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.