Sunrise in Santa Barbara...Fierce Jet Lag...Touching the Moon with Boz...!

Well I am back, and I imagine this is where the fun begins...The challenge of integrating such an extra-ordinary experience into life back home. The first transition I notice is moving from a culture motivated from the heart to a culture that seems ruled by the mind. Where in Thailand exchanges were direct, simple, honest, straightforward...here exchanges are more like a dance that both parties (perhaps unknowingly) take part in...many things are being said with body language, breath and a gaze of the eyes...but the words spoken say something else entirely. As if the mind and the heart are saying two different things.

That is going to be hard to get used to.

I got in on Friday night, and have spent the last 5 days wandering around the bozMakes3.com household in a jet lagged haze. I had heard stories of how tough it is to come back in this direction...that the jet lag you experience is far worse than on the way there...well it appears to be true.

The trip itself wasn't so bad. I left in such a state of balance that all the mishaps I encountered (cancelled flights, delayed flights, and the curiosly strong case of halitosis had by the guy sitting next to me (for 12 hours)) didn't phase me at all. I got a little sleep, watched a lot of movies and ate some really aweful food. If you ever are flying China Airlines...pack a sandwich.

This view is from the plane as we approached LAX was my first 'my god, I can't believe I'm back moment'...



Thankfully I have friends here that haved opened their home and given me free reign to do absolutely NOTHING for a few days. I spent the majority of my first couple days hanging out with Boz who does nothing other than keep it totally real.

Here are some shots of us playing music...







Watching rainbows...







Trying to touch the moon...







And just having a good time...



...

As for the Thai Massage...I have been working on Joy and Alex the last few nights. It is so different working on regular bodies (ie...non masssage students)...I found there to be so much space for innovation and creativity in the way in which you can open and remove the blocks. Both of them have reacted really well to the treatments and have taught me a lot in regards to the power of this massage technique. I do notice I am still doing too much work...in it's ideal state...this massage should be effortless for the giver...flowing...smooth and effortless. Not there yet.

I have also been steady with my Tai Chi practice...which continues to prove an incredible way to build energy. Although my body still feels really out of balance, the tai chi has provided moments of balance and has been the catalyst to some nice sunrise photos as well.

...

I get back to NYC this weekend and start teaching on Sunday. Strange going to teach a yoga class after 3 months of not doing any yoga. It should be invigorated and new. I figure I might as well just keep updating the site as I re-enter the NYC atmosphere. I imagine it will provide a bright contrast to the chill thai life that should make for some nice photos and interesting thoughts as my mind starts to get inundated with the culture, energy and the overstimulation only New York can provide. I will remind myself again at this point to Keep It Simple.

Here are some more photos from Joy and Alex's deck...just thought they were nice...






....







See you soon and thanks again for everything!

Kevin

Winding down...

Well this is it...I take off from Chiang Mai airport the day after tomorrow.

I imagined my last week was going to be a slow one, that I would put my studies down, move into cruise control and just soak up the Chiang Mai vibe...I imagined wrong (again).

...

Pichest's studio went under construction last week. He is raising the roof (literally) in hopes of keeping the temperature cool. So we moved outside and set up shop in the driveway. Even though it is in the low 90's during the day, working outside in the shade with the warm breeze and some fans was really nice







A very chill atmosphere as everyone seemed to be in a groove after a few weeks together...and of course (work or no work) Pichest manages to fit in a nap...super relaxed.







One of the sweetest moments I witnessed at Pichet's happened when he started in on some 'Thai Massage' on his Grandson...this kid is destined for greatness as he is constantly being infused with energy from Pichest's healing hands...here are some shots of them sharing some time.











One of the more bitter sweet moments came when Pichest stood over me as I was giving a massage and started calling out "Ohhhh Terrible...Terrible...Block in the shoulder...block in the low back...your killing him...too much in your head!" It was true...I was distracted. My nerves were on edge as this was my last week and I could tell I wasn't focused.

He sat down and told me to start working on him. Oh shit..here we go.

There was a part of me that wanted to prove how much I had learned, to show him how 'great' I was at massage. But of course that was just my mind, intellect, ego, pride...whatever you want to call it...doing what it does.

"Your shoulder too tight!" So I relaxed my shoulder...."Now tension in the lower back!" So I relaxed my back...."Tension in the knee! Relax...Relax...Relax!!"

For one, the fact that he can read and follow where I am blocked (while I am the one working on him) is a great lesson in sensing.

Two... all my concern about what 'the teacher' might think just kicked that function of the mind (ego, intellect, etc) into overdrive...which in turn generated more mental static...clouding my ability to clearly discern...which ultimately effected my actions....(in this case)... I gave a crappy massage.

For me right now, this is where the delicacy in Thai Massage exists. Where there is ever evolvoing art, nature, presence, vitality and energy. The balance of maintaining mental focus on what's happening underneath the hands...how does the client feel? Tight? Relaxed? Sensitive?)... receiving that information... deciding what is the best movement to facilitate balance, health, and well being...and then finally converting all of that into a seemless action. Feeling and sensing, not just 'do do do!' as Pichest would say.

Pichest took his time readjusting my alignment, explaining some technical stuff, told me if I wanted to get my thai massage skills up... to meditate by simply watching the breath move in and out ('Watching your self die all the time...breath goes in ....life...breath goes out...death...") and then smiling casually he moved onto to the next student.

I will be going back tomorrow (thursday) to offer thanks and say goodbye. What a gift this teacher is. I will forever be grateful and forever a student.

...

Some shots from around town...the market place...the streets...etc...

















I am running short on time as I have a final meeting with a meditation teacher I have been working with (I also had my 5th and last session with Kun Anon today...see last post) ....rather than rush through some conclusion of my trip, I think I will wait to post a final posting once I get back to the states

I am curious to see what happens as I move from Thai life back to the States. How will the transition go? What will I take with me? How will teaching yoga feel after so much time away from my usual practice? Will my teaching change? All things that will be sorted out in time and all things that I hold little expectations for...other than I hope to enjoy myself by keeping it simple!

More from the road soon...

Kevin

More Pichest ...1st Annual Chiang Mai Japanese/Greek Festival...Shaolin Tendon Massage

My departure date is approaching and I am ready as ever to get home and start integrating this experience into life back home. A feeling has developed over the last week that I have reached a peak and accomplished what I wanted in coming to Thailand. I feel incredibly fortunate and blessed to have been able to have this experience.

So what has been going on the last week?

....

Things are in a state of transition at Pichest's. Jason, who has been Pichest's main assistant the last 5 months or so, had his last week this week. He is headed back to Tennessee to teach and practice Thai Massage at a retreat center in TN.

I feel really fortunate to have been here during Jason's run. His ability to articulate specific instruction in more detail (ie...in English) made it much easier to understand Pichest's vision of Thai Massage. And his massage work is at such a high level of expertise that to get to work with him, well I feel just plain lucky.

We got together at a rooftop bar in Chiang Mai for his going away party...







If you are in TN and want to receive some really special Thai Massage work
Jason's contact info is tamsabai@hotmail.com.

....

In Jason's absence the roll of assistant has been handed to Noji. Noji has been with Pichest for the last few months and has been doing massage in Japan for the last year and a half or so. His style is completely opposite of Jason's but no less extraordinary. What I have learned by watching him is the potential for seemless flow (which I am far from at this point). When Noji is working, you don't even realize he has picked up your leg, stretched it, and set it back down...you just feel ease, lightness and energy flow...

One of the core principles of Pichest's style of Thai Massage is to go straight to the source of the problem, straight to the block, and move it out...Create openings in the energy lines and then move the stale energy out of the body. To do this properly you need to create softness and sensing skills in the palms so that (as the giver of the massage) you are able to find the blocks while encouraging the receiver (by your touch) to release and let go...It requires a state of total relaxation on the givers part (for any tension will immediately be felt by the receiver and interrupt the process)...this delicate balance of softness and strength is something Noji has already got figured out...









....

One of the more powerful moments I experienced during the week was being witness to Pichest working on Yoshi (a Massage Therapist from Japan). I was sitting with Pichest discussing the ability to read people's bodies and assess how deep to work...(how much can the receiver take both physically and emotionally).

Yoshi came up and politely asked if he could interrupt. He explained it was his last day, and that in three weeks he has yet to have Pichest do any work on him. he wanted to know what it felt like to have Pichest work on him. Pichest looked at me as if to say, 'what do you think is the right way to respond?'...I looked at him blankly and waited for him to act.

He instructed Yoshi to practice on him first. After taking a really deep breath and getting centered, Yoshi went in on Pichest back. It appeared that being invited to work on Pichest was incredibly humbling for him and a special moment. Within minutes Pichest was gently barking out to Yoshi to relax his shoulder, to release his thumb and to move from the weight of gravity...'relax the body..too much tension...not like that...too much tension...relax the bodeeeee'

Pichest jumped up and had Yoshi sit in a cross legged seat. It seems that the whole time Pichest was receiving the massage he was mapping out where Yoshi was blocked. What happened next was beautiful. Pichest went right in on him and within 2 or 3 minutes had Yoshi on another planet. I got the feeling he learned more in that three minutes that in three weeks...just look at the look on Pichest's face...it tells so much..notice the focus on his face...notice his awareness is completely in his hands...his mind and his heart are in his hands receiving information and removing the blocks...amazing...








....

Here are some shots from lunch time...just hanging out and enjoying moments with some good friends...









...

At the end of the week the group from Pichest's decide to meet up on Saturday night for what would become the first Annual Chiang Mai Greek Japanese Festival. The Greeks would provide the Ouzo, Feta, Raki and the 'Halara' while the Japanese would bring the Sushi, Sake (actually this didn't happen as the Sake was too expensive) and the 'Domo Domo!'

Things started out slow as our festival consisted of one Greek girl (Thea...sorry for spelling errors..) and one Japanese girl (Miko...again..sorry..)...



...but by 9pm all had arrived and it was on. The First Annual Greek Japanese Festival was a huge success. Midway through the night we moved to a local Reggae bar for Mojitos and a mellow mood...I look forward to next years festival...











....

Last, and so far from least, Kun Anon and the painful Art of Shaolin Tendon Massage. What is Shaolin Tendon Massage? Born from the Shaolin tradition of Kung Fu, it is a deeply intense massage of the tendons, structural realignment of the bones, and unhumanely strong pressure on the accupressure points (based on Chinese Medicine energy lines) to promote health.

What it is really is an exorcism for any deeply held tension and all I can recommend is that if you ever receive it...breath as deeply and often as you possibly can. I have my 5th session next week.

Today Kun Anon was on the rooftop of my building (his office is there) and I was able to get a picture with him... and he did some imprompt due work on my hands... (he is almost 60 years old by the way)...





He then let me sit in on a session to observe and learn some technique. It was the first time I saw the massage from this vantage point, and I am just glad that I didn't see this first or I might have never gone in for a session myself...I will say...it is the most efficient and effective bodywork I have ever received...it is just painful as all hell...







The thing is, the massage is directly on the tendon, so he has to move in on the tendon before the muscles have a chance to react and tense up...so the movements have to be percise, extremely fast and incredibly strong...he has been training in Shaolin Kung Fu for 35 years...he is friggin fast...and I have never actually witnessed this kind of strength in person. At one point I was asking him about muscle strength versus energetic (chi) strenghth...he held out his arm, filled the arm with energy (chi) and invited me to hit it as hard as I could...which I did...and I think I caught him laughing at me...it was like hitting steal...crazy...





....


So I leave next Friday. I can't believe it... I will check in again as I get to California for my decompression (or maybe once more next week)...should be an interesting transition back to the states...I can't wait.

Much much love and many blessings...

Kevin