Khao Sok National Park Retreat, Thailand

www.jungleyoga.com
http://muditathaiyoga.com/retreats.php

Reflections from my retreat into the jungle for 11 days in Khao Sok National Park, Thailand.
 

There is something beyond ones self.

 Belief and seeing are both often wrong.

 Be prepared to re examine your reasoning.

     -Robert Strange Mc Namara

Sitting in stillness we hear everything;  layers of sound beyond ourselves, internal voices that want to be heard. Every morning I would awaken to the sound of the jungle - the birds, the geckos, and the wildly loud monkeys. At 7:00am. I would walk sleepily to the yoga shalla for a group ritual meditation. I would move in silence and do nothing but focus on getting to my mediation cushion. There were no mirrors anywhere, no cell phone reception, no Internet. These are some of the many things I feel keep me wired and disconnected from the present moment.

In the West we are shut down from connection with ourselves.  This keeps us from feeling our full array of emotions. We can easily go on autopilot and become demented with the mania of sticking to a mindless routine day-in and day-out. When we move through life functioning from this place of simply following the routine, we may experience a feeling of being disconnected, and become both discontented, and fearful of stepping off  the familiar path. We become addicted to our behavior. Our habitual way of doing things makes it difficult for us to look at each experience as it unfolds; our habitual way of seeing, often limits our self understanding. The reality is that we cannot always trust our own perceptions.

When I am free from distraction and my mind is uncluttered, my whole world is different. I begin to notice everything, I feel everything. Within our daily practice of moving into meditation and then into a yoga practice, all in silence, I can feel my awareness opening to another level of connection. I begin to see a pattern of behavior that is fascinating to me.

For 3 months I have been traveling and studying, non-stop. I go from training to workshop, to whatever group activity I can find: Yoga, Thai Massage, Buddhism, Tantra, History. Regardless of the course topics of my studies, there are underlying threads that tie them all together, with wonderful similar spiritual teachings at their roots.

I love collective group energy and conscious awareness. It's the coming together as a community, a collective unit, and creating sacred group space that keeps drawing me to the trainings and retreats with excitement. When a group of people come together with  clear intention and openness, the energy rises. Each individual becomes an integral part of the whole. We are no longer single energy bodies. By creating a sacred container for the space being held within the group, transformational shifts can emerge. Rituals are created around time, presence and consciousness. We are no longer accountable just to ourselves. We must show up both for ourselves and for the group. By being a part of a sacred community or group of people, deep connections to self and others are formed. This builds inner confidence, consciousness and strength. Many of us feel alone, separated from each other and separated from ourselves, our bodies, minds and feelings. People who have grown up on their own without a solid family connection, can heal and be inspired  deeply by becoming part of  a collective group with good intentions.

Actions performed as sacred rituals, support our feelings. I have grown so much through the act of ritual. When we create rituals around coming together regularly, through the practice of meditation, movement, study, sport, even mealtime gatherings – (really, any activity that gives attention to the present moment), we begin to eliminate feelings of separation, loneliness and disconnection. We begin to feel supported, encouraged and loved.

It is this group energy that inspires me to teach yoga and fitness classes. Energy focused on the present moment is empowering for everybody.

www.oceanbloom.blogspot.com

Thai Yoga Massage in The Middle of no Where! Thailand Slideshow: Ocean’s trip from Bangkok, Thailand to Surat Thani was created by TripAdvisor. See another Surat Thani slideshow. Take your travel photos and make a slideshow for free.