Yoga & Surya Namaskar
Gentle warm-ups, yoga and Surya Namaskar (sun salutations) to open each gathering — health for the body and steadiness for the breath, no experience required.
HSS in Cebu · A shakha waiting to begin
HSS in Cebu — Help Start a Hindu Shakha
There isn't an HSS shakha in Cebu yet — and we won't pretend there is. But that is precisely where you come in. If you are a family in Cebu who would love a warm, free, weekly gathering rooted in yoga, values and fellowship, this page is our open invitation to help start one together.
Let us be plain: there is no HSS shakha in Cebu at this time. Our two regular gatherings both meet in Metro Manila — and that honesty matters to us more than looking bigger than we are.
A shakha (branch) is the heart of everything HSS does — a weekly circle where children, youth and elders come together for yoga, games, songs, stories and a closing prayer. Around the world these circles begin the same way: not with a building or a budget, but with a handful of families in one city who decide it is worth starting. Cebu simply hasn't had that first spark yet.
So this is not a page pretending to list a Cebu venue and a Cebu meeting time. It is something more useful — an honest invitation. If a free, welcoming, non-political gathering for your family sounds like something Cebu could use, you are exactly the person who can help bring it to life.
HSS Cebu is forming — not yet meeting
We would rather say "not yet" truthfully than invent a shakha that doesn't exist. When enough families in Cebu express interest, we will help them find one another and take the first steps — and this page will be updated with a real day, time and venue, added only once a group has genuinely formed.
What could take root here
What a shakha is — and what one could become in Cebu
A shakha is a free weekly family gathering, usually about an hour and a half, that moves through a gentle rhythm of body, mind and heart. Here is what a Cebu shakha could look like once it begins.
Games & songs
Joyful team games (khel) like kabaddi and kho-kho, and songs (geet) sung together — the simplest way strangers become friends, at any age.
Balagokulam for children
Balagokulam — a bright, playful world where children explore stories, festivals, languages and values, and make firm friendships along the way.
Values & reflection
Short talks and stories of courage and compassion — where the values of Sanskar, Seva and Sanghatan are named and lived, not just spoken about.
A closing prayer
Each gathering ends standing together for the Vishwa Prarthana — a universal prayer, offered not for ourselves alone but for peace and well-being across the whole world.
Seva, over time
As a group settles, Seva (selfless service) naturally follows — clean-ups, yoga days, and quiet help for neighbours — shaped by the interests of the families themselves.
To be added
Day, time and venue for Cebu are not set yet. These will be decided by the first families who come together here — chosen for what suits them best — and added to this page only once a real group has formed. Nothing above is a promise of an existing gathering; it is a picture of what your shakha could be.
Who it's for
A place for the whole family
A shakha is not a class you enrol in or an audience you sit in — it is a living circle for every age, from the youngest child to grandparents. In Cebu, it could welcome:
- Families looking for a warm, wholesome weekly gathering rooted in Hindu heritage and values.
- Children and youth — through Balagokulam and games, a joyful way to stay connected to their roots while growing up here.
- Parents who want their children to know where they come from, and to make good friends along the way.
- Anyone who shares our values — there is no membership fee and no test of belief at the door, only an invitation to grow in good character and to serve.
What we are — and are not
Open, welcoming, strictly non-political
HSS is a voluntary, non-profit, cultural and educational Hindu community. We understand "Hindu" in its broadest and most inclusive sense — many paths and traditions, united by shared ideals in the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, "the whole world is one family."
Strictly non-political
A Cebu shakha, like every HSS gathering, would be entirely about values, service and community. We do not take part in political activism or support any political ideology — only Sanskar, Seva and Sanghatan.
Help start a shakha in Cebu
Every shakha begins with a few willing hearts
You do not need to be an expert, an organiser or a scholar. A shakha in Cebu can begin with just a handful of families who are willing to gather — and a first small step you don't have to take alone.
Reach out and tell us you are in Cebu. We will help you find others in the area who share the same wish, offer guidance from HSS volunteers who have started shakhas elsewhere, and walk with you through the first gatherings. When you are ready, our shakhas in Metro Manila are always open to you in the meantime — you are welcome to visit and see a shakha for yourself.
Message our pracharak (volunteer organiser) on WhatsApp at +63 915 857 5603 — just say you're in Cebu, and we'll take it from there.
A little context
Cebu is home to a Hindu and Indian-origin community
Cebu — the vibrant heart of the Central Visayas — has long been home to Filipino-Indian families and people of Hindu heritage, who contribute quietly to the city's rich, multicultural life. That living presence is one reason a shakha here feels not just possible, but natural.
We mention this only as respectful context. HSS has no shakha in Cebu, and we make no claim of affiliation with any temple, association or community body in the city — each is independent and stands on its own. What we offer is simply an open door: if the idea of a free weekly family gathering speaks to you, we would be honoured to help you begin one.
Gathering interest
Are you in Cebu? The single most helpful thing you can do right now is let us know you're there. As interest grows, we will connect willing families and update this page with the real details of a forming Cebu shakha — its day, its time and its venue — added only when they are genuinely true.
Let's begin, together
Help bring a Hindu shakha to Cebu
It only takes a few families to start something that lasts. If a free, welcoming, non-political weekly gathering sounds like something Cebu should have, tell us you're here — and let's take the first step side by side.