Marapu, Sumbanese Shamanism, and Calvin’s Journey as Sumba’s First Yoga Teacher

For the very first episode of Paneghe: The Podcast, we begin with a story that has quietly unfolded within the walls of Cap Karoso itself—introducing Calvin, who we believe to be the very first Sumbanese yoga teacher.Before many guests knew Calvin as a yoga teacher and spiritual guide, he was serving drinks at our Apicine Bar—quietly observant, generous with his smile. What most people didn’t see was the deeper path behind that presence: mornings spent in stillness beneath trees, years devoted to meditation and breathwork, and the ancestral stories shared by his grandmother, a village shaman who first introduced him to the spiritual traditions of Sumba.In this inaugural conversation, Matt Jacob, our artist-in-residence and host of his own Mood Podcast, sits down with Calvin to explore the journey that led him here. Today, Calvin works with the team at our Malala Spa, where he weaves Sumbanese shamanic knowledge into the spa experience, guiding yoga sessions and healing journeys inspired by the island’s ancestral wisdom. Together, Matt and Calvin open a dialogue about spirituality, heritage, and the ways ancient traditions can find new expression in the modern world, right here in Sumba.