Week 3

I have now completed week 3 of this program, I love it here most days, but there is the odd moment that I feel a bit homesick but soon someone or something captures my interest.

I ran 7k on Saturday in the middle of the day and wow, running in Thailand is rare and almost stupid, after my run it took a full dip in the pool to stop the sweat from pouring out of every sweat gland in my body. People here don't run, only the odd tourist, in fact the locals move at this very slow pace and never seem to be in a hurry, tropical climates seems to do this to people.

We are only off one day a week and I am tired by the end of the week, it is hot here and humid everyday, even after it rains. Today I am off and I went to a 2 hour Ashtanga yoga class it was led by this beautiful Yogini from Spain who has the voice of an angel, I thought it wouldn't be hard because of her gentle spirit, but it was hard, very hard, but it was just what I needed to burn off monkey mind

Each week I get a little more accustomed to life on this island, I am bartering better with the taxi drivers to get the best price, I however still feel like vomiting once I get out of the taxi's, I wonder if they drive faster if you are the only passenger which means they are making peanuts, or, if this is just their way. The taxi's here are like pickup trucks with benches and and roof and sides, you get thrown around if you don't hold on tight..hence the desire to vomit.


I have attended two lectures with the Swami this week both were great, he is why I am here so I try to attend anything he is presenting, this on top of school can make for a long day.


My butt is sore, from sitting, and sitting and sitting on cement floors. I think I lost some of my padding on it too LOL. I have lost 10lbs now....I am pleased I was hoping to lose weight and have been able to avoid junk foods I am eating vegetarian and drinking tons of water, it has been just over 2 weeks since my last coffee, I inadvertently gave up coffee as it was a no no on the detox, I then decided just to stay off it while I was here. I look great, the weight loss and the rest combined shows on my face as more relaxed.


The lecture I loved this week was on Karma, given by the Swami, he said Karma can be defined as Action and Reaction, it is a law of the universe, not something dished out by a loving or punishing God. Every thing we do will cause a good or bad reaction, he said our actions are like a pendulum you swing it out and it will come back, either in the next moment (see Misty you are right), the next year, in 40 years or the next lifetime. I will be on the look out for the knock in the back of the head...sigh..from the return of the pendulum. He also said that it is our Karma good or bad that keeps us coming back life after life and he said there are only 2 ways to rid ourselves of Karma, one is to detach from the results of our actions and the other is to consecrate all our actions to God. Only by living in this manner can we hope to break the cycles of rebirth.


I am getting used to Swami's presentation style now, it is blunt, complicated and he speaks as if he is yelling, but he is very soft and warm in person, his love for the people here shows easily on his face. It is easy to see he has helped a many people, his program is transformational. Many people end of on the island for the party atmosphere, are drug use is widespread and stumble into yoga class only to find a new way of life that is more freedom then any party could every give you. Drugs, alcohol and parties are widespread, in fact in some bars you can order Magic Mushroom shakes.

After tonight I only have 6 more classes, time now seems to be going fast, as I am 3/4 of the way through the program. I have learned lots and also reconnected with Hatha Yoga, it is not a popular style but it is my first love in yoga, a quiet meditative practice is a balance to my busy life and the running.

Today while I was walking to a yoga class and young girl from Los Angeles offered me a ride on the back of her motorbike, her name is Sarah, and she said to me that in order to get the most from this program you need to surrender and forget everything that you know. In that moment I realised that I needed to surrender, it is not easy coming here with a ton of yoga experience and being told that I am ignorant or treated in a manner that suggests we new students know nothing. However, it is not meant in that way they are just saying that the door is opening and wait until it opens more. There is clearly a distinction in levels here, level one students are the tadpoles in the pond, and each level you move up seems to bring you more recognition. With the Swami being the big frog on the lily pad.

Being away has given me clear insight into my life and how great it really is. What an awesome experience it is to step out and look into your own life and feel such gratitude for your family and friends.

Namaste,