peaks

I woke up on the airplane feeling a bit fuzzy and as my eyes started to wake up, I noticed some strange clouds off in the distance. And then my heart started pounding as I realized that I was looking at the Himalayan Mountains! I have been dreaming of seeing these mountains for many years, drooling over friends photos from treks and adventures they had in these ancient mountains, and I could hardly believe I was seeing them! I was on my way to Sikkim, a tiny north-eastern province that is bordered by Bhutan, Tibet(now China) and Nepal. The four hour bumpy ride up to the capital city of Gangtok included views prayer flags, and surprisingly large villages that have settled along the river. It was a hot ride, and I was pretty exhausted from an overnight bus ride the previous night on a dilapidated bus that went from Rishikesh to Delhi and passed through some amazingly stinky areas that woke me up from sleep! As you can imagine, I fully appreciated the delicious home-cooked food and the hot bucket of water that awaited me when I arrived at the ashram where four of my Chicago friends have taken up residence. The next week was a beautiful, healing experience, and difficult for me to describe in words, but I will do my best:


I arrived on the eve of the spring equinox, and there was much excitement and preparation going on for a spring celebration that included making offerings and blessings to the goddess. Each morning I would jump out of bed and peak out the window to see if the white fluffy fog had lifted so that I could get a glimpse of the peaks, only to find a sky that was 90-100% white, and I only a few layers of peaks. But even that small amount of topography brings me peace. There is something about seeing the three dimensionality of the earth that gives me a sense of space and reminds me that there is something much much larger and expansive than my small experience of life. Towards the end of my stay in Sikkim, I started to feel a bit sad, even though I thoroughly enjoyed the thunderstorms and rainstorms (even after getting almost totally soaked after visiting an orchid show). And when I reflected on this sadness, I felt like it could be a metaphor for my inner atmosphere. Sometimes when I check in with my clients when they come to me for bodywork, I ask them how their inner atmosphere is, or maybe I am asking for an emotional weather report. And I was feeling a bit cloudy, especially surrounded by these people who were so dedicated to their spiritual practices. But throughout the week, as the ceremonies progressed, I started to feel more in touch with my inner divine nature, and realized that the sun is always shining brightly in my deep inner self, and all of my peaks and valleys can be viewed with clarity. The "clouds" that come in my life can be observed in my meditation practice, and if I can manage to stay neutral and not react to them, I can experience more peace and an expansive view of life where everything is accepted. I was grateful for the vision of the peaks that I had on the airplane, and kept them in my heart as I explored the area outside of Gangtok, enjoying the more subtle things like the waterfalls and the beautiful green foliage, as well as the smoothness of the skin of the children, and the wrinkles on the elders faces. Sikkim is a beautiful melting pot of people from the surrounding countries and cultures, and it was inspiring to see Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslims living in the same area in peace.

As far as touch goes, this area did not have many opportunities to receive touch, so I ended up sharing touch with the people in the sangha (spiritual community) and I was glad that I had something to offer in return for all the amazing nourishment I was receiving, both nutritionally and spiritually (plus, it was a great atmosphere to practice my new Thai massage skills!). It seems like sitting in the meditation posture for a really long time can cause some significant physical challenges. And, as some of them shared with me, when they are cleansing and purifying their energy body, physical discomfort can surface. I was inspired by their strength to continue their personal practices, and by their faith that the practices their guru was giving them was the best thing for their growth. It was very interesting for me to observe the relationship between a guru and disciple. This relationship is not very well understood by those of us in the west. Guru can be defined as "one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others (teacher). In Sanskrit, gu means darkness & ru means light. As a principle for the development of consciousness it leads from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge." This person can be living presently, or long ago left his or her physical form (Jesus can be seen as a guru for many people!) I heard someone say that if you ever meet god and your guru after dying, you will bow to your guru before god, because you would not have such a close relationship to god without your guru's guidance. But it takes an immense amount of faith, trust and surrender to create this relationship, and I witnessed so much love and dedication going in both directions in this relationship at this ashram. I was relieved to see this because I have felt quite sensitive about gurus after one of my friends died in a horrible accident involving a sweat lodge that was lead by a man who acted like a guru (James Arthur Ray). I personally feel that a guru should help his or her followers become more in touch with their own inner truth and wisdom, and that the guru should continuously keep their own ego and intentions in check, so that they don't harm the people who have put their faith in their hands. And as I rode down the bumpy road back down from the mountains one week later, I felt assured that my friends are in good hands, inspired by their dedication, and more in touch with my personal "inner guru".

I also learned a lot about Indian culture, staying in this ashram. One thing I find interesting is that they see no need to say thank you or please. One person explained to me that because we are all connected, one person's happiness effects the other. So a smile is all that is needed. I found this so difficult to not say thank you, with the generous servings of rice bryani, dal, sag paneer, and sweets that were being heaped onto my plate! I also was amazed at the generosity that Baba had in spending time with me, despite all of his other disciples needs.

Have you ever tried eating sloppy food with your fingers? It is difficult to do at first, but when I looked around the table and realized I was the only one using a fork, I gave it a try and got to really enjoy it! Even when I was eating rice and soupy dal, I got to feel the texture with my finger, and stir it up to the consistency that I liked, and eat it right off my fingers. There is something really intimate about this. I found that I ate slower, enjoyed my food more, and digested my food very well!

Another aspect of Indian culture that I have a deeper understanding of is the way that women are treated and perceived. My friends have adapted the Indian dressing style which is very modest, baggy over the hips, and usually with a scarf draped over the chest area, and never exposing shoulders or cleavage. My understanding of the intention is to keep unwanted attention coming in from men. So I am attempting to dress more modestly, and though I do get stared at, I don't have many problems with Indian men. And if I do, I school them the way their mother would, with a fierce look and a strong "No!" Mostly, they are just curious... one guy I met had only talked to one other foreigner before. Difficult for a Chicago girl to imagine... I grew up in the melting pot of Logan Square, Chicago with Puerto Rican, Mexican, Polish, and Yugoslavian neighbors!

Hope the sun is shining in your inner atmosphere today!

Ganga

What an incredible two weeks it has been on the holy Ganges river in India, otherwise known as Mother Ganga...

The International Yoga Festival was an incredible week filled with amazing workshops on yoga asana, meditation, yoga philosophy, chanting, and more! Many of the people who were speaking to us were saints, and swamis, and there was always a warm welcome for them at the ashram, including people lining up, blowing a special horn, and standing up when they came onto the stage. They spoke to us about the importance of understanding yoga as being so much more than the poses that are done in a typical yoga class. There was much talk about the importance of evolving so that your spiritual practice flows into every part of your life. Concentrate on the inner world, on consciousness, which is beyond death, which is God/Spirit.

"the ocean needs the drop just as much as the drop needs the ocean... and every drop is potential divine." - Swami Divyanand Teerthji

So we are to try to evolve beyond our fear of death, which is present from birth. I got to experience a bit of this fear when I survived my first close encounter with some kind of parasite. I believe it was from drinking the filtered water at the ashram... which is not quite filtered enough for my western belly! Though I didn't feel like I was dying, two days of the runs and a high fever and body aches, and not enough energy to attend even the lectures forced me to ask my lovely Indian roommates to go pick up some medicine for me. This was the first pharmaceutical I have taken in over 11 years! But I am grateful that is seemed to have taken care of it. The doctor who I saw has a charitable hospital that runs completely on donations! I was so amazed to find the billing department which consisted of a statue of Ganesh (the elephant god), and a donation box! The doctor refered me to an ayurvedic clinic where I received massage for three days. My therapists were lovely, though one of them had rough hands, probably because her life has not always been so easy, and she has had to do farming or maybe even construction to make a living before this. One day, I had both therapists massage me in unison - an Ayurvedic massage technique called abhyanga. This vigourous, oily massage left me feeling relaxed and invigorated. There were a few differences I noticed between this massage and Swedish massage:

1 - Lots of oil - even on the scalp and hair.
2 - Little to no draping, and massage covered even my chest area.
3 - The oil had special herbs in it.
4 - The doctor came in to supervise and make sure they were doing a good job.


Today is one of the holiest days of the festival of the Kumbha Mela, the largest religious gathering in the world. It happens only once every twelve years, when Sun is in the zodiac sign of Aries, and Jupiter enters Aquarius. During this time, it is believed that the holy river attains properties of nectar from the gods during these times. Millions of people come to bathe in the river during this time, with the hopes that a dip in the frigid waters during this time will spare the bather from the cycle of life and death. Though most of the action is happening in Haridwar, the holy city 20 km south of where I am staying, there are still thousands of colorful pilgrims walking through the streets, bathing in the river, and visiting temples along the way.

Haridwar is so full of people now, that there are rows and rows of tents everywhere you look! The camps are centered around various famous spiritual teachers from all over India, and many of them have huge banners advertising them. I visited one teacher named "Pilot Baba" and he had quite the settlement, including fountains and statues and tents for eating, for pujas, and meditation. I think this is India's equivilant of the burning man festival, only it has more of a spiritual focus. My favorite part about being in Haridwar was seeing the rows and rows of holy men )(sadhus) dressed in orange, or simply wearing a loin cloth. Upon my arrival to Haridwar, my friend Elaine and I were greeted a dancing, chanting saddhu who had greens and flowers balanced on his head, and a collection of flower garlands around his neck. He promptly danced up to us and blessed us with a small ceramic statue, and then placed a garland over both of our heads. He brought me the gift of laughter, and I felt joyful and clear!

I ventured out of Haridwar with my new friend Elaine to go find the International Rainbow Gathering that was starting to gather near an ashram outside of Haridwar. The bus driver wasn't exactly sure where the ashram was, and was stopping to ask directions, and dropped us off a bit farther away than we would have hoped. But it ended up being a beautiful walk trough wheat fields and simple adobe - like homes. People came out of their homes to see the strange pale-faced women walking through their village with backpacks on their backs. They seemed like happy people, though they didn't smile for the camera when I pulled it out. I really got a feel for the simple life that they were living, and longed to be invited into their home for a cup of tea. But it was getting late and we wanted to set up camp before night, so we kept on hiking. The gathering was a small group of people from all over the world, and we were welcomed with a cup of hot chai that included fresh cows milk from the villagers. We set up camp and headed down to the main circle area which was right on the bank of the ganges, for a delicious vegetarian meal that included a prayer song, and passing around the magic hat for donations that go towards feeding everyone who comes to the gathering. It was good to be reminded of the miracle of Rainbow, that there is always enough food when everyone is sharing energy. I decided not to stay long at the gathering because I wanted to experience more of India... though it was wonderful to camp out under the stars and wake up to the beauty of the fog lifting off of the river Ganga.

My new friend Michael and I had a wonderful visit in Haridwar with my friend Marcie who I know from the Breema Center in California. She has made India her home now, and enjoys the freedom of being able to live a simple life, and have more time to do her spiritual practice, and not have to work as much as she did in the states. She showed us her favorite little streets, and some beautiful architectural sights, as well as some special temples where we were the only foreigners present. In the evening, we attended the arati, on the banks of the river, where I was grateful I had the experience of growing up in a big city because the crowds were huge! There were people bathing, sending flowers down the river, and praying and singing... and the police were there to keep the crowd moving, and it was amazing how it all flowed, in an organized, chaotic way! I was glad I had a friend's hand to hold as it would have been easy to get separated in that crowd. And on the walk back to the taxi, we had many people coming up to us, wishing to shake our hands and practice their English, asking us where we were from, and requesting that we stop for a cup of tea. We politely declined, and took a taxi back to the quieter town of Rishikesh.

Just as it is challenging for the Indian people not to stare at the blonde foreigners, my western eyes also are feasting on all of these spectacles that I would never see back home. Hinduism seems very exotic and strange to me, though I can definitely relate to their love of nature. I can't help but wonder what the earth would be like if people loved their rivers as much as the local people here do. They shower her with flowers and incense and send her love with the arati celebration every night, where they use fire to bless her, as well as all the people who are there. One temple I visted had a beautiful banyan tree whose roots were covered with red strings that people tied onto it with their prayers. There were so many strings tied onto it that it resembled dreadlocks! The locals would walk up to the root, and say a prayer and then push the root as you would a child in a swing, ever so gently. Of course I had to take a turn at this, and really enjoyed how it connected me to my virtual roots.

You would think that their worship of nature would make Indians very ecologlically minded, however there is so much litter everywhere, and I hear that they use tons of pesticides on their fruits and vegetables. But there is a strong movement in this state, to start using organic farming practices, and make the whole state organic! One thing this area has going for it is it is almost completely vegetarian! Non-vegetarian foods are banned in both Haridwar and Rishikesh, which is really great for the environment because it takes so much more energy to produce meat compared to vegetables. As I have been vegetarian since the age of fourteen, I feel right at home here! Another thing that is banned from these holy cities is alcohol, which I haven't missed much, as there are so many ways to get high naturally, from the yoga, meditation, and natural beauty that is everywhere!

Colors!

Wow... I knew India would be a feast for the eyes, but I had no idea how beautiful it would be. I arrived on the holy day of Holi, a celebration of the beautiful spectrum of colors that come with a life devoted to Divine energy, as well as letting go and having fun. I saw a homeless man sleeping on a curb with a splash of green powder on his face, and another guy on his motorcycle with pink on his neck and face. The woman who I was riding with proudly told me about the celebration. We passed many bonfires with men dancing around them, and I wanted to stop, but the tourist guide who was with us wouldn't let us because it wouldn't have been safe. We arrived in the village of Rishikesh just after the evening celebration of light (arati) was finishing, and walked on a foot bridge over the Ganges River. I was so excited to finally be here, my heart was skipping around in my chest! I fell asleep in my ashram enjoying the sounds of the Hare Krishna devotees chanting away the cool evening.

The next morning, my new Indian "aunt" excitingly told me that the ashram was going to be celebrating Holi together, and was canceling some of the early yoga classes. I happily hopped into a little car with a few other festival participants and we drove to Haridwar for a ceremony where a lepper colony was being blessed. They closed with a couple chants and then the colors came! Colored powders were tossed in the air, and people came up to me and said "Happy Holi!" and smeared colors on my face, neck and clothes. The kids were really into it, and before I knew it, I had a bag too and was playing with everyone. It was SO much fun! I was laughing and loving life. There were also flower petals being tossed into the sky landing on all the colorful saris and foreigners who's drab clothes were now almost all splashed with vibrant colors! I kept pinching myself making sure that I was really there. I have been wanting to come to India for a long time, and it is still amazing to realize that the river I am gazing at is really the river Ganges, and the chants that I am hearing are really being sung everywhere, and the saddhus and saris that I am seeing are not photographs. This really brings me right to the present moment, just in time for me to dodge the cow poop that I almost stepped on!

The International Yoga Festival is a great way to begin my trip here, the Ashram has many beautiful gardens, and feels very safe and the food is wonderful. There are some amazing teachers here, including a saint and a few swamis, and I am learning some new things about the more subtle aspects of yoga including the philosophy and meditation and pranayama practices.

I took a break from the festival today for a hike out into the countryside with a new friend, laughing at the mellow cows that share the streets with the vendors, motorbikes, and cars. Small monkeys are all over the countryside here and make me smile. We were aiming for a temple, and ended up getting a ride with a friendly taxi driver who brought us to meet his "Baba" (spiritual teacher) who lives in a beautiful valley of a river that feeds into the Ganges. The valley is green with rice and wheat fields, and we were welcomed by sweet, happy puppies with wagging tails, and I knew I was in a good place. It turned out there were two "Babas" there, and I was so amazed that they both spoke English! One shared some sweets with us (a pastry stuffed with ground up nuts and sweets), and the other chatted with me about Chicago, and wanted to see his picture when I took it with my camera. Our driver then brought us to a little waterfall and I enjoyed splashing around in the cool clear water.

OK... I promise I will have pictures up in the next couple days! Namaste

hummingbird

As I prepare to leave this beautiful land, I am so grateful for all the gentleness I have experienced here in so many ways. Even though Thai massage is known for its deep touch, there is a gentleness in many of the practitioners touch. In this gentleness, there is an atmosphere of nurturing and acceptance. I believe this comes through the strong Buddhist teachings here that encourage people to be more accepting of life. When someone touches me with acceptance, I feel comfortable, and I can let go of my mind's idea that I should be any different than I am in that moment. I may have thoughts like "I wish my back was looser" or "I really should have meditated today" or "I'm so lazy, I should really exercise more". But when I feel the atmosphere of acceptance, even as the practitioner is assessing my energy and my body and emotions, I can let go.

I felt so nurtured and accepted in the loving hands of Mor Noi, who had the most gentle of all the hands that I felt in Thailand. She is very tuned in to subtle energy, and within a few minutes of working with me, she could sense most of my physical challenges, as well as emotional patterns. And to each thing she discovered, she responded with love and acceptance. She used such a gentle touch to encourage the energy to flow, and I could really feel it! My friend Mary (who I know from Chicago) is now apprenticing with her, so she also had her hands on me, and it was like having these gentle gardeners, encouraging the little weeds to come out and release so that I can plant my the seeds of my dreams and intentions into soil that is clear and fertile. It is amazing what a little gentle love can do.

And speaking of love, I am in awe of the beautiful people that I have spent time with in Chiang Mai! On my last visit with some of them, I was gifted with a tiny gentle hummingbird wing that my friend found near our hostel, and sung and danced through the bamboo walkway off for my journey to India.

Hummingbirds symbolize the ability to stop in the middle of activity and be still, appreciating the wonder and joy of daily life. They also symbolize the ability to to pierce through tough outer shell and sense the inner sweetness. And the twittering, humming sound that they make gives them an internal massage that restores health and balance.

It is wonderful to have so many well wishes for my journey, from the tuk-tuk driver to the acupuncturist to my new friends, the sweet lady at the guesthouse, and all the travelers who have been there before me! Of course it is going to be an amazing journey. I can sense my fears, (as many people describe India as the most intensely challenging country to travel in) and I am acknowledging them, and bringing my awareness back to my breath, and my weight on the ground, and I step forward with confidence that it is all so perfect.

I arrive in Delhi airport tomorrow afternoon and will be picked up by a van service that will bring me directly to the ashram in Rishikesh where I will be studying yoga for a week or more!

I'm sending you all a little gentle hummingbird medicine...

village

I just spent ten days in a small Lahu hill tribe village in Northern Thailand, studying Thai massage with teachers who teach Asokananda's style of Thai massage. I studied in this village when I was here in 2004, and after hearing one of the assistants share his love of the village life and the meditation practice, I could feel the village calling me back. I longed to witness the simple life there, and I wanted to freshen my memory of the massage and meditation teachings, as well as get a break from the hussle and bussle of Chiang Mai.

Ho Nam Rin is a small village of about 500 Lahu people, a traditionally nomadic group of people who used to live in China. Only one person in the village actually does Thai massage, but my teacher Asokananda was invited to teach there, and set up his life there. He died of cancer in 2005, but his instructors still carry on his traditions with much love, compassion and wisdom. The slit bamboo platform where the classes are taught is right in the middle of the village, so students have to learn to live with the many sounds that come from the kids, pigs, chicken, puppies, kareoke, and fire-crackers! It is very interesting to meditate with fire-crackers exploding every three seconds. It was especially lively in the village this time because it was the Chinese New Year, and people were visiting from neighboring Lahu villages, and there was much celebration including pounding of rice, drinking, dancing, firecrackers, slaughtering of pigs, giddy teenagers singing songs with their cell phones.

But the scene was very serene up the hill where we gathered every day at 5:30 am for an hour of silent vipassana meditation, and a full yoga class. You could still hear the roosters echoing through the valley, but it was much more peaceful there. My instructor Laurino spends a lot of time meditating, and it was great to practice with him. The rest of the day was spent watching demonstrations of Thai massage, and practicing on each other. There were many assistants who were available to help us with any questions we had about the stretches and points we were working, as the work is very specific. The meals were very simple: sticky rice, vegetables, fruit, spicy peppers, and the occasional egg and brown rice.

I shared a lovely little bamboo bungalow in the outskirts of the village with a lovely French woman who helped motivate me to wake up for meditation. Though there were some nights where our third room mate kept me up for most of the night (I never did find out what it was, but it sounded bigger than a gecko, and it liked to chew on plastic). I decided not to make a fuss about it because it probably lived there most days of the year when there were no massage students staying there. The villagers would pass by our bungalow with their water buffalo on their way to graze in the meadows up the hill from us. One afternoon, as I attempted to take a nap, they were grazing just outside of my bungalow. I must have been really tired because I was still able to doze off despite the ringing of the bells around their necks.

The village really came alive during the Chinese New Year festivities. The Lahu people dressed up in their traditional colorful clothing, and blew off fireworks day and night. On new years eve, my vegetarian belly did a flip flop as I had to pass the central washing area in the village where they were smoking and butchering a half dozen pigs. It was quite the scene, villagers were walking away with buckets full of meat, and the dogs were feasting on the scraps. Many people stayed up all night to dance around in thier circular dance pit to the sounds of their traditional instruments. A few of us from the massage class went to watch, and they dragged us onto the dance floor where we attempted to copy what looked like simple foot work. Everyone had a good laugh that night. Our landlord invited us into his small bamboo home for a new years dinner that included pork, sticky rice, "french fries", and sticky rice cakes that were dipped in honey. I politely passed on the pork and pulled my cashews out of my bag to offer to the table, but I did have some broth to go on my sticky rice, and it was delicious! He was such a sweet man, and kept expressing his joy and gratitude that he was able to have us over for dinner.

I really enjoyed my classmates, who were from all over the world. Giving and receiving that much bodywork, meditating, and staying in a place where there aren't as many distractions (like TVs, internet, pubs, etc) can be a bit intense. Emotions surfaced, healing and understanding happened, and by the end of the 10 days, I felt pretty close with this group.

So now I am back in Chiang Mai, visiting with friends, new and old, and studying with Pichest for a few more days before I leave for India on Saturday for the 2010 International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh!

bao bao

I had a lovely day today, I woke up early and rode out to the countryside with a couple friends from Chicago, to have a massage with a medicine man named Maw Taw (sp?). He lives out in the countryside, near rice paddies and coconut trees. Before I got there, one of the healers suggested I make an offering of 39 Baht (Thai currency) to the Buddha. They had a separate room for meditation, with buddha statues and pictures of teachers and monks. I lit my incense and made my offering, and then we stepped into the warm sauna, and I felt comforted by the familiar smell of a Thai sauna. Once we were good and warmed up, we changed into really funny comfortable clothes and got massaged in the same open-air space. Each therapist started with quiet centering time, and an opening prayer or chant, and then started the massage. Maw Taw was not shy about jumping right in, and without warming me up, jumped right into my my tight muscles and tendons. He was using a technique called "nerve touch" and did a lot of "plucking", similar to playing to guitar, along my nerves and tendons. This is not my favorite technique, and I ended up doing a lot of laughing and saying, "bao bao" (gentle!) and he laughed right with me! I can still feel the strange electric energy flowing down my arms... very strange. But he did find my tight spots, and spent some time getting the energy flowing better in those areas. After our massages, we had fresh papaya and banana and tea, and hopped back into the sauna for another round.

We went out for a lovely lunch under a huge banyan tree where I ate a new leafy green that was like little baby ferns, and delicious. After lunch, I wandered over to the flower festival where I saw more orchids than you could possibly imagine, plus floats covered in flowers and seeds, in the shapes of elephants and deities, and all kinds of animals.

So, I had an amazing two weeks studying Thai Massage with Pichest. Tomorrow I will head back to the Lahu Hill Tribe village where I studied Thai Massage six years ago with a man named Asokananda. I am looking forward to getting out of the city, living the simple village life, in more of a retreat setting, where we all eat together and stay in simple bamboo bungalos, skattered throughout the village. I am also looking forward to learning more about meditation, and I can hopefully get myself up and out of bed before the sun rises to participate in the group meditation on the mountain. So I will not have email access until the 19th, which will probably be a nice "fast" from technology.

Peace!

listening

A week ago Monday morning, in the old walled city of Chiang Mai, I met up with a group of people from all over the world to go to the market to buy flowers, incense, candles and fruit for an offering to Buddha, God, and to the lineage of teachers of Thai massage. Known as "Nuad bo Rarn" here, Thai Massage is an ancient healing practice that uses "sacred medicine". It was brought here from India through China along with the teachings of the Buddha. There was a hermit, known today as Dr Shivago, who offered bodywork and healing to the Buddha and his sangha to keep them healthy in body and mind as they traveled and shared their teachings. This practice was passed down from generation to generation in the temples, and in families.

We drove 20 minutes outside of Chiang Mai to meet Pichest Boonthume, who is one of the more traditional Thai massage teachers in Thailand, and is truly a master. His teachings are deeper than I had expected them to be. I was interested in studying with Pichest because I had heard that he has found ways to use his body intelligently and not injure himself. I also knew that he did very deep physical work, but I had no idea his teachings were so deep emotionally and spiritually.

We begin the day in a relaxed way, people filtering into the classroom, which is a large room, with about 1/4 of the space used as a temple to the Buddha, teachers and our parents, and spirits. There are mats placed around the room, and pillows, and not one single chair. Pichest gives talks about meditation and dharma, and the importance of taking good care of ourselves so that we can give good feelings to people when we are giving massages. He shows us ways to get deep pressure without using too much energy or force, and even shows us ways for us to receive benefits (this reminds me of the principle of "Mutual Support" I have learned from Breema Bodywork. We spend some time praying and chanting to the buddha, and to the lineage of teachers, as well as spirit. The rest of the day is spent watching him give amazing effective treatments, and laughing (he really loves to make us laugh), and watching how he assesses the body with his heart, not his mind. We then take turns working on each other, and practicing listening and maybe some of the new techniques he demonstrated (but only if they are a good fit for the person we are working with).

My sessions with him have been quite intense and profound. He is incredibly intuitive and could see where I was holding on to emotions and things from my past, and used some ancient chants and folk medicine to help me to let go of this old energy. I felt incredibly light and free after this... like I had been carrying an invisible backpack, and it was suddenly gone. The next time, he was working very deeply on my neck and I burst into tears, but not because of the pain, but because an emotional block was being released.

I am beginning to understand the power of the heart, and the importance of taking time to sit with myself and listen. Listen to the emotions and thoughts, and watch them pass. He says that when you have a thought, it's like a big rock that is tossed into a still pond, and we usually follow the ripples which can be big and dramatic. But if we simply follow the rock, it simply falls to the bottom of the pond.

I resonate very deeply with his teachings, and feel that my intentions are very similar to his when I work. I can't tell you how often he says "listening" and "from the heart". And the name of my practice is Listening Touch and my logo is hands in the shape of a heart, with a ripple. So now, I will practice deepening in with my heart, and aim to not follow the ripples, both in my meditation, and in my bodywork.

Today was another amazing day. Pichest guided me to make a special offering and I received a blessing from a American Buddhist nun who only comes to see Pichest once per year. When she gave me blessings from the ancient mother goddess, I felt an old, negative thought pattern slip away. As I sat, listening, I could feel deep peace and unconditional love settle into my being, and it was sealed with gold leaf on my heart.

Wow... I am so grateful... and sending you a little virtual blessing of gold on your heart!