Our Deepest Fear

Received this from Joanne today.

here is the poem that Neil quoted from Marianne Williamson

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

I'm still in Lonavla and enjoying every single day practicing pranayama with Tiwariji... wonderful people in the course... both teachers and students... GREAT food... learning kriyas like danda dhauti, vastra dhauti and shanka prakshalan. It's the last leg of this "journey" and there's nothing greater to end this than studying the Sacred Breath.

Looking forward to home soon.

May all be well.

Namaste.

Liberation

Arrived at the Kaivalyadham Yoga Institute yesterday with Janet and we don't really have anything until tomorrow so we're in town now to use the internet as the internet facility at the institute is not working today.

I like the place. The weather now is also perfect for more subtle practices like pranayama and meditation.

Nothing really much to say except that the food is great! Will start taking photos of the food next week. Still need time to get into the flow. Will be here for a month and not really sure if I'd get to be online very often.

Om.

Letting go...

“Loi Krathong” is traditionally performed on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month, which usually falls on some day in November. The floating of a ‘Krathong' – a banana–leaf cup – is intended to float away ill fortune as well as to express apologies to Khongkha or Ganga, the River Goddess. Some believe that the ritual is meant to worship the Buddha's footprint on the bank of the Narmada River, while others say that it is to pay respect to Phra Uppakhut, one of the Lord Buddha's great disciples. (Source)

Janet and I went to the river early this evening to send out our krathongs. I was in bed the whole day reflecting on this journey and all that has been happening back home. Made me realize really that the deeper one goes into this so-called spiritual path, the more one realizes that you have no one with you but yourself. As much as we would like to believe that things will remain the same when we go home... truth is it isn't.

Change, as it has always been, remains the only thing constant in this life.

On Friday, I will fly back to India to study pranayama with Tiwariji. This time in Thailand triggered something within and the focused time at the institute should be good for reflection. Whatever comes out of this experience will only reveal itself as time passes by.

Letting go is difficult. But sometimes, it is necessary for us to move forward.

May the River Goddess accept our krathongs... our wishes and apologies... and allow us to have a better life.

Oh, Jessica and I went to a Thai vegetarian cooking class with May Kaidee and it was fantastic. I learned how to cook 10 dishes and I'm getting excited to feed my family with vegetarian food when I get home this December. Thai-Indian vegetarian Christmas dinner it is.

Namaste.

City Rat

From beach bum to city rat... I'm now in Bangkok and staying at the funky Suk11 Hostel. Got a nice basic single room on the 4th floor and big enough space to do my practice. Will attend classes at the Ashtanga Yoga Bangkok starting tomorrow.

Off to do the river cruise today. Friend Jessica said it's a boat ride up the canal but not sure if she'd call it a cruise. Should be a more relaxed day compared yesterday.

And guess what's the first thing I did after checking in the hostel. Went to see the latest Bond 007 movie at the Major Cineplex in Ekkamai. Glad to be back in a big city and enjoy the malls before heading back to India for the pranayama intensive.

Sawasdee krap.

Beach Bum

I'm getting used to this. Yoga in the morning, then beach bumming until the sun sets. Didn't stay on the beach today though. Rented a scooter and took it for a spin. Beach hopped from Rawai to Nai Harn, Yanui, Karon, Kata, Patong. Phuket is blessed with many beautiful beaches and you can find one that suits your taste and personality. If you want something laid back with less tourist, you can go to Rawai (although it's not really somewhere you can swim), or Nai Harn. The other places tend to be very touristy. Just scooted to see the different beaches but didn't really stay.

Nai Harn Beach

Yanui Beach

Yanui Beach

Julie and I had lunch at this Chinese vegetarian place in Chalong then went to the post office to send my extra stuffs home.

We weren't able to rent an automatic scooter until about 3pm so I had only 3 hours to bum around. Julie lent me their non-automatic scooter a couple of days ago and being a motor vehicle neophyte, I found it difficult to control it. I only learned how to scoot last year in Samui, thanks to my Austrian friend Nicola who was a professional motorcycle driver. Oh and guess what? I still don't have a driver's license! I didn't have a car when I was in Manila so there wasn't really a need to learn how to drive... or so I thought.

Karon View Point

Anyway, after exploring those beaches in the Southwest part of the island, I've decided to just spend the rest of my stay in Nai Harn Beach. It's closer to Rawai and I can see the sun set at Phromthep Cape, the southern most tip of the island, on my way back.

Oppsss.. it's almost 7. Got to go back to Julie's to catch supper. That's all for today. Cheers.

Kin Jeh

Finding pure vegetarian food is a challenge here. It's like the Philippines where it's ok to add some bits and pieces of meat into a vegetable dish and still call it vegetarian. I have dinner at Julie's every night so it's usually the lunch that gives me a slight problem... deciding where to go that is. I can always order stir fried vegetables and vegetable fried rice every single day but that would be boring, wouldn't it?

There's one word that I've learned though in order to make sure that what I order doesn't have any trace of animal products in it... "Jay/Jeh". Loosely translated, it means vegan but I believe there's more to it than just veganism. Read here for more about jay.

The sun was shining brightly today so after the morning practice, Julie, Pearl Anne (Julie's daughter) and I went to this roti place for breakfast. Julie and I had Mataba again just like last Sunday and Pearlie had roti with bananas... it looks like mataba as well but only with bananas inside.

After breakfast, I took Julie's scooter for a spin and went to Nai Harn beach. Spent the whole afternoon on the beach and had a 2-hour oil massage with the sounds of the breaking waves as the background music. Lovely.

A fellow Pinoy ashtangi requested for more food photos so here they are. I wonder if I can make a book on Pinoy vegetarianism... "A Pinoy's Simple and No-nonsense Guide to Vegetarian Cooking". How about that? ;-) Enjoy.

Mataba (Vegetable-filled fried roti)

Sweet cucumber dip that comes with the Mataba

Pad see eiw

Pad Phak and Vegetable Fried Rice

Stir fried vegetables

Vegetable Pad Thai

Walk and Sail Away

Oh boy, this day was a blast! Started it with a walk up to the Big Buddha of Phuket. It takes about 45 minutes walk up and another 40 minutes down. It wasn't hard because to do it with a bunch of yogis who just had a weeklong of daily ashtanga practice was just awesome.

We reached the top and sat for some homemade oatmeal cookies from Julie.

It was a rather misty day but you can just imagine how lovely this view would be on a sunny day. Then after walking down. Julie and Cindy (who just had a successful art exhibit a couple of nights ago which we all attended) dropped Ben and I off at the Chalong docking area where Marieke (another regular student of Julie who also attended my classes) would pick us up. She's a skipper and has sailed a boat from Thailand to Greece with her husband Bert. After the class one morning, she just asked if we want to go sailing with her. And who can decline such an offer? I tell you, this will probably the first and the last time that I'd set my feet on a sail boat because it is expensive!!! But if you're a skipper like Marieke, you can get to use other people's boats for free provided of course that you'd bring food and take turn stirring the wheel and hoisting the sail. Or you can simply do your job well and be invited onboard ;-) I must have been really good to deserve this. I can get used to this.
Just in case any of you would be interested in sailing in Asia, check out Faraway Yachting's website here.

Ok, I have to go to bed and hope that my luck doesn't run out. I still have a week here in Phuket and I intend to enjoy the beaches in the next few days plus some massage gigs. Hoping for more sunny days. Ciao.