Wat Kow Tahm overlook

Here's a pic from the overlook at Wat Kow Tahm. It's amazing.

Ten Day Meditation

Paul and I just finished our ten day Vipassana meditation and are back in the world of overstimulation. Almost two weeks of watching our breathing, our minds, our steps. The teaching at Wat Kow Tahm was great as always and although grueling at times, the experience was amazing. Paul W. will be heading home in a few days and I will be hanging out on the western islands snorkeling for a week or so before I arrive back on the 3rd. Can't wait to see everyone and show off my tan! Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah to all.

Making Herbal Compress

I studied with Jack Chaiya, Mama Lek's son for a couple days (the picture is not of Jack!) and we spent one morning at the market, gathering the necessary ingredients for herbal compress (the cotton wrapped bags of herbs that is steamed and applied to the body for various effects). The bowl is filled with lemongrass, cumin root, yellow ginger, kaffir lime and kaffir lime leaves, and eucalyptus. The ingredients are mashed in the mortar and pestal and then wrapped in a cotton cloth, tied up with rubber bands and set in a steamer for 10 or 15 minutes.

broken arm

This local guy (notice the buddhist tattoos on his back for protection) broke his humerus about 2 weeks ago and came to Pichest for treatment. He could barely lift his arm. Pichest couldn't do much for him this time but the following week he came back and Pichest worked on him for about 5 or 10 minutes and the guy could lift his arm substantially easier.

Pichest!

Paul and I with Pichest on my last day there. Only three weeks. Enough to get a taste of his constantly evolving practice and enough to humble me once again. My heart, body and thumbs are weak and I cannot relax is the gist of what he said to me. That's OK. I don't go to him so he can tell me I'm great. I go to him so that I will become better and stronger in body and mind. So that I can go deeper in the work. Because I am endlessly fascinated by the interaction of bodies and minds. Because I am curious and because I love mystery. Because it challenges me to let go of judgement, to be more open to the moment as it is. The more I sit with this practice, the more elusive it becomes. And yet, as Pichest teaches, it is so simple and all you have to do is pay attention. So really, the fundamentals of Pichest's teaching is teaching us how to feel. To get out of our minds and quit thinking. As soon as we start thinking, we step away from what is actually there. "Technique no feel" he says. Many people learn a Thai massage sequence and techniques. They get married to a sequence. They want to learn more sequences. But overlaying a sequence of poses or techniques on a body is a violation of that body because in doing so you are not listening to the needs of the body. The body is constantly speaking a language. Pichest laughs because we can barely understand it, let alone speak it ourselves. And how can we help someone if we are having the same problems they are. When we are caught up in emotion and ego and desire just like they are. When we have body problems that we don't know how to fix ourselves. He says, "You problem, they same problem, and how helping? Cannot." He puts his hands over his eyes and mimics a blind person. Like two blind people, how can one help the other? If I can't relax, how am I supposed to help them relax. If I have tension all over my body, how can I help them with theirs? But, he says, get clear, meditate and soften strong emotions, don't expose your nervous system to the stimulating effects of loud music, computers and television, the news and violence. Eat food and take herbs that help your body and lessens the effects of inflammation. Make your body strong and healthy. And then, "helping". And then you can truly help others. I won't go into how he works on the body but all I can say is that his insight is beyond what I can comprehend. But it is this foundation that must be laid before any quality bodywork can take place. It's a work in progress. Great work. I love the work. And the Thai massage is pretty great too.

Chai Yen

Me and David and one of the ladies at the restaurant near pichest's where we eat lunch. I'm holding a bag of chai yen. It's black tea with a little sweetened condensed milk. Very sweet and tasty.

This is a funny picture. Pichest has this sharp plastic tool that he is using tapping and scrapping his skin. It looked kind of painful. Pichest just said, "helping, helping a little bit".

I've never seen him do this before.

Hi Everyone,

Finally, I've figured out how to load up pictures. I should be able to do regular posts now. There are about 10 to 16 students with Pichest right now. He did not do a ton of demonstration last week. A lot of talking. The first picture here is the class. You can see Pichest and Paul talking in the corner of the shot. David Weitzer is on the far left. He's a teacher from Portland and one of Pichest's long time students. He did a lot of teaching this week.

first day with pichest

Hello Friends!

So much to tell. First of all, sorry no pictures. I don't know how to load them in yet so until I can figure that out, you'll have to use your mind's eye. Paul and I are now in Chiang Mai and settling in at the guesthouse that I have been searching for for the past four times I have been here. I won't go into the details of this little bit of paradise, but suffice to say that we are comfortable. We saw Pichest for the first time today. On our way there, we made our way through Chiang Mai gate market, had a nice meal of some funny looking dried fish and rice and pumpkin curry. In the insanity of one of my favorite markets in the world, we gathered up our lotus flowers, candles, insence, fruit to make our offering. We hopped in the yellow songtao, braved half an hour of diesel fumes, and walked past the rice field to pichet's house where he greeted us with a smile and a wah (thai greeting of prayered hands). We gave him our gift of the chicago school of thai massage t-shirt and then sitting outside the studio, proceeded to peal back the pedals of the lotus flowers and loaded up our offering bowl. After prayers and a 2 hour talk by pichet, it was time for lunch. He did a little teaching in the afternoon and then Paul, David Weitzer and myself, spent the afternoon practicing. Back home again and just about bedtime. I'll check in tomorrow and hopefully have the pictures loaded up. Sawadee krap!

72 Hour Countdown

Paul W and Paul F and Mark Fletter are meeting at Deluxe Diner on N. Ashland, recapping the first class of the the Chicago School of Thai Massage and planning for next class. We are contemplating our upcoming journey to Thailand from where we will make our next post this weekend. Talk to you soon! Peace. The Two P's.