The Talk
Ludwig is an interesting fella and we share commonalities - Vipassana, travel and Theosophy. I'm not sure if he's even a yogi. He founded the Theosophical school here in Bohol, a member of Plastic-Free Bohol and involved in a few community outreach projects. We briefly touched off on yoga and the conversation took us to Chiang Mai, the educational system and the emergent alternatives (Theosophical school, Waldorf, Peterson Academy, Ad Astra, etc.)

Ending Thoughts
I was hoping the community grows with like-minded people. But interest waned and July 28 was the last Talk until I cancelled it. It wasn't easy building up a yoga community - my time is blocked for that day, I had to prepare for the topic to be covered, I had to message people, etc. That's all good, but if interest is low, then the effort feels unrewarded. Ideally, I wanted a yoga community but if that is not possible, I would just join any pre-existing community like the Toastmasters.

Again, the important thing to keep in mind is not the success or failure of the program, but me doing due-diligence to act on my excitement. The outcome is always uncontrollable and unpredicatable. Next? I don't know yet.

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

Movie Review: The Matrix (1999)

(July 15, 2024) The Matrix was released in 1999, 25 years ago. I saw it then and it blew my mind. However, young people attending my Yoga class in their early 20s have heard but have never seen it. I told them it was a must-see. Kat was gracious enough to allow us to view it in her place. Verdict? Did they like it? Is it still relevant to young people? Or is it too dated and passe?...more »»

Next Yoga story:

Yoga at the Tagbilaran Airstrip

(August 2024) Practically daily for all of August, beginning at 5:30 am, I would be at the old airport, doing my yoga practice together with all the joggers. I looked forward to it in starting my day....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.

Blogs

Bohol blogs