I can offer a local, non-tourist perspective on this breathtaking country. I have been teaching and practicing yoga for years and have led many retreats around Asia. If you would like a yoga focus to your holiday, I will be more than happy to deliver. Or if food, shopping and excess is your idea of a good time, then I’m definitely your man!
Please see my blog on Yoga, rural Thailand and Bangkok highlights: the trinity of my life. Thank you for considering a place that I’ve built from the heart for your dream holiday. I hope to see you in Awe soon!
For most travelers, Thailand is a destination that offers a varied mix of experiences. On one extreme of the pendulum is the lusty highrises of urban Bangkok, a city that seems to make everyone smile for different reasons. The Thais often smile out of frustration, while foreigners, affectionately known as ‘farangs’ to the Thais, smile out of the sheer pleasure that the city can afford. Like in any large cities, the refinement of your experience will largely depend on the amount of money you spend.
A short flight up to the northern reaches of the country and you are greeted by a cooler climate and a lot more mountains. Activities up here are about deep-forest hikes, secluded hill tribes, and seeing elephants in their traditionally symbiotic relationships with humans. Rivers and waterfalls tend to be larger and more spectacular up here.
And then perhaps the highlight of the country: the islands and the beaches of the south. Hey, if it’s good enough for James Bond and Leonardo DiCaprio then shouldn’t you come see what all the fuss is about?
Koh Phangan, a small tropical island just to the north of the more popular, busy and expensive Koh Samui, offers a more natural alternative for most of the month. The island gets busy during a 4-day window around the full moon of every month, when mostly European kids congregate to party on Haad Rin Beach. As these Full Moon parties have been going on for 20 something years, the kids who partied the first time around are now bringing their kids back for a visit, this time with a new agenda in mind.
Why is it good with kids, because it is easy to get to with large public speedboat service just 25 minutes away from the airport on Samui. Transport is quick and painless. There are hospitals and clinics everywhere (a popular industry arising from the injuries of the Full Moon parties). And truly, the beauty of the cerulean ocean and the sandy shores are better enjoyed with a large group or your close friends and family. The gorgeous food, the friendliness of the people, and the cheap cost of, well, everything: Why would you want to experience that alone? Why wouldn’t want to share that with your kids?
Here are some highlights of what to do on the island
1) Visit lively Haad Rin on the southeastern tip of the island for shopping and sunshine.200 THB roundtrip transportation cost. Optional visit to secluded east-coast beaches such as Haad Tian via traditional fisherman’s boat.
2) Waterfall hike. Walk to Koh Phangan’s National Park. Climb the 600- meter mountain to Dom Sila viewpoint or walk up through a series of waterfalls. Visit a homemade coconut ice cream shop on the return.
3) Take a boat ride to Ang Thong National Park in the middle of the ocean. Plan on visiting 4 of the most spectacular sites in the park, including a hallowed island with an enclosed emerald lagoon. Lunch, hiking and diving/snorkeling in crystal-clear water is included.
There are no massive name brand hotels like on Samui and most lodgings options on Koh Phangan are family operated or small-scale establishments. You can often get a discount for longer stay options. The beaches are less crowded, less people trying to sell you things that you don’t want. Awe Resort is a good option for a villa rental with your children. It has a full kitchen and fridge, with two floors and large sleeping quarters. It’s a good alternative to cramped bungalows and massive, impersonal hotels.
I want to talk about “varisara dhauti” for just a moment. Today, the more well-known name for this practice is “shankhaprakshalana.” Dhauti, as most informed yogis know, are cleansing techniques prescribed by traditional hatha yoga. The very suggestion that we need a physically clean body in order to elevate the soul is a practice that most of us, in our increasingly polluted world, can benefit from.
To clarify, varisara dhauti is the practice of drinking a total of 16 glasses of warm salty water and evacuating it through the bowels. The first step is to drink 2 glasses, then perform an exact series of 5 specific asanas: tadasana, tiryakatadasana, kati chakrasana, tiryaka bhujangasana and udarakarshan asana.
The asanas should be practiced after every two glasses of water. Keep repeating until water starts flowing out of the anus. The practice should continue until the expelled water is completely clear, as this is an indication that the stomach and intestines are perfectly cleaned.
About an hour afterwards, the practitioner must consume a salt-free soup of cooked rice, dal of mungbeans, and ghee until the stomach is entirely full. The ancient texts say that there are very specific dietary guidelines following varisara dhauti and this practice should not be attempted alone, but under the watchful eyes of the guru.
How realistic is this practice to the average modern householder? You already know the answer to that. It is not about following an exact prescription. In fact, practically interpreting the method and adapting it to our current lifestyle will yield faster results.
I usually teach yoga to a group of busy urban professionals for 3 weeks out of the month. I am taking some time off for myself, not teaching, and have been exploring the less well-known practices of hatha yoga.
Here is my interpretation of varisara dhauti: A semi fast, asana and coffee enemas. The day begins with the coffee enemas. I hold it as long as possible while performing gentle sequence of asanas on all fours on the shower floor, for about twenty minutes. Then a 90-minute asana practice. Blended greens with fruit are the meals of the day.
Earlier on in my yoga practice, my mother frequently commented on my love of self-torture. Quite revealing. After all, no one knows your innate nature that the woman who nursed you during the initial years of your life. My horoscope readings also come up with a draw toward being the center of attention and of an impossible set of standards of which everyone is measured against.
So do I think that you are a bad person if you do not fast and consume only blended fresh vegetables? No, but what’s holding you back?
Central Thailand, including Bangkok and the surrounding suburbs, is in the middle of a massive flood. People have no food and water. Considering that my island studio resort, a place where I offer yoga retreats that explores the deeper practices of yoga: Be Naked Yoga is entirely unaffected, and in great gratitude to the universe, I am making frequent monetary donations and, just for a few days, seeing what it feels like to be hungry. The results after just a few days have been profound, as business earnings came out of nowhere (the money returns) and I have never felt lighter in my body.
May you always feel connection to everything on this Earth. Om Shanti Om.
Cultures throughout the world find the act of lighting candles a sacred ritual. From the colorful assortment that lights up a birthday cake to the mounds of flickering yellow sticks that brightens a Buddhist temple, human beings clearly find something very special in the glow of a candle.
According to ancient yoga texts, “trataka” is the practice of concentrating one’s gaze on a small, clear fixed object until the eyes tear. Some schools make a further distinction, with “bahiranga” meaning external concentration and “antaranga” denoting an internal concentration. For most of us, bahiranga is a much more approachable method, as we can pick an object at random and gaze upon it.
That being said, the text does insist that whatever the object, it should be small or subtle. The idea is to stare at it long enough until it leaves a momentary impression when the eyes close. As such, one should choose this object discriminately, as the point of the practice is to have this image serve as an anchor for the mind in the hopes of activating the inner potential.
While a myriad of objects such as a crystal ball, a full moon or the symbol OM can serve this purpose, the most popular object for trataka is a steady candle flame because light has a unique ability of leaving an impression for a long time after the eyes close. The phenomenon can be experienced when one enters a dark space after being out in bright, direct sunlight. Images in the daylight can leave an impression on the eyes as they adjust to the darker setting. As such, the candle flame in trataka begins as bahiranga and then transitions into antaranga.
The candle flame is also the ideal object of concentration because it is so neutral. The yoga texts warn of concentration on a symbol with too strong of an implied meaning, as the point of trataka is to leave the impression on the mind and have that impression stimulate specific energy centers. As such, concentrating on an image of disease and despair can lead to a rather depressing practice.
Here is how to approach trataka. First, find a dark, enclosed space without a breeze. Place a candle about 3 feet in front of the face, with the flame being exactly eye level. It is absolutely essential that the flame does not flicker and is perfectly still. Sit in a meditative potion and breathe steadily for a few moments to calm the body and close the eyes.
Open the eyes and gaze directly into the flame, just above the wick. Keep the eyes steady. Lower the eyelids if the eyes become sore or tired but do not blink. Stare as long as possible without blinking, up to 5 minutes or longer. When the eyes begin to tear, at a point where you can stand to look no longer, close the eyes and keep the mind empty.
Try to hold on to the image with the eyes closed as long as possible. If the image moves, bring it back to center and concentrate until the image disappears. Remain uninvolved in thoughts that arise. Practice for up to twenty minutes.
Trataka is most effective when done on an empty stomach. For a deeper examination of the min d, it should be practiced at night before going to sleep. The practice not only benefits the eyes, but is useful for alleviating the symptoms of depression, insomnia, anxiety and poor concentration as well. The yogis find great value in controlling the mind on one spot and believe that association and identification through the eyes and sight are major contributor to energy leakage. Complete absorption on an object induces a sense of withdrawal from the external world and encourages the mind to experience a state of transformation.
May you find a calm mind and a steady gaze to guide you on the journey of self-discovery. Om Shanti Om.
Born in Chicago, raised in small town Thailand, worked as a journalist for a US Military publication and reported from DC during the September 11 crisis. That drove me to yoga and beach life. Awe is my baby.
