Yoga Calisthenics in Camotes Islands

GPS waypoint: 10°38'44.1"N 124°22'58.9"E
Location : Baywalk, San Francisco (municipality), Camotes Islands, Cebu (province), Philippines
Features: public park with bar workout facility
Fees: free
Yoga & Fitness Website: YOGA by Gigit

Morning Ritual at Baywalk
After being in Camotes Islands over a month now, I've developed my own routine. Workout-wise, I have my morning ritual at Baywalk where I take advantage of their workout-bar features - monkey bars, dipping bar, horizontal bar, etc. I'm still basically a yogi - so my workout is still basic asanas with breath and mindfulness. I just level it up by doing the asanas, to the extent possible, on the bars.

Calisthenics
My routine took a radical turn when I stumbled upon a few calisthenics video on Youtube by Chris Heria. Seeing this guy's routine was mind-shifting. All these years, I thought calisthenics was just a series of Jumping Jacks and a few stretching. I was dead wrong. By definition, calisthenics is a body-weight workout for muscle development and strength. So you don't use weights. Also, it is questionable if rope-skipping is considered calisthenics because it doesn't build up muscle and strength.

Bar Goals
3 bar workouts really impressed me. I am highly motivated to perfect them although it may take years - perhaps even never. But whatever marginal gains I make would be an accomplishment unto itself.

• Planche
  body parallel to the ground, hands perfectly straight on the dipping bar, balancing the entire body by moving body weight forward
• Human Flag
  body parallel to the ground sideways, hands on wide grip, both arms straight on the vertical bar
• Muscle Up
  both hands on the horizontal bar, arms straight, body all the way down. Pulling the body up until arms straighten again with body all the way up

Yoga and Calisthenics
Should I now abandon yoga for calisthenics, given my charged motivation for the latter? I am stoked by this new calisthenics but yoga is a lifestyle choice for me. It didn't take long before I came to terms with both. What is yoga anyway? Is it about the pose? If so, then the circus people would be the best yogis - but that is not the case. I've always maintained that yoga is a harmonious convergence of pose, breath and mindfulness. Why can't I do all that while attempting to do the Human Flag? That fits into an Asana in my world view. What makes a pose eligible to be an Asana anyway but symmetry, therapeutic factor and being able to hold it into a steady state. And what about Dips where it's a continuous movement? No problem. That is what Kriyas are all about - all within the scope of yoga dynamics.

For as long as I'm compliant to the breath and mindful about what I'm doing, then it doesn't matter if I'm doing a yogic Mayurasana or a Planche. I'll call it Yoga Calisthenics.

Rope Skipping
And where does this put rope-skipping? It's neither yoga nor calisthenics. My say? I don't care if doesn't fit either mold! Rope skipping is my cardio and therefore indispensable. As I incorporate rope skipping into my routine, I found out I can do Bastrika/Kapalabhati breathing as I skip to listen through my cardio playlist. It's very challenging. Even if I am able to sustain it, at the back of my head, I remember what Simon Borg Olivier said about doing too many things at the same time - I might fry my nervous system. But I'm always mindful of how my body is reacting to it. So far, no complaints.

Pranayama
After the physical workout, I settle down in a comfortable seated pose and do my Pranayama (breath control exercise). Kapalabhati, followed by Anumoma Viloma and capped by combining the first 2 - while squeezing Kumbhaka (breath holds) and Uddiyana Bandha (sucking-in the abdominal muscles) during the breath pause. I cannot underscore the power of Pranayama having toyed with it and experienced a Superman-effect a few years back.

Meditation
I am a Vipassana meditator, but I can't seem to fit Vipassana as my post-workout meditation. I default to a mudra meditation - chanting OM while doing a few hand mudras. The 2nd section of my meditation is to visualize on a specific body part that needs healing and chant OM while doing Ujjiyay breath. This is where I let my body do the healing instead of being reliant on medication.

Ending Thoughts
Individually, what I'm doing is sound - the breath, the physical workout and the mindfulness. But combined, with pranayama, breath-holds and bandha, I am already winging it into unchartered territory. I wish there is an existing ancient Indian treatise that would validate this experimental thing I'm doing. But in the absence of such, I'll write my own book, guided only by what I find exciting, my instinct and my body-talk.

Two weeks into this program, I get only positive feedback from my body - my muscles are beginning to bulk-up and cover more distance into my bicycling without feeling fatigued. This is all trippy for me and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

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

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Camotes Islands, Cebu, Philippines

tourist attractions

• Lake Danao Park - inland twin lakes in San Francisco
• Santiago Bay Beach - stretch of fine white sand with a cluster of beach resorts
• Buho Rock - dive boards perched from a high rock outcropping, Poro
• Tulang Diot - white sand beach on a tiny island just 10 minutes by boat from the main Camotes Island
• Busay Falls - groomed plunge pool, dirt trail walk with 2 stream crossings, Tudela
• Capasanan Spring - crystal clear open spring water source in San Jose, Poro. Free
• Hagnaon Spring - clean drinking water coming out of the rocks, dipping pool you might share with carabaos in San Jose, Poro. Free

caves

• Timubo Cave - groomed trail inside cave with lights, swimming inside, limited penetration
• Bukilat Cave - cathedral-like caverns, top lighting from cave openings, high tide swimming
• Holy Crystal Cave - cave formation glitters, human bones, limited penetration
• Paraiso Cave

important spots

• San Francisco - town center, wet market, municipal hall, eateries, live music, bar, Baywalk
• Poro - town center of Poro Municipality, port to Cebu City and Danao
• Tudela - town center of Tudela Municipality
• Pilar - town center of Pilar in the island of Ponson Island
• Consuelo Wharf - port for Danao ships
• Poro Port - port for Danao and Cebu City ships

resort hotel

•  Aladin White Beach Resort and Retirement Investment
  beachfront property, swimming pool, modern amenities and facilities
  Esperanza, San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu, Philippines

Camotes Island FYI / Tips

• Camotes Islands is a group of islands composed of 4 municipalities:
  1. San Francisco - this is the biggest municipality covering the West major island. Its town center is the busiest with the market, eating places, live music and the Baywalk. The beach resort clusters, however, are concentrated in Santiago Bay, Mangodlong and Esperanza
  2. Poro - Poro is on the other big island to the East. It has its own port and the town center is likewise busy
  3. Tudela
  4. Pilar - this occupies the small north east island
• the busy area where most of the social gatherings take place, eating places, is located at the Baywalk area of San Francisco, 30 mins by motorcycle from the Consuelo Port. Travellers usually stay in their resort outside the Baywalk
• the resorts in Camotes Island are scattered around the island. There are none around the Baywalk area of San Francisco
• perhaps the only downside to Camotes Island is the inescapable deafening sound of karaoke - it is played very loud and it's everywhere. In Baywalk, there are 3 karaoke bars beside each other going full blast all at the same time

Camotes Island Cost Index

• PHP 100 habal-habal ride from Consuelo Port to San Francisco
• PHP 55 Pale Pilsen beer
• PHP 10/pax regular fare for habal-habal within San Francisco
• PHP 500/tour habal-habal rate for island tour up to 2 pax
• PHP 800/tour tricycle rate for island tour up to 4 pax

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Camotes Islands Blogs by TheLoneRider

1. Daghang Salamat (Many Thanks) Camotes Islands, Goodbye Apr 6, 2017
2. A Culture of Noise Apr 5, 2017
3. Exploring Tulang Diot (Little Island) Apr 2, 2017
4. In Search of the Hidden Beach Apr 1, 2017
5. Pizza-Making Party in Camotes Islands Mar 25, 2017
6. Zesto and Exploited Child Labor Mar 20, 2017
7. The Bayot (Gay) Construction Worker Mar 20, 2017
8. Yoga Calisthenics in Camotes Islands Mar 3, 2017
9. Bathing with the Carabaos at Hagnaon Spring, Camotes Islands Feb 28, 2017
10. Taking a Dip at Capasanan Spring, Camotes Islands Feb 28, 2017
11. Exploring Bukilat Cave, Camotes Islands Feb 28, 2017
12. Exploring Tudela and Busay Falls, Camotes Islands Feb 21, 2017
13. Settling Down in Camotes Islands Feb 19, 2017
14. Clam Chowder Pizza from Scratch on a Rice Cooker Feb 15, 2017
15. Exploring Timubo Cave of Camotes Islands Feb 9, 2017
16. Exploring Holy Crystal Cave of Camotes Islands Feb 9, 2017
17. Exploring Camotes Islands of Cebu Jan 13-14, 2017

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