GROUNDING OUT IN CHIANG MAI - JAN 08
I love Thailand. It’s my third time here and it’s a breeze, as the Thais have thoroughly embraced capitalism. What I love most, is the fresh fruit, cleanliness, helpful people, gentle & respectful culture (you say ‘hello’ here with a small bow, hands together at the heart), and spirituality everywhere. Especially in Chiang Mai where there are over 300 temples in this sprawling city that feels like a town. Internet is readily available, even wireless – not so five years ago! Access to clean water is also easy as there are plenty of reverse osmosis/UV filtered water machines where you can fill a 6 liter container for 17 cents. Thus, as a place to land, it felt immediately like home. The yoga community has blossomed here; in 2002 (when I was here last), there was one proper hatha yoga studio and a smattering of classes (sometimes with teachers to lead them!). Now, there are 5 studios, mostly frequented by westerners. The Thais find their spirituality in Buddhism, so yoga is primarily exercise. We made friends fast, bought a 3 liter hot water heater/dispenser, and settled in for 3 weeks. Mostly, we rested, recovering from the amount of work it took to make this journey possible.
One of our lovely new friends, Rebecca (www.jivahealing.com), told us about the Ayurvedic Health Center. While costly compared to other health services (an hour of Thai massage costs $15), they offered a whole list of detoxifying and relaxing treatments at reasonable prices. We were impressed with the staff and surprised at the results of Colonic Hydrotherapy sessions and Ionic Foot Spa Detox treatments. As I watched what ‘came out’ through a clear tube, I make a promise to myself to have a series of colonics every year and to steer clear from meat for good (I’m primarily vegetarian, with recreational bouts of omnivoire-ism). It’s amazing what can be stored in the body for DECADES. I recommend this to everyone. I was apprehensive at first, but found the experience to be a)fairly relaxing, and, b)interesting as an experience in itself; one that left us floating out of the center feeling light in the body and the head.
One morning after the second colonic, we wandered home at a snail’s pace through the side streets, in order to avoid the polluted main roads. We found ourselves in a complex of temples (called ‘Wats’) that I found familiar. There we met a monk who, like most monks, was eager to practice his English with us and invited us back the following morning for a ceremony. We graciously accepted. Next morning, we were joined by a bus-load of Thais who had driven up from Bangkok early that morning to come to this special Wat. They welcomed us into the fold for what turned into a 3-hour ceremony. The chanting was hypnotic, their devotion touched our hearts as our friend explained that the meaning of the ceremony was to wish health and happiness for our relatives, friends, and really everyone in the world. To send our blessing off, monks were gifted with umbrellas and personal hygiene products elaborately wrapped in plastic and we all were adorned with a wooden mala and a ceramic disk with the image of the Buddha for protection. My favorite moment was when they untied a bundle of string that hung from the center of the room. One end of the string was tied around the thumb of the HUGE golden Buddha statue inside, the rest of the string was woven throughout the hands of the participants, so that everyone was connected by this one string connected to the Buddha. We pressed the string between our hands and bowed, knowing that after a week and a half in Thailand, we had definitely arrived.
Our other angel of a friend, Sara (www.fourmermaids.com), recommended that we check out the Wild Rose Studio and Sauna, as it is one of Chiang Mai’s new gems. Meeting Rose, the owner, was like seeing an old friend and I immediately spoke to her of teaching there. Serendipity, she said her New Year’s resolution was to try AcroYoga (yes!). We had a sold-out, stellar AcroYoga class and Vincent and I taught our unique workshop called Shiva~Shakti: The Yoga of Connection. Both were so sweet and nourishing for everyone involved. Sitting in the herbal sauna, applying face masks and body scrubs and drinking herbal tea, was heaven on earth. Rose and John, you are amazing hosts and dream weavers!
One of our lovely new friends, Rebecca (www.jivahealing.com), told us about the Ayurvedic Health Center. While costly compared to other health services (an hour of Thai massage costs $15), they offered a whole list of detoxifying and relaxing treatments at reasonable prices. We were impressed with the staff and surprised at the results of Colonic Hydrotherapy sessions and Ionic Foot Spa Detox treatments. As I watched what ‘came out’ through a clear tube, I make a promise to myself to have a series of colonics every year and to steer clear from meat for good (I’m primarily vegetarian, with recreational bouts of omnivoire-ism). It’s amazing what can be stored in the body for DECADES. I recommend this to everyone. I was apprehensive at first, but found the experience to be a)fairly relaxing, and, b)interesting as an experience in itself; one that left us floating out of the center feeling light in the body and the head.
One morning after the second colonic, we wandered home at a snail’s pace through the side streets, in order to avoid the polluted main roads. We found ourselves in a complex of temples (called ‘Wats’) that I found familiar. There we met a monk who, like most monks, was eager to practice his English with us and invited us back the following morning for a ceremony. We graciously accepted. Next morning, we were joined by a bus-load of Thais who had driven up from Bangkok early that morning to come to this special Wat. They welcomed us into the fold for what turned into a 3-hour ceremony. The chanting was hypnotic, their devotion touched our hearts as our friend explained that the meaning of the ceremony was to wish health and happiness for our relatives, friends, and really everyone in the world. To send our blessing off, monks were gifted with umbrellas and personal hygiene products elaborately wrapped in plastic and we all were adorned with a wooden mala and a ceramic disk with the image of the Buddha for protection. My favorite moment was when they untied a bundle of string that hung from the center of the room. One end of the string was tied around the thumb of the HUGE golden Buddha statue inside, the rest of the string was woven throughout the hands of the participants, so that everyone was connected by this one string connected to the Buddha. We pressed the string between our hands and bowed, knowing that after a week and a half in Thailand, we had definitely arrived.
Our other angel of a friend, Sara (www.fourmermaids.com), recommended that we check out the Wild Rose Studio and Sauna, as it is one of Chiang Mai’s new gems. Meeting Rose, the owner, was like seeing an old friend and I immediately spoke to her of teaching there. Serendipity, she said her New Year’s resolution was to try AcroYoga (yes!). We had a sold-out, stellar AcroYoga class and Vincent and I taught our unique workshop called Shiva~Shakti: The Yoga of Connection. Both were so sweet and nourishing for everyone involved. Sitting in the herbal sauna, applying face masks and body scrubs and drinking herbal tea, was heaven on earth. Rose and John, you are amazing hosts and dream weavers!
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