Sending Love

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing really well, where ever you are and whatever you are doing. I have been thinking about you all so much, and want to thank you again for all the wonderful responses and emails you have been sending my way! I feel so much love and support from home, it's just wonderful!

This past week has been another one filled with new experiences and opportunities for growth. I am beginning to truly fall in love with the beauty of Thailand and the wonderful people that live here. This past weekend I rented some motorbikes with a few friends (don't worry I wasn't driving) and took a trip up the mountains just outside of Chaing Mai. The lush trees and tropical forest here is absolutely amazing! Incredibly tall trees with winding vines that map out the entire forest floor, amazing leaves of all shapes and sizes, the most beautiful flowers with bright exotic colors, interesting birds and insects singing their little happy tunes. Needless to say, I love leaving the city on the weekends and getting lost in the mountains! We drove to a hidden hill tribe that is well known in town for growing their own coffee beans. The rows of coffee fields were so beautiful and peaceful, lined with little bungalows where you can rent out and stay the night. Although I really have never acquired the taste for coffee I ordered a cup at their little treetop cafe made from sticks and bamboo branches - it was so strong I only had a few sips! We then hiked up a broken dirt road to a village where all the people live... and what a humbling experience! The homes where made of sticks and bamboo, stretching out across a dirt compound. I think I may have saw more chickens and roosters than I did people. Despite such a small population, there were a good handful of people who had deformities or some sort of mental handicap - one of my friends pointed out that there may be a lot of incest because so few people live there, and not to mention prenatal diseases. Most of the residents that we saw have probably never left their village- there was no carts or motorbikes, and the road that we hiked up was definitely not drivable. We saw some of the most beautiful children swinging from the trees and playing in the dirt with sowrds made from sticks.  They were covered head to toe in dust and dirt, yet they were some of the most happy children I have ever seen. My first reaction upon coming to this village was sorrow, because they truly do not have anything... no toys for the children, no running water or electricity, homes made from sticks... but then my friend Sibyl reminded me that just because they do not have abundant material wealth like we do, does not mean they're unhappy. In fact these were some of the most content and joyous people I have seen this entire trip.  It was a humbling experience because I saw how we tend to place so much value on acquiring new things, in hopes of finding our happiness. The perfect house and nice car, all the clothes we could manage to stuff into one closet, and endless shoes to match... yet many of us are still unhappy. These people literally had no material possessions, yet they had each other. They were surrounded by friends, family and love, and they were so happy! What an incredible message to take home with me. 

Monday evening was my first night teaching at Freedom House, and what a learning experience that was! My lesson plan was to start with some yoga poses and then teach the names of each body part in English. The children had a really fun time with this activity, but it was not easy, mainly because they are all different ages and at different learning levels. The ages range from four /five to twelve /thirteen. Some of the older kids know how to read and speak in English pretty well, while the younger ones do not even know the ABC's. Idealy the children would be split up into two classes, but because there is such limited space and so few volunteers, learning together is the only option. All of the children did a really good job at memorizing the names in English, like hand, food, face and eyes, but next week I think it may be a good idea to go back to the basics and teach them how to sound out each words. It's all just a learning process right? The other challenge was that they really do not understand most, if not all of what I am saying.... which is something I expected but didn't realize how tough it would be to get around. So I use a lot of arm gestures and physical demonstrations like opening my note book and getting out my pencil. But in the end, the children are just incredibly grateful to be in such a safe place, and to receive the opportunity to learn. Most of them spend the entire day working in the construction sites with their families or selling goods on the streets, so to come together in a fun atmosphere with other children is such a treat! In seeing this, I made sure to allow them some time for playing and talking because I know how important it is for them to be around their peers and to just be a kid!

Teaching yoga is also going well, and like anything, it's such a new experience every day. My classes are Tuesday/Thursday morning and evening, with some subbing in between. I really enjoy my schedule because it isn't too much- many of you know I'm am used to taking on way too many projects and activities, so it's nice to learn how to slow down a bit. My students are all different levels and coming from all different yoga traditions, so sometimes it can be a bit challenging knowing what to teach to. But I'm finding that if I just keep true to my authentic voice and allow modifications, it really seems to benefit everyone. Once again, it's all a learning process right? Speaking of all different backgrounds, I went to a Kirtan this weekend and was surrounded by people from every part of the globe. Kirtan is where people come together to sing, chant and share creative energy for a deeper purpose. Usually it's done in the Indian tradition, but we also sang chants in African, Rastafarian and English. There were drums, guitars, dancing and singing, and it really was amazing to have so much creative energy in one room. People from all walks of life coming together to feel the unity that we all share- to recognize that apart from our external appearance there is no real differences between us. It was really beautiful!

Have a great week and talk to you again soon

April