same same but different

there is a saying is asia:  ”same same but different.”  meaning things are kind of the same, but they are different too.  maybe at heart they are the same, but the external form may be different.  this is the experience i’m having being back at yoga thailand.

it has been some time since i’ve written, I am mid week of the second week of my ayurveda retreat.  the days are intense, i teach for three hours in the morning with Paul in the asana and pranayama, then have three hours of solo teaching on the subject of ayurveda.  at first i was intimidated by this, i haven’t given such an extensive course before, only weekend intensives in different countries.  after the first couple days i got into a nice rhythm, and have really enjoyed the teaching.  the group is fab.  people are engaged and interested.  there is a wide variety of nationalities, probably at least 20 different nationalities out of 30 people.

it is very nice teaching at yoga thailand again with paul.  this was the first place that i taught full time starting back in 2004, and i can feel how much we all have grown.  yoga thailand has grown immensely to a bigger and more beautiful spot.  paul has also evolved in this teaching style, and i have gained experience and confidence since those early days.   I’ve taken many trips to Mysore to study with the late guruji, and now completed the level 2 authorized training.  i love teaching yoga even more now because i feel like i have more to share and offer to the students.  the years of growing in my own practice and expanding what i do has helped to cultivate this feeling in me, that yes, the yoga is a gift that must be shared.  it is not to be kept for myself.

Now i have a studio in new orleans and many ayurveda clients there, and come here as a guest teacher.  still, it feels familiar and like a type of home.   this is a place where nature flowers and flourishes.  we are on the beach, surrounded by coconut trees, nestled amongst lush tropical flowers, with geckos, lizards, birds, crickets and frogs all making their homes here.  there is something amazing about what is happening here.  i will post photos this weekend, when the cours is done, promise!

i am the same at heart, and so is yoga thailand, paul and all those who make the place special, yet we are all different.  that is how it works.  things constantly change whether we like it or not.