Bali

What an interesting couple of days. On June 4th I left Phuket after
teaching there for two months. I spent one night in Bangkok before
heading to Bali for two weeks.
I got to expirence having food poisioning for the first time in
Bangkok, YUCK!!! It made my travels to Bali a little challenging. Once
I arrived in Bali I got my driver to take me to the nearest town so I
could go right to sleep. I slept through the 40min taxi ride and woke
up in a town called Sanur at about 4pm. My driver found me a place
that was 200 meters from the beach and around $35 Can a night with AC.
I checked in and slept straight for the next 16 hours.
When I awoke I was happy to find a coffee shop across the street. I
was finally ready to eat and drink something, however I think I will
stay away from chicken for a while.
Talk about interesting timing and perfect timing, after breakfast I
walked down to the beach and directly into a cremation ceremony. I got
goose bumps immediately as stood in front of the burning body. There
was beautiful live music playing and many people gathered around in
ritual dress.
What a way to start the day, to witness this beautiful ceremony and
the passing on of a spirit/ soul was very touching.
I can tell that things are only going to get more interesting.
I am truly going with the FlOW on this trip. I checked out of my hotel
and I am still undecided as to where will be my next destination in
Bali...

The Journey Continues

I cant believe I only have 6 days left in Phuket, Thailand. I have had the most amazing time teaching here at www.tigermauythai.com over the last two months. I will be sad to leave such an amazing place and group of people. I'm off to Bali on June 5th-19th to explore their yoga and culture. After Bali I will fly back to Vancouver for the summer. I am looking forward to teaching yoga, spinning classes and outdoor Fitness Warrior workouts there this summer. So I will be looking for other like minded people to join my Fitness Army. Training and teaching in Thailand has given me a new perspective on training, motivation and the true meaning of connecting the mind, body and spirit. I am very excited to share all that I have learned while traveling over the last 8 months. I plan on doing some Thai Massage workshops this summer too. I have learned so many great stretching techniques for athletic bodies. Here are some photos of my favorite moments.

Thursday Body Fit Training At The Beach In Phuket, Thailand

Teaching Yoga In Singapore

My Fitness Warriors Doing A RAW Workout

The Best Beaches Ever Phi Phi Island, Thailand

Freedom Beach

The View Hiking Up To Big Buddha

Raw Workouts

Monday Is Fun Day At Body Fit
www.tigermuaythai.com

Big Buddha

Great Moments At Body Fit

 

 

Mondays Are Fun Days At My Morning Body Fit Classes @ Tiger Muay Thai www.tigermuaythai.com

I have met so many wonderful people over the last two months while I have been teaching classes at Tiger Muay Thai Gym in Phuket, Thailand. I love waking up every morning to teach and train outside in the jungle with my Fitness Warriors. Our classes are challenging but so much fun. I have two more weeks here before I head to Bali and then on to Vancouver for the summer. I can't wait to come back!

Here are some photos from our training, fitness adventures and fun in Phuket.

This Is Our Thursday Morning Warm Up

Put Your Hands Up In The Air

This Is Great Training For The Legs

Training On Phi Phi Island. Flip Flop Push Ups

No Gym No Problem

Group Fitness Trip To Freedom Beach

Lunch Together On Freedom Beach

Freedom Beach, Phuket, Thailand

Snacks At The Weekend Night Market

Fried Grass Hoppers

They Had Mixed Feelings About Eating The Fried Bugs

The Ultimate Fitness Vacation

I couldn't be more in my element, I have been in Phuket, Thailand for the last 6 weeks
teaching morning Body Fit classes Tiger Muay Thai gym. It is the ultimate fitness holiday Boot Camp.

It has been an amazing experience for me to teach Warrior Fitness style training sessions. The workouts we do are designed to increase your fitness fast and effectively, the workouts are RAW in every way. We hike up into the mountains, we drag tires down the road, we swim, play games, and almost all of our training is done outside. We train together like one big family with men and women of all ages and levels of fitness. I have never enjoyed working out so much. When we aren't training we are doing group activities together.

It has been so heart warming for me to see so many people come together and share their passion for fitness and blissfulness. It is this group energy that inspires me to teach yoga and fitness classes. Here is a video of what it looks like to be a part of the best fitness vacation ever. This is just the beginning for me as I continue to dive deeper into the endless possibilities of where I plan to go with this!

My Love & My Passion

In Memory Of Jocelyn Clarke


This blog is way over due. I can admit that it has been emotionally challenging for me to sit down and write. Writing for me means thinking about where I am and why. I am now ready and very happy to share this story that I wrote before I left for Asia. It has changed my life!

Jocelyn and I have been good friends for more than 10 years now.

We have shared many days working on film sets together, dressed as police officers or swat team members. Jocelyn is a beautiful girl - 36 years old, 5'5”, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She has a great body and loads of energy. She's a stuntwoman and an amazing roller-blader.
 
This is where her story starts and my journey begins.



It’s 2:00pm. I'm sitting at my friend Jocelyn's kitchen table on a beautiful sunny Monday afternoon. I have come to pay her a visit after she has undergone numerous courses of chemotherapy and radiation treatments for stage IV lung cancer. Once it reaches this stage, most people with this condition do not survive for much longer. . She has lost all of her hair in the course of the treatments. In some ways she looks even more stunning now.


Jocelyn tells me how the development of two new tumors in her brain has begun to affect her nerves and shut down the left side of her body. She can barely lift a plastic cup. In this state, she cannot do many simple things that the rest of us take for granted.

She expresses her disappointment that she can no longer drive her car safely. Every day she feels more of her independence being stripped away. She has been practicing applying make-up with one hand, and finding new ways to move her body. Regardless, as she tells me of her struggles, I am amazed that there is not one suggestion from her tone or mannerisms that suggest she is looking for pity from me. Quite the contrary, through most of her rants, she still has the same sparkling smile in her eyes. 


Sitting there, in utter awe of her positive attitude, something shifts inside me. It's difficult to express what it is that I feel or what happens exactly, but I know that in that moment, something has changed. 



My thoughts turn to my body, and I recognize how attached I am to it. I realize how much I have been taking for granted in my life: driving my car, taking care of myself, being active, and having personal independence. I observe that the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning is being physical: moving, exercising, working out, doing yoga, and walking outside. I have never even imagined myself as being unable to do these things, until this very moment. I feel guilty for having thought that my body wasn't good enough in any way, when I have been given so much. 




9:00pm. that same Monday evening I teach a Hatha Yoga class. I sit down on my mat and look out at all the people in my class. One word comes to my mind, as I take in the room - gratitude. I feel a sudden sense of gratitude for everything and everyone. What a gift it is, I think to myself, that I can sit here, right now, and share my yoga practice with all these people. What an amazing opportunity we all have, to be able to move and breathe, and to connect to our bodies.

I took advantage of every opportunity to visit Jocelyn as she underwent more chemotherapy, radiation and brain surgery. As I sat at the end of her hospital bed I felt an overwhelming sense of presence. “There is only this moment and nothing else matters”. In a way time stopped for me and I too began to look at my life differently. I thought about what it really means to be fully present and conscious in the moment. I felt the deepest level of love and connection with my friend during our visits where we were simply just being present with each other. I also began to see how often I was not living in the moment. I was either in the past or the future. We discussed a Bucket List: The things you would do before kicked the can. Jocelyn asked me where I would go and what I would do if I were told I only had two years to live. All of a sudden I had a list of places I wanted to explore. All I could think of from that moment on was HOW CAN I LIVE MORE FULLY, HAPPILY AND CONSCIOUSLY IN THE PRESENT…

I began to look beyond my physical body, I set out to discover where the spirit lives, what creates connection, love and vitality in life.

I am tremendously grateful for this new awareness. I am thankful to Jocelyn and to all the people who have taught me, and who are continuing to teach me through their personal trials and tribulations.

My friend Jocelyn passed away on Valentines Day February 14, 2011. She was a huge inspiration in my life. It was Jocelyn that inspired me to not let excuses stand in my way. Our time together reminded me to live fully in the now and commit to being passionate about everything I do. My trip to Asia was inspired by our conversations. I am so blessed to have had my life touched in this way by such a beautiful spirit.

Tiger Muay Thai welcomes new body fit instructor, Ocean Bloom

Ocean Bloom Training While Traveling

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdb6-_Hly3M&feature=youtube_gdata_player

www.oceanbloom.blogspot.com

Keral, India Retreat

Kerala, India Adventure Slideshow: Ocean’s trip from กรุงเทพมหานคร, ไทย to เกรละ, อินเดีย was created by TripAdvisor. See another เกรละ slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Sri Lanka

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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.

Retreat in Khao Sok National Park, Thailand

After a long journey from Phnom Penh in Cambodia, I made it to Bangkok on February 12, at 7:30pm. I spent the night there, near Khao San Rd. The next day I was planning to enbark on another sixteen hour bus ride to Surattani, Thailand. My previous ride from Cambodia had taken nineteen hours. I needed to be at the Surattani airport at 11:30am. the next morning. I wasn't having much faith in the whole bus thing.

I decided instead, to buy a plane ticket that would get me to Surattani in 1 hour. I spent the night at a guest house near the airport. This was a good choice, as I was still feeling nauseous from the last bus ride.

The next morning I took a taxi to the airport. I was a little anxious as I was preparing for this next phase of my journey, since I knew that once I left, I would have no contact with anyone for the next eleven or twelve days. I was going into the jungle where there would be no cell phone reception and no Internet. It would be a real lesson on letting go of attachments.

This is something which I am investigating on many levels. We become attached to everything: food, things, stuff, beliefs, routines. I feel that attachments and addictions are quite closely linked. My desire is to understand how to dissolve attachments that are not serving in a positive way.

I took a taxi to the airport and I was on my way. I met my crew of Jungle yogis at the airport.  There were eleven of us altogether. I was the only Canadian. Everyone else was European. We all piled into a van for an hour-long drive to the Khao Sok National Park. From there we traveled on a longtail boat for an additional hour. I was so wiped out that I fell asleep at the front of the boat in the sun. I woke up as we glided into the dock of this beautiful floating guest house.

The energy had shifted from the busyness of the city to the tranquility of nature. I took a deep breath,...

Our guest rooms were wonderful! Little floating huts on the lake. The participants all had private rooms. Our huts had  double beds with mosquito netting.  There was a little hammock hung on each balcony.  I could open my front door and jump right into the lake. It was quite a trek to reach the bathrooms, but a great way to get in some exercise. The bathrooms and showers were up at the top of a hill.

On the main platform was the restaurant. Next to it was the Jungle Yoga Studio.

This is where I would be spending the next 11 days.  Each days would start at 7:00am., with thirty minutes of meditation followed by seventy-five minutes of yoga. After breakfast, we would spend six hours doing Thai Massage. This is a beautiful place for learning and receiving. From the yoga space we could see monkeys playing in the distance.

After arriving we had a great Thai lunch and then some downtime, to settle in. In the evening we enjoyed a mellow yoga class to ease into our new space. My body was so happy to slow down after all the moving around. I brought way too much stuff when I left Canada. What we have, we must carry, I'm learning as I go.

I was eager to watch the rest of the film that was in my laptop. My friend had left me his DVD "The Fog Of War", a documentary feature on Robert S. McNamara, Former  US Secretary of Defense. I am interested in gaining an understanding our  volatile history. We often fight for our right to be different, rather than learning how we are similar. Humans are more similar than they are different, yet we don't seem to focus on that. We alienate each other, our races and our countries.

It was the first time in a long while, that I had been bathed in silence. As soon as I lay down to sleep on my first night, I was out like a light. I slept like a baby.

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. Create your own stunning free slideshow from your travel photos.

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My Bus Ride From Cambodia To Bangkok

 
Notice when your thoughts argue with “what is”. When “what is”,  is what you want, the mind will be perfectly clear.

It's 12am.,  and I’ve just boarded the night bus in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I'm will be traveling for 19 hours to return to Bangkok, Thailand. From there I will spend another 10 hours on a train,  to reach Surittani, Thailand. I have lots of time to reflect.

One of the positive things I'm learning while traveling, is that it’s a good idea to have low (or no) expectations for most things. Odds are that when you’re in a country where you don't speak the language, often you won't get what you asked for. I have come to accept whatever food shows up in front of me. When you pay $7 for a bus ticket, it means you will make many stops along the way.  Some of these stops will be at the homes of individual locals.

My new opinion of a luxury guesthouse, is a room with air conditioning and hot water, and without insects. The  bed in the dorm room, where I slept for three weeks in Southern Thailand, was covered with bugs every night. There was a leak in the ceiling above my bed, and when it rained, there would always be a puddle next to me on the floor. The toilet and shower were outside, and the shower released only freezing cold water. I nearly stepped on frogs several times while showering. I'm not complaining. I got used to it quickly. Now, staying in a room with hot water, rocks my world.

When I travel this way, I take nothing for granted, and hope for the best. It's all about letting go of how I think things should be, and just accepting “what is”. So, the choice seems to be:  accept what's happening or  become miserable. I've taken on the attitude that everything is meant to be an exciting adventure, no matter how challenging it may seem, (like trying to obtain a travel visa to India, from Cambodia). I'm still getting used to the whole “drive-all-over-the-road” thing, both here and in Thailand, or to seeing from three to five people riding on a single scooter, with no helmets.

For the past three days, I've been sitting in my guesthouse room, watching films about conflict and suffering in Asia.  After visiting the Killing Fields and the S-21 prison in Phnom Penh, I felt compelled to gain more understanding about the history of my surroundings.  I was inspired to watch pieces by John Pilger, who has devoted his career to creating documentaries, exposing the atrocities of war and genocide. His stories on Vietnam and East Timor were just mind-boggling.

Watching these films has inspired me to learn more about the people and the land. I  wish that I had more time now, to go to Vietnam. Living so far away from these countries, renders the impact of  news stories far less profound than actually standing on the soil where  these events have occurred. I guess its something about my personality that makes me want to see and feel things to the fullest, (whether I perceive them to be good or bad), rather than just to read about them, or to watch them on TV.

After almost three months traveling, I have experienced so much, seen so much, felt so much.  I have been introduced to aspects of humanity, that I may not have even have acknowledged before. It has been said that the people who appear in our lives are mirrors of ourselves. I have seen many aspects of myself, reflected in the different people I have met. Sometimes a profound culture shift is exactly what is needed to introduce the concept  of relating differently. We can begin to see outside of our personal and societal bubbles.

I was in love with Thailand as soon as I arrived. The level of human connection, appreciation and friendliness is outstanding there. People look you in the eyes and they smile. They place their hands together in Namaste and bow their heads. I think about how, in the West, we often spend more energy trying to ignore each other than we do in the process of connecting with each other. Consider people standing in an elevator, or sitting on a bus, staring at the wall or the floor so they won't have to make contact with anyone. Here, people engage with each other.

The Buddhist beliefs and culture inspire the deepest parts of me. Buddhists do not believe that Buddha was God. They see him as a human being, just like them. They believe he was important because he gained Enlightenment, and because he chose to teach other people how to gain it too.


What is Enlightenment and Nirvana?

The Buddhists believe that there is a cycle of life, death and rebirth. They believe that unless someone gains Enlightenment, they will be reborn after they die. If a person can gain Enlightenment, then they can break this cycle.

 Breaking out of the cycle is called Nirvana, (peace, free from suffering).

The Three Jewels:

There are three central Buddhist beliefs. These are known as the three jewels because they are felt to be so precious.

1. Belief in Buddha
 2. Dharma: The teaching of Buddha.
 3. The Sangha: The Buddhist community, made up of ordinary people as well as Monks and Nuns. The purpose to is to help others and by doing so, cease to become selfish and thus move forward on the way towards Enlightenment.

My feeling is that we can have moments of Enlightenment every day. To me, Enlightenment is not a final destination.  It’s those AHA moments, even if they are fleeting, when we become more conscious, when we feel fully present.

It is 6pm the following day.  Sixteen hours later, I am still on the bus heading to Bangkok. I've transferred buses three times, waited at the Cambodian border side for an hour, and on the Thai side for two and a half hours more. I've eaten all the Ichiban noodles I can handle, and I would love to have a shower. Cambodia was a great experience but I feel happy to be back in Thailand. Something feels different here.

A Truck Full Of Pigs

This was hard to see as I crossed the border.