Instructors Profiles
Mr. Pio Baquiran
As one of the Rising Yoga teachers here in Metro manila, Mr. Pio Baquiran is a celebrated monk, yoga practitioner and member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) since 1986, and subsequently an Aikido Black Belter. Pio’s exposure to the yoga culture begin as early as 13, thereby making his proponents and philosophical mastery of the yogic system both broad and deep.
Pio attained brahminical initiation or priesthood for the Bhakti Yoga Tradition within ISKON in 1994 which gave him prime status and authority in the different branches of yoga which part of his studies and training during his monk hood. He gained formal studies and graduated with bachelor’s degree in Philosophy-major in Vaisnava Theology and Philosophy at the ISKON Vaisnava Institute of Higher Learning in India in 1992 and subsequently accepted his first initiation as member to the esteemed group.
In 1996, he was sent to India once more to further his studies and training. He completed his masters through the Bhaktivedanta College of South Africa (through correspondence) and received the degree MA Philosophy in Vaisnav Theology and Philosophy. During his stay in India, Pio immersed himself and graduated from several training programs and courses such as Ayurveda - under the mentorship of Prahladhananda Swami; Vedic and International Vegetarian Cooking by Internationally acclaimed Vegetarian Guru, Kurma Das; The Art of Deity Worship - under the training of head priest of the Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir Temple, Mukunda Datta Prabhu, Bhagavad Gia Course – under the direction of Bhakti Chaitanya Swami.
During his life as a monk and discipleship under His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami, Pio took up the reigns of becoming a strict practitioner of the yogic tradition as well as an ayurvedic vegetarian diet. His practice of both Hatha Yoga nd Vinyasa Yoga Styles have been a daily routine in the temple and eventually became his normal style.
He formally took up the teachers training degree for imparting the yogic tradition in August of 2001 under the mentor ship of renowned International Yoga Master - Charu Chandra Prabhu, from the International Yoga Institute and acquired his accreditation within the Origas-Makati and neighboring areas.
Gokula Chandra Prabhu received the prestigious Most Outstanding Yoga Teacher of the Year Award under the National Award Category of the Agora Awards last 2006 for his unparalleled dedication and unique spiritual foundation and lifestyle together with his unwavering mission to impart the age-old tradition of improving the quality of living in our society.