August 31, 2008 at 2:34 pm (Spirituality)
Tags: fasting, islam, jesus, ramadan, Spirituality
Tomorrow morning officially begins the month of Ramadan, well here in the far east . This came to mind because one of my friends in the massage class is a Muslim from the Philippines. I don’t know much about this holiest of holidays in the Muslim calendar so I did some research and discovered that it involves not eating during daylight hours for not one or two, but 30 days. So since I started yoga I’ve realized the helpful benefits of fasting. Actually, you should go one full day every week without eating any whole foods in order to aid your body in relaxing its work load and just promote general health. It has traditionally been done in India, as many other things, for a couple thousand years.
So I’ve decided to take up this challenge and sustain from not only eating, but also committing any type of sin and also being more compassionate to my compatriots, during daylight hours, well, only for the former and for thirty days starting on the first. It is supposed to bring you closer to God (even though he is everywhere), but symbolical anyway and Ramadan translates as a scorching, I suppose of all impurities. Buddhist monks only eat two meals a day, one at dawn, the other before noon. Only beverages I believe are taken in the heat of the day. I don’t think we westerners fast enough, we are always too preoccupied with eating. And abstaining from our favourite activity is another way of gaining self control, which helps in every aspect of our progress up. Anyway, I do see some points where it may become difficult already. For example, when I’m working on an organic farm next week. Also, when I’m studying one of a variety of eastern arts. But, it is an experiment, even if it doesn’t work out, life is about gaining experiences right, why else would our omnipotent consciousnesses choose to enter an earthly body in the first place?
Jesus assumed that all of his followers would fast. On the mount, he advises us on the method:
“When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:17-18.
Yes, I will have a nice Indian head massage and a herbal sauna and body scrub from my favorite sauna, Wild Rose. I’m still not convinced this will get me through the month, though.
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August 30, 2008 at 9:26 am (Thoughts)
Tags: chiangmai, Lue Si Dud Ton, massage, saturday walking market
I’ve just completed the course in level 1 and level 2 Thai Massage. I got a certificate for 60 hours making me licensed to work in any massage shop I want here in Thailand:)! Two certificates in two weeks, not bad. Now what am I going to study? Well, I think I may add a reflexology course in there. Just two days or so while I am in the land of learning. There are more massage schools here than mosquitoes in a yoga class. It’s overwhelming trying to decide where to go. I went to the Old Medicine Hospital, which is the most renowned school here but now I think I’ll try Lanna, which starts the day with 45 minutes of Lue Si Dud Ton, which is similar to yoga and translates to the Hermit’s self-stretching exercise.
Last night I was going to go out to the irish pub to celebrate with my classmates in what was to be my first drink in over a month, but alas only two people showed up and they only waited around an hour and then went home to sleep off the late nights studying for the exams, despite the fact that everyone inevitably would pass, I suppose it feels good to pass well. So, it wasn’t meant to be and I saw a French movie and meditated instead. This is my typical Friday night. Tonight I may drag David to the Saturday night market (he hates crowds, whereas I can’t get bored of seeing the same eccentricities over and over) and walk along the long street amongst the throngs of people picking up cheap souvenirs and iced teas in bamboo cups or hill tribe clothing and cheap pad thai. I will have to wait for next week to go the very social herbal sauna at Wild Rose, where I’m informally learning about homemade face and body scrubs. My Thai life goes on…
Scenes from the Sat market…
Blind street musicians doing their thing
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August 23, 2008 at 6:48 pm (Spirituality, Thoughts)
Tags: anandamayi ma, chiangmai, Spirituality, thai massage, women
This week I started studying Thai massage. It is really just lazy people’s yoga, for the receiver anyway. For me it’s also quite a workout as it involves pulling and lifting and squeezing the entire body down and up and around in a continuous rythm that can leave you breathless. It’s definitely important to remember to breath deeply. The breath, after all, is the source of our prana (life force). These healing arts are really quite fascinating. Maybe, as one of my good friends commented, we will actually have to rely on these traditional techniques in the near future. I think the world would be much better if we did return to the ancient arts. If we all could slow down and just relax with some herbal tea, massage each other in the evenings, practice energizing techniques like yoga or tai chi in the mornings instead of a quick coffee and speed drive to work. I suppose work will always remain. For most of us, our pilgrims or parents don’t serve us food as we pursue financially non-beneficial passions. So I may have to use massage to earn money, but I think it’s also not bad as a gift for others (and ourselves). In Ayurveda they recommend rubbing a little oil on one’s belly, the tip of the spine and feet before bed. It’s much better than any sleeping pill.
On the topic of medication, David is under the weather now. The doctors think he has gengea fever. He;s on some antibiotics but it has been luckily pretty mild. I went over and made him some healing tea with Indian Pennywort. I don’t know if that lowered the side effects but according to the doctors he should have a high fever and be bed ridden with internal bleeding and no appetite. Yet the next day he was riding around on his bike and doing yoga and only a bit tired and itchy, and VERY cranky. He’s just not much fun to be around right now and so I’ve been practicing being “ever the same” (see quote below). I think this is something I have trouble with because I’m always letting outside situations and people affect my mood. Ultimately, we should just be affected internally. We should be able to remain in a blissful state and endure even the worst hardships without complaint. I’m practicing taking deep breaths and meditating when I start to feel myself getting annoyed or upset. At the massage school, which doubles as a traditional medicine school (in Thai only) the students interviewed AIDS patients here in Chiang Mai who have been living healthily just on a vegetarian diet and meditation. No medication or anything else, and some were diagnosed twenty or more years ago. So one more point for meditation and for the inspiring words of a female spiritual leader. A little about the life of Anandamayi Ma (or Joy-Permeated Mother): she was married at thirteen, but like many mystics remained celebate. Her husband did try to seduce her, she was awe-inspiringly beautiful afterall, and his wife. But, the moment he touched her he was suddenly struck as if by lightining. He transformed at that moment and knent before her pleading for forgiveness. He eventally became her first and most devoted disciple and took initiation from her, accepting her as his guru and served her with the greatest respect and admiration. As he should, of course. So this answers the question, women are just as powerful spiritually as men and can take a dominant instead of always subsidiary role, even in a male-dominated country like India.
Besides inspiring devotion in men, she was known for her yogic powers and was able to read people’s thoughts from afar, drastically alter her body and cure the sick. She spent continuous days in Samadhi perform asanas sporadically and possessed a divine wisdom even though she was illiterate. If only I could cure the sick, maybe they would pay me a little respect.
“My consciousness has never associated itself with this temporary body. Before I came on this earth, Father, I was the same. As a little girl, I was the same. I grew into womanhood, but still I was the same. When the family in which I had been born made arrangements to have this body married, I was the same… And, Father, in front of you now, I am the same. Ever afterward, though the dance of creation change around me in the hall of eternity, I shall be the same.” -Anandamayi Ma (the great Indian mother/ mystic) to Sri Yogananda.
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August 17, 2008 at 1:38 pm (Recipes)
Tags: eastern souvenirs, relaxation, tea making, yoga
Chrysanthem tea, mango and dragonfruit tapas
Yesterday was my last day of yoga class. I got a certificate for one month (150 hours)!! It was just a small informal ceremony with six of us; a 72-year-old Japanese man aspiring to be the best yogi in his country, a quirky Brazilian lady in her 50’s, an enlightened Israeli/New Yorker, my boyfriend and our teacher, a manipuri-imbalanced head-strong German bloke who was teaching the class solo after the two other teachers (male and female) took off without explanation at the same time. The guy a-wolee had only shown up to give a lecture or two evoking the splendors of tantric sex to a small class of mostly singles (more on this subject later). Anyway, Hans Solo was quite stressed after this mysterious exit and scoffed at my offer to provide a concoction of soothing herbal teas. But I did anyway. And though he didn’t say anything he nodded vigorously when I asked him if I could leave some at the school. So this is my newfound obsession: making herbal teas and icing them for the enduring southeast Asian heat. Here you have the recipes, each one as yogic as an asana:
- Chrysanthemum Rising (or Feverfew)–bring water to boil, take off heat and fill it up with the daisy-like flowers (about 12 tsp.) and about 3 tsp. stevia leaves. This one is great for headaches and is yellow and bittersweetly flowery-flavoured, like drinking in spring.
- Wild Rose’s Blend–bring water with several finely chopped slices of fresh ginger root to a boil (ginger is a great base for all herbals). Then turn off the heat and add about 12 rose-hip buds. Add sugar for taste. This is sweet and rich red and spicy. Clears up a cold and fever. You can also make the popular Chinese milk tea by adding 2 tsp. of black tea and 1/4 to 1/3 parts milk.
- A Re-Mintes Full Path-Takes it’s name from a line in an old Chaucer poem. Bring water to boil, remove from heat and add 12 sprigs of mint, 2 tsp. green tea, a drop of lemon and sugar or honey to taste.
- Manipura’s Delight–Bring water, lots of ginger and 3 giant slices of dried bael fruit to a boil. Add lemon and either stevia, honey or sugar to taste. Great for the stomach and indigestion.
All of the above are to be made with 1.5 litres of water, which fills a huge water bottle. I use old wine or beer bottles to cool the tea in the fridge and then pour them into plastic bottles to take them where ever I go.
I think some of the ingredients may be hard to find in the US and Europe, but they’re readily available here for dirt cheap. I’m planning on bringing lots of bags back with freshly dried herbs for teas and Thai dishes as well as massage kits and other amusing articles from the East. I will keep y’all posted if you’re interested in supporting my travels and also getting some exotic stuff for having tea or massage parties or just looking good I will hand-deliver it when I return. This applies for anyone living in Portland, Oregon, New York City and possibly Montreal and Madrid. Check back soon. Khap kun ka!
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August 10, 2008 at 12:50 pm (Spirituality)
Tags: amena, purification, sanka praksalana, yogic cleansing
My Yoga Class
This week I’ve practiced two internal cleansing techniques, that although aren’t very sexy, I might as well share since they will probably prove to be useful to someone.
Sanka Praksalana (or peeing out your butt)
From sanskrit it translates to ‘conch cleansing.’ It should be done at least once a year every year of your life, but preferably at the start of each season (in India there are six seasons so that makes every two months). It does the same thing as a colonic or enema, but it is completely natural and doesn’t involve over-stretching the large intestines by forcing water up through a tube. Instead, you drink large amounts of salty water and it goes down the stomach and intestines cleansing through all the crusty, molded, fermented “mucoid plaque” that we all collect through just living and which if left there spreads toxins through out the body causing all types of things ranging from premature aging, body odour or cancer. After performing this ancient Indian technique you will feel lighter, your skin will be radiant and pimples will vanish, it also helps you lose excess fat and countless other diseases are supposedly cured or prevented. The Hindu scriptures state: It is the best dhauti. He who practices it with care and ease purifies his body of all impurities and makes it radiant and godlike.” So here are the instructions. Make sure to do this on an empty stomach, best thing is in the morning:
- Heat up 6-8 litres of water and put one tablespoon of sea or rock salt per litre.
- Drink one 250 ml cup and then perform the following exercises under yoga. Do each of them four-eight times on each side.
- After six cups you should experience the “unleashing of the siphon.” Sometimes it may take three litres but be patient! Don’t be too rough on yourself. Continue taking one glass and then doing the exercises and squatting a lot as you begin running to the toilet. Keep in rhythm. At first it will be poop and then little pellets and then murky water and then continue until the water coming out is as clear as possible. Good luck!
- Oh, I almost forgot. The first meal is super important. It must come within 30 minutes to one hour of the last savoury cup. No less and no more. It must be well-boiled rice with at least 40 grams of butter or olive oil. After that you may not eat milk, yogurt, acidic food and drinks, raw fruits and vegies and cheeses for 24 hours. For a whole 48 hours afterward you cannot eat any spices besides salt, nor can you have any alcohol or meat for two days. Give it a go!
The other technique was called vamana dhauti. It involved less water but instead making your self puke until all the water (and the contents of your stomach) came back up. It didn’t work for me and I think this other method is more my style, I suppose. But, vamana dhauti is recommended in Indian hospitals for patients and also for yogis who perform it every morning for 49 days and then less frequently. Yes, the joys of salty water and toilets! A morning activity that makes going out to the bars the night before completely unnecessary.
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August 2, 2008 at 8:38 am (Spirituality)
Tags: buddhism, dharma, Spirituality, women
Dharma means the absolute truth. There’s a discussion every other week called just that. Last time we discussed women in Buddhism. They are not allowed to be monks. The leader of the group who was a man said it really turned him off Buddhism. They discussed this religion that seemed so exotic and appealing to westerners. But really, if you had a foreigner come to you telling you the wise philosophical teachings of Jesus for the first time without knowing the background of the religion and served it to us in in its purest form we would be like wow, this is amazing. It’s the same for Buddhism. I realized there’s really a vast difference between the religion and the essence of it.
In the true core of any religion there lies the means to reach enlightenment and salvation. Ramakrishna, the great pure-hearted Indian saint/mystic, tried Hinduism, Christianity and Islam and with each was able to reach nirvana. He reported that they were all equally useful for man’s spiritual progress. But, there is a truth further up the path..
For the Thai the country’s religion is something the young perceive as backward and sexist, whereas westerners come and are blown away by the simple beauty of meditation, the teachings of the Buddha. The temple is full of old women with hymnal serving subordinate roles, mainly cooking food for the monks who have all the access to the teachings, which they are denied. I saw it myself here.
Similarly, our views of ourselves are grossly distorted. We have all the acquired impurities and life experiences that have served to shield our eyes from the reality of our own individual essence.We are in fact completely pure and all-powerful, but it’s one of the best-kept secrets.
Vivekananda:
“Believe in the possibility of everybody, even in the lowest man, having in himself the same possibility as in the Buddha.”
Why is it always he? I’ve heard it said that actually the female, not the male has the greater potential, at least in the spiritual sense. What do you think?
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