So what am I learning

I came to Thailand for many reasons, both personal and professional, some reasons I shared with people some were kept private. Most of all I needed to recharge my batteries, I felt like an old cell phone battery, you know the one that will only hold a charge for a bit. That is how I felt, I could keep up with my life but soon I would be soo tired again, I knew I needed to get off the hamster wheel for awhile. I know what brought me to this point and I am okay with the decisions I made, but I needed now to recoup from the last few years and reconnect with Sheree.

So here in Thailand I am resting, I wish I was eating but I am on a fast right now and soon I start a brown rice diet, they tell us brown rice has the perfect balance of yin/yang and ask us to experience this miracle diet that is known to cure diseases.

I am re balancing my energies, it is great, each day I feel a little stronger.

Like most yoga schools, they are claiming to be the only one that is passing on the yoga tradition correctly, this is common; like religions the different yoga lineages all feel that they are they way, here at Agama they politely say it but they still say it.

I wonder if this fear is caused by the hard times they must of faced in the early days, a Romanian Swami teaching yoga in India, it must not have made him popular. In every spiritual tradition there are people who claim that they are the way, the path and the light, I call them false prophets, people flock to them and soon find that the path is a dead end. No one person has the path for others, the path is inside us all and can only be walked alone, we must dig deep and find out who and what we are, it is not easy. Yes many people will help us along the way but in the end our path is always going to be different from some one elses.

I am grateful for what I am learning here, it is in depth and very interesting, I may return for other courses, next time with my husband. But I will never follow one person as many of the people here do, I will always be free from those types of attachments to people. I am so glad that I came here happy and with such a full life, so that I can be objective.

I think I will always look at Swami as someone who taught me for awhile but I think deep inside we all have our own swami, that will guide us. I am looking foward to the rest of the course and spending more lectures with Swami V, he is bright, charismatic and very well read.

Thailand

I am in Koh Phagnon an Island in the South China Sea off the Coast of Thailand. I am amazed that I am actually here.


The trip was great, long, and for some reason I felt calm the whole time, I have always felt like I was meant to be here.

At one junction my plane was running behind and at first I was a little concerned about missing my next flight (I took 3 flights) so I just thought to myself it will work out and told myself not to worry and as I stepped off the plane there was an airport staff member waiting for me with my name on a sign, my first reaction was fear, had something happened back home ? But Bangkok Airline had wanted to ensure I would make my next connection so they sent someone to get me, I was promptly escorted to the check in counter on this cool electric car.


Exhaustion hit on the ferry from Koh Samui to here, after 3 planes, a bus ride and a 4 hour wait for the ferry, and a gravel just in case, I was half asleep on the Ferry.

In Koh Samui on the way to the Ferry I met a couple from Dubai who filled me in on stuff, like prices, taxi's etc.. a nice couple newly married. The woman had been here last year so was an expert. In the Taxi we sat in the b0x of a truck on benches, the taxi ride felt like the longest point of the journey.


I fell into bed the first night and slept for about 10 hours. The next day suffering from Jet Lag I orientated myself with the resort and......I decided to head into town.


d I decided to rent a motor bike, something I have not really ever driven before but I figure why not ? No time like the present to learn a new skill LOL. I got a quick lesson from a guy that barely speaks English but once he sees my handling skills his eyes open wide and he cautions me many times to go slowly.....I decided not to wear a helmet, sorry guys but I just need to be me. I went so slow that I was passed by everyone including their grandmothers. Motorbikes are the most common vehicle on the road, young, old, families, everyone is on them and generally without helmets.


So into the market I headed, it was neat, an abundance of small shops and stalls, selling everything, meat, fish, clothes etc...lots of massage places and restaurants. I .picked up a few items but was really too tired to get into shopping and bartering over the prices. Next trip to town I will sharpen my bartering skills. I will rent a motorbike again do some more exploring. Sundays I am off school and will try to do some touristy type stuff. Snorkeling is high on my list.


Thailand so far is a country so different then Canada, people for sure it moves at a slower pace, although I wouldn't say I see them as more happy. It seems about the same. I have always believed that happiness is a decision not a cultural thing. Rich or poor happiness is how you perceive the world around you.

There are no road laws that I can see very few stop signs and babies being held in their mothers arms while on motorbikes...Three to a bike is common here.

On the way home I got totally lost somewhere inland, so, there I was on a motorbike in 35 degree tropical heat, I could feel my skin burning. After searching for a map, someone who could speak English well enough to guide me, and finding a store that sold sun protection, I made it to my resort and wanted to do my first yoga pose, prostrating and kissing the ground, wait that is Muslin not Hindu, oh well, I was happy to be back.

Being lost was okay as the Island is not so big, but my butt was sore and I was pretty tired. I also had to maneuver the broken roads that in some spots were covered with red sand that must come down from the hills when it rains. There are skinny dogs every where running out into the road and tons of hills.



The guy who rented me the bike seemed happy to see my alive.

After seeing how meat and fist are handled here I have no problem not eating meat.

This is really an intensitve program 3 times a day 2 hours a day the first few days are lectures, then we are taught one pose at a time. Very slowly we build up to a series of postures, taught for their spiritual, health and physcial benefits. This morning was a lecture by Swami and then 6 warming practices. This afternoon is a lecture on the Chakras and tonight another lecture on what is yoga.

Full moon parties are common here, Beach parties with tons of dancing, music and drinking and some drugs, I have been invited to one but will bow out gracefully. It is too soon and I am too tired to attend a party, especially since I don't dring and/or do drugs. And I would have to travel there and stay for several hours, I would need an escape plan and can't figure one out. I will leave the Full Moon Parties to the young people.

The food is amazing rice soup today with tofu and lemon grass, I love eating fresh well prepared food, I am trying new things and loving it. I wonder if I will lose my latte and sushi addiciton while I am here.

Best of all I am videoing calling with Frank, we have skype and are making video calls, it is really cool, I think this is good for him especially because he was left behind and I know he had some concerns. He sits there shirtless with his earphones on looking kinda grainy. I love technology. I will have my daughter download skpye too and that way i can offset some of my missing her.

As I conclude this blog it is actually day 2, I learned one more pose today and had a lecture on why do Asana's there are 2 more lectures today. I had a massage and am booking a 4 1/2 day detox including self administered colemna's, my husband has on occasion told me I was full of shit so I guess I will find out. I figure to do it early while we are not doing intense poses.

Pictures will be loaded soon...very soon.

It is lowtide and so far I sit facing the ocean for all my meals. What an amazing adventure I am sure this will be. A 50th Birthday gift to myself...I am not yet 50 but will be in 2 months. Somehow I think this will be life changing in ways I can' t imagine.

This is my man

This is my man.... it is exactly what he looks like,
I look at his face in this picture and just know he is deep in thought, worrying about this or that.

He is complicated, and deep, there are layers to who he is. He can be stubborn at times. At times even dark. And at other times he is the kindest person I know. I guess we are all layered like he is.

I find him handsome, I always have. I have loved him practically from the day I met him, I kept waiting for him to love me too. I wondered if he would ever love me the way I loved him. This past year he has become very kind and gentle with me. I guess this was a deeper layer he was waiting to show.

The story I love to tell about him is this one.

One night we were at a church meeting. At that event was a guy named Reg. Reg would come and go, he struggled in life, he was dirty and looked like he slept on the streets. Reg usually showed up when he need some money, I always gave him what I could, why not. Then I would get in the car and find out my husband had given him money too. We would laugh at how he got us both.

But this night Reg started to cough, cough like he was about to spit out his lungs.

You know the kind of cough that makes people turn away. A murmur ran through the crowd. Just then, with out saying a word, my man got up and went to the back of the room, I thought he must be going to the washroom.

Where he went was....... to get Reg a glass of water.

This is the kind of man he is, deep, caring and full of compassion for his fellow man. I think this shows in his face. He is first a man, then a father of 5, a grandfather, a stepfather to one, a friend and a husband.

He would say I am his soul mate because I drive him nuts, a soul mate is not the one you sit passively with holding hands in peace. A soul mate can push your buttons, rub your raw edges of and more.

I think he will miss me while I am gone, but I know for sure I will miss him.

All Set ?

So the question I am most asked these days is "all set for your trip" and truthfully I have been mentally set for it for ages, I met Swami V almost 5 years ago and knew then that I would one day travel to Thailand to study with him, I have never doubted this moment would come.

Spiritually I am ready too, I am exhausted...I work hard and the last several years were filled with a tremendous amount of personal stress...my soul yearns for some quiet time. The stress changed me and I needed to change but I am ready to rest now....to rejuvenate my soul....I know I deserve this trip.

I am not packed (sigh)....I am waiting for my husband to find the suitcase, he stored it somewhere and can't really remember where, but is sure it is around and he gets annoyed at me when I ask about it...I will give it one more day (maybe two) before I head to Winners to replace it.

I have half waxed....bikini line done.owwwwwwwwwwwwwww....face hair on Wednesday....sigh

My feet are done, looking pretty and ready to peak through sandals.

I am still wondering about a bathing suit, I have my one piece black, slimming one, but I am contemplating a 2 piece...after all no one I know will be around, and it will be very hot there....I have looked and looked and keeping changing my mind.


Shots and papers are in order, I almost forgot to get my Visa for Thailand...whew


A visit with my Grandmother just in case something happens either to me or to her, I needed to tell her I loved her.

I am stocking up the freezer with meat for my man...something he can BBQ...little labeled packages from the Butcher.

I have reviewed with my teachers what to look for when they walk in the studio..toilet seat down...no socks lying in the entry way...sniff the air for smells of cooking. Dogs tucked away and not licking and loving our students.

I need to buy something for the trip, I still suffer from motion sickness and there is a lot of motion on this trip.

I am considering Breathe Easy strips for the trip....I snore and am hoping these might help... I use them in an unconventional way, one on my nose 2 on my mouth to keep it from falling open LOL..these are for the plane...I have ear plugs, an eye mask and a neck pillow...I am hoping to sleep on the way to Hong Kong at least.

I need to download Skype so I can talk to my husband cheap, no doubt I will miss him and doubly no doubt he will miss me. Feel free to drop off food for him....and of course feel free to nag him on my behalf...LOL what will he do without female advice.

So I will clean the toilets and bathtubs this week and I think then I will be "all set"

My Bucket List ????

Inspired by a good friend who turned 50 a few months ago, I am creating my bucket list. At first I thought it was a morbid suggestion, my friend had a stroke a last year and so has the deep seated fear of another one.

I am not going to call it my bucket list, I am going to figure out a more positive name for it but there are a few things I have always wanted to do but never had the money/time or really wanted to be away from my kids for too long.

Now I have the time, and can probably afford some interesting things if I budget well for them.

1) Road trip to Kripalu with some Yogini's - unlike the road trips with girlfriends while in my 20's I hope to remember the entire trip.

2) Cost Rica for a yoga retreat

3) Pay off the studio mortgage - so I can travel more

4) Study at Agama in their Teacher Training program (3 months)

5) Take Teacher Training with David G at Downward Dog....master Bakasana...(
Teacher Training is just a great reason to do more yoga...)

6) Turn the Durham Yoga Festival into a weekend event....and raise a ton of money for local youth charities.

7) Travel to India...is this getting boring ? It's all about yoga and traveling

8) Visit New York City and take some classes with Dharma Mittra - okay more yoga...shop as well....

9) Run a marathon....sigh...I keep putting this one off

10) Cycle the Cabot Trail with Frank - Frank is from Cape Breton Island and this is one we both share.

11) Buy a big old house on a lake and open a retreat centre.

Sheree's Trip to Thailand

So here is part of my trip in pictures...after a 15 hour flight I arrive at the Hong Kong Airport...a world class airport in a city I would love to tour but will have to pass on this trip.


A 3 hour stopover give me just enough time to change planes...


From Hong Kong to Bangkok is just under 3 hours.

From Bangkok to Koh Samui Airport about 59 minutes. The airport in Koh Samui is billed as the most beautiful airport in the world.




If only the travel ended in this gorgeous place but from here I catch a ferry to Koh Phangan....an island in the South China Sea. To my final destination the Ananada Resort right beside the Agama school that I will be attending.





There I will stay in a bungalow over looking the pool and the water.




Upon arrival the very next day I start my studies....with Swami Vivekananda, I am studying yoga a more traditional form.

Each Day I attend 2 x 1 and 1/2 hour yoga classes/lectures and in the evening there are morelectures and films.

They take place in the Yoga Hall.

I have plans to also have some fun, maybe some diving or surfing lessons as times permits. Maybe a detox at the resort and some Thai Yoga Massage. I plan to book time with Swami V...to discuss my path, and to clear out some head stuff.

I plan on being absorbed by my studies and just enjoying this amazing opportunity to live and study yoga with no distractions.

I honour the light that is within you, it is the same light that is within me, therefore we are one (when we are both in that place LOL).

Namaste

Tick Tock...

So it is shameful to admit but I have only had one day off since my last post...being busy stifles my creatively and when I try to blog I can only think about how busy I am...that gets a little boring, several times I sat down to blog and thought...boring...or even worse sometimes I thought "God this is so self righteous"...so I deleted them.

I am now officially winding down...I am not teaching any weekend courses until September and quickly took a Friday class off my schedule that I thought I wanted to teach. I have decided that Fridays are sacred, they are my day and a well earned day off as I teach 13 classes plus run club from Monday to Thursday...

I love my Fridays off, I get up and drink coffee, I putter around as only a woman can putter and then I head to the Beaches for a yoga class with David G.

David G. is a renowned teacher in Toronto, one of the very few certified Ashtanga teachers, I am loving his class, his energy and the day to myself in T.O.

Sometimes I grab lunch and other days I just try to beat the weekend traffic but no matter what I decide, the yoga class centers me. I am learning tons and deepening my practice.

Yoga is about quieting the mind stuff and I have mind stuff...the difference inside my head before and after the class is remarkable, I am more relaxed, centered, happy and my inside voices are too.

Wow this yoga stuff really works, practicing what you preach is always a good idea.

So why the tick tock ?....it is my countdown to my trip to Thailand, I leave July 17 and return August 20th. It is a trip I deserve, I work hard and for many other reasons that are too personal to blog about In fact my trip to Thailand is more of a calling for me...I feel drawn to Thailand. I have met Swami Vivenkanda and his teachings make sense to me, my mind can buy what he is saying, that is important.

I am heading out for a 30k cycle and hope to be blogging about my trip this week.