Roland Dela Cruz
For most people there’s a reason why they first came onto their yoga mat. I first came onto mine in 2001 when I found myself at a real crossroads in my life. Finding ways to mend a broken heart I spent so many of my days regretting the past and worrying about the future. It wasn’t until a dear friend introduced yoga to me that I immediately knew I found my safe haven. From that moment on I practiced daily and ventured deeper into my practice by studying all different styles of yoga.
I stumbled across Power Yoga/Vinyasa Flow while in New York pursuing my Pilates certification. I was instantly hooked. It wasn’t long when I knew I found my calling.
I’ve had the honor of studying under world renowned instructors Baron Baptiste, Bryan Kest, and Rusty Wells. They have all brought an element to my style which is playful, energetic, and fun. Come join me and explore your strengths, your weaknesses, your heart and your life; get connected, turn on your breath and tune into your body.
Corey Wills
Corey was introduced to Hatha Yoga in his early teens in his home in Australia under the guidance of his mother and father who studied Yoga in India before he was born.
Corey decided to begin teaching yoga after his world was turned upside down by a back injury sustained while surfing. Corey sought the help of many doctors and therapists but was unable to find any relief. It was not until he committed himself to a long and in-depth journey into Iyengar yoga that years of tension from competitive sports, martial arts and bad posture was released and his back pain finally abated.
So far on his yoga journey Corey has had the privilege of studying in the lower Himalayas of India with Iyengar teachers Rajiv and Swati Chanchani of Yog-Ganga center for Yoga Studies, Dehradun. Ashtanga teacher Archarya Milind in Rishikesh. He has also studied with Julie Gudmestad, a physical therapist/Iyengar Yoga teacher. Corey studied anatomy / physiology and nutrition under Sandra A. McLanahan MD at the Integral Yoga Institute at Satchidananda Ashram in Yogaville, Virginia where he was also certified to teach yoga after completing 270 hours (200hr level Yoga Alliance). He continues to train in Australia under senior Iyengar Yoga teacher/osteopath John Leebold and in the US under Iyengar teacher/ Assessor Richard Schachtel who is the Director of The Center for Yoga of Seattle and also certified Corey to teach yoga.
His other passions include surfing, rock climbing and swimming. Corey is a professional free-surfer and rides for Aloha Boardsports in the Philippines. He is a vegetarian and an animal rights advocate.
Francesca Regala
Yoga has been such a beautiful blessing in my life. I was first introduced to the practices of yoga and meditation in 1997 and from that moment forward the course of my life has been a journey full of adventure and Self -discovery. I am an Anusara-Inspired Certified Teacher having completed my training at Yoga Kula in Berkeley, California and I am also a certified yoga and meditation teacher for a path of yoga whose main ashram is in Ganeshpuri, India.
Through the years I have been fortunate enough to study with a breadth of amazing teachers in the San Francisco Bay area and beyond such as Jim and Ruthie Bernaert, John Friend himself, Desiree Rumbaugh, Sianna Sherman, Noah Maze, Carlos Pomeda, Sally Kempton, Jayne Hillman, Ishwari Gonnot, Anodea Judith, Bo Srey, and Ellen Saltonstall. I am grateful for the guidance of her main teacher, friend, and mentor Katchie Ananda and all the teachers on her path. Francesca is Co-Founder of Templa Wellness (www.templawellness.com), a company that offers a wealth of services that range from consultancy and counseling services, alternative and holistic healing modalities, as well as wellness retreats and eco travel adventures. I enjoy the healing, rejuvenating, transformative, awakening, and empowering effects of yoga as a complete system of health and wellness and am inspired to share its alchemy and its magic with others.
Jill Kobza
A writer/editor and “trailing spouse” of an international civil servant, I have nurtured a deep interest in holistic health for many years. Upon our return to India in 2006, I was able to formally pursue some of those interests and first certified in foot reflexology.
In May 2008 I completed my yoga Teacher Training Course with Seema Sondhi at The Yoga Studio in New Delhi. Seema trained at the International Sivananda Vedanta and Yoga Center and studied at the Institute of Ashtanga Yoga, Mysore under the lineage of the renowned Sri Pattabhi Jois. I am grateful to Seema for her guidance in understanding the techniques and philosophies of yoga as well as for the opportunity to teach regularly in her studio until my departure from Delhi in May 2009. I am also humbled by and thankful for the guidance of Suruchi Bazaz and all my other teachers.
Yoga practice has enriched my life in so many ways. I love how it demands exertion but delivers surrender, requires engagement but also detachment, is accessible to everyone, but sets you apart. It builds loyalty to yourself but also to others; it strengthens individuality but builds collective responsibility. It brings confidence but creates humility. It always expects your best but accepts whatever is today’s best. Each day, yoga challenges me to be a better person.
I am thankful for the chance to share the gift of yoga with students at Bliss Yoga in Manila. Feel empowered to join us: Some students come looking for physical exercise and discover their soul; some come looking for relaxation and and discover their bodies. Whatever your intention: just come!
Tesa Celdran
Tesa Celdran was rogue certified to teach the Ashtanga practice in 2007 by Alex Medin and has dedicated her life to the practice of yoga. Her journey has been with Sandy Carmona, Hoze Arando, Bela Lipat, Clayton Horton, Paul Dallaghan, Sarem Atef, Ryan Redman, Richard Freeman, David Swenson, and David Life. She has also spent time in A.Y.R.I., Mysore under Sharath Rangaswamy and Saraswathi. Her passion is to teach in the tradition as handed down from teacher to teacher by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Today, Tesa considers Govinda Kai as her current and most special teacher.
Bianca Torres
While I cannot recall the precise moment I first stepped onto a yoga mat, my fascination with yoga and my commitment to the practice developed sometime in 2007, shortly after I had started working full time as a corporate lawyer, having survived four years of law school and the bar examinations. Yoga beckoned to me at this point in my life as more of a health initiative, something that would be restorative at the end of an otherwise crazy day. It was only towards the end of the 2009, when I began to deepen and regularize my practice. I had finally settled into the reality of my life as a lawyer and was desperate for something MORE that would center and bring balance to my life. I soon found myself becoming dependent upon my practice to provide me with a sense of escape, an avenue for completely shutting out the world and focusing on myself, for a full seventy-five minutes, allowing me to clear my mind of all unnecessary thoughts and worries that would accumulate during the day. In 2010, though I considered my practice still young, I decided to take the plunge and enrolled in Bliss Yoga Manila’s 200 Hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) under the guidance of Roland Dela Cruz. My YTT experience has been one of the most amazing milestones in my life and every day I feel truly honored and blessed to be able to expand and continue my practice while also sharing the beauty and passion of yoga with others.
Ibong Ora
As with anyone else, i studied, i worked and did everything every single person did. It was when I was caught up with the density of life that I decided I needed some alone time — time to be with my inner self… to just be one with my thoughts and silence everything that was around me. This started my journey into yoga. Even after my first Bikram class in 2007, I got hooked. So hooked that by 2009, I left everything to deepen my study of Ashtanga yoga and went to Mysore, India to complete my teacher training course under my teachers Ajay and Balu. Not only have I learned yoga, I have discovered more of myself, others and my surroundings. Although my stay in Mysore was short, it remains one of the pivotal moments in my life. It was so special that I am never the same.
Yoga continously inspires me to be better in all aspects of life. I grab with open arms every opportunity life has to offer especially sharing what I have learned. As I have found myself, I strive to help others find their own santuary — deep within themselves. Ohm shanti.
Isabel Dulay
Five years ago, a fortunate twist of fate led Isabel to a yoga studio one day. It was there where she took a deep breath and learned to be truly present in the moment.
Since her first class years ago, Isabel knew that she would be a lifetime student and dreamed one day of teaching. In 2009, she completed the PURE Yoga Teacher Training Program in Hong Kong under the guidance of Patrick Creelman.
As a teacher, Isabel aspires to give her students the gift she has received from her teachers, the guidance to turn inward and connect with one’s own inner light and joy. Isabel will encourage you to work hard while focusing on the breath. Her classes are a challenging and fun mix of Vinyasa and Hatha Yoga.
Monique Borja
Monique Borja has been practicing Yoga since 2004, It was a keen interest in different methods of healing that drew Monique to the world of Yoga. She has explored the realms of Bikram and Ashtanga Yoga then discovered a deeper gravitation to Vinyasa Flow Yoga. This passion blossomed into a commitment to yoga practice that led her to do the 200-hour Vinyasa Flow Teacher Training at Bliss Yoga Manila in 2010.
Monique embraced Yoga in its entirety—going beyond the physical discipline and diving head first into the philosophy. She furthers her education in Yoga by participating in workshops and intensives both in the Philippines and overseas with teachers that inspire her to grow. Her ability to tune out and rise above the stress and wear of the daily grind is credited by having Yoga in her life. Aside from achieving a healthier lifestyle she finds that she is able to cultivate a greater sense of awareness, fulfillment, and happiness that come with a clearer and positive mind.
Monique finds teaching yoga as a wonderful opportunity to guide and empower others the way her previous teachers have done for her. With gratitude, compassion and inspiration in her heart, she looks forward to a lifelong journey with Yoga.
Nalini Lachance
Yoga practice and philosophy has been an important part of my life for almost 20 years.
As a professional in international development, my career has taken me to over 30 countries, often working in adverse conditions. Through this, yoga has been both a transportable way of staying fit and an indispensable tool for bringing balance and joy to my life. I have leaned on yoga to keep me grounded through the turmoil of moving to new places and dealing with new cultures. I have used yoga to help me adapt to life changes and cope with difficult situations. I have been inspired by gurus in various countries whose teachings have strengthened my practice in different ways.
My formal teacher training has included numerous workshops in Hatha yoga, Iyengar yoga and Anusara yoga as well as Level I and II Anusara Immersions and Bliss Yoga’s Vinyasa Flow teacher training.
On the surface, yoga keeps the body healthy and the mind agile. On a deeper level, it helps to develop greater self-awareness and self-knowledge; to cultivate an attitude of loving kindness; and to bring tranquility to your day-to-day life.
I am grateful and honoured to have the opportunity to share yoga with others. Join me, step onto the mat and begin to explore what yoga can bring to you.
Matty Roxas Chua
Like almost everyone else, I first found my way to a mat for physical reasons. I wanted to explore and add variety to my already active lifestyle. I enjoy Vinyasa and Power classes but through the influence of my best friend, fell in love with Ashtanga.
I was going through the most challenging and depressing time of my life a few years back that led me to discover the path of yoga. I realized then that there is more to yoga than the Asanas. I found refuge, peace, hope and inspiration through daily practice, gurus and yogis around me. With a reborn spirit, I was eager to learn more and took my journey further by enrolling to the Bliss Yoga Teacher Training Program with Roland Dela Cruz .
What started as a simple physical regimen, turned out to be a life changing source of energy for me. My journey doesn’t end here, everyday I am awakened to reap and apply the full benefits of yoga to my life. Equipped with my personal experience, a loving family, supportive friends and gurus I am excited to share the gift of yoga to others.
