It is with great joy and satisfaction that I sit down to share the details of our second ZIA PROJECT with you!
In February, three volunteers and I traveled to Kuraburi, a small town on the Andaman coast of southern Thailand, to offer an introductory course in yoga and Thai massage to a small group of women who survived the devastating tsunami in 2004. For the last several years these women's lives have been consumed by rebuilding their villages on safe ground, and making sure that their families basic needs have been met. But now that a little bit of stability has returned to their lives, they are ready and eager to come together and focus their energy in a different way.
Our intention was to offer an experience, and to teach some skills that might help these women rebuild their lives on a deeper level. We also hoped to lay the foundation for a few inspired individuals to embark on a rewarding new career path that would provide the local community with some valuable resources, and invite sustainable, health-oriented tourism into the area.
Thanks to some invaluable organizational help from our partners Andaman Discoveries, we were able to gather a dozen women from Kuraburi and a few neighboring villages, as well as some eager participants from Scotland, Bulgaria and Japan.
For four magical days we met in a small Thai massage sala run by a local legend named Pa Na. About 12 years ago, at the ripe age of 60, Pa (a term of respect for an older woman) Na decided that she was tired of suffering from chronic physical pain and resolved to teach herself about the inner workings of the body and heal herself with massage. Her method was so successful that not only is she now relatively pain free, she has the energy and drive to share her gift with a steady stream of clients who flock to her sala seven days a week! Pa Na’s sala turned out to be the perfect setting for our gatherings, and it was a blessing to have her presence and input.
Most of the women who joined us for the workshop had never practiced yoga and had no professional massage training. Each of them had different reasons for participating, but after hearing all of the stories of intense negotiations with husbands, children and bosses in order to get the time off, it was clear that this opportunity was of great value to them. They showed up everyday on time (almost unheard of in Thailand!) and threw themselves into the experience.
Their learning style was refreshingly different from the western students that I am used to teaching. They sat close to me on the ground, imitated my movements on each other as I demonstrated, and were quick to touch the areas on the model that I was touching to get clarification. Their enthusiasm was palpable and contagious. They picked up the yoga postures and Thai Yoga Massage techniques quickly and made it all look easy and natural.
When I looked around the sala on our last afternoon together I was overwhelmed by the sight. Women who were at first too shy to talk to the strangers in the group were connecting and laughing, and seemed totally relaxed. Pa Na’s grand daughters and great grand daughters, age three to thirteen, had come home from school and were sitting with their mothers and aunties eagerly absorbing and practicing all of the new material. Neighbors stood by and watched with great interest and inquired if they could participate next time.
When we interviewed the participants at the conclusion of the program the feedback was unanimous:
1. They all fell in love with yoga and hoped to continue practicing at home.
2. They were surprised and inspired by the level of respect that westerners have for the art of Thai Yoga Massage, and the way that we integrate a wide variety of techniques and consciously infuse our practice with the intention of compassion and loving – kindness. They said that the perspective and approach that we shared re-kindled their interest in massage and helped them see the positive impact that healing arts based businesses could have on their economy and their lives. One woman, who had gone to school and earned a degree in business with the dream of one day opening her own coffee shop, stated with tears in her eyes that now her dream is to open Kuraburi’s first yoga studio.
3. They were all grateful for the opportunity to make new friends beyond their communities, and to connect with a part of themselves that the haven't seen in a while, or never knew they had.
During the program we identified two women who demonstrated an exceptional aptitude for the work and invited them to join us for part or all of the DEEP South journey as a way of continuing their training. Unfortunately, neither of the women could convince their families that they could live without them for that length of time, so we agreed to stay in touch and promised to return next year to offer more training and mentoring in Kuraburi.
This roadblock was a huge disappointment for all involved and it exposed my naiveté about the freedom that women typically enjoy in Thailand. But we were determined to find a deserving woman to take advantage of our scholarship, so we continued our search.
It didn’t take long before we were reminded of a darling Thai woman who acted as our translator for a class on alternative healing practices at Pun Pun Organic Farm and Learning Center during our northern Thailand journey. It was clear from her enthusiastic translation that she had a genuine interest in healing arts and was in a position to help develop Pun Pun’s health oriented programs, so we gave her a call.
As it turned out Ramphai was overjoyed by the idea, and fortunately she was at liberty to join us, so she hopped on a train and met us in Bangkok. Ramphai proved to be an illustrious student and unexpected asset. Not only did she take copious notes, ask insightful questions, participate fully in discussions and instantly grasp the technical and spiritual aspects of the yoga and Thai Massage practice, she also contributed to the group experience by offering a unique and valuable perspective and by infusing the experience with cultural gems like creative sarong tying.
We all fell in love with Ramphai and decided to invite her to become a part of the Integral Travel team. Next January she will continue her studies with the Integral Touch Institute and act as a translator and assistant during the Adventures in Healing journey in northern Thailand.
The consensus is that the ZIA PORJECT – Andaman Coast is off to a great start! We have established that there is a real interest in healing arts education in the area and we have been heartily welcomed to return next year. Thanks to support and encouragement from Pa Na, Andaman Discoveries, and our dedicated participants who all share our vision, we look forward to doing our part to nurture a socially, environmentally and health conscious economy on the Andaman Coast for years to come.
Thank you for supporting this and future ZIA PROJECTS!
With gratitude and joy,
Sunny
PS - When my friend Adam Taub heard about our plans on the Andaman Coast he approached me with the idea of joining us in Thailand to create a documentary film about the process. The film is currently being edited and Adam has plans to show the final cut sometime in 2012. We can’t wait to re-live our time in Kuraburi, and look forward to sharing some of the special moments with you. Watch for details soon.
"I’m very excited to witness this project unfolding. It will make for a great documentary film touching on a number of important issues: healing arts, cultural exchange, women’s empowerment, trauma and healing from natural disaster, personal and community change, micro enterprise, Thai culture along with many more." - Adam Taub
Adam Taub is a cinematographer from Colorado who's films include La Quinceañera, Don Angelo, and El Duque de la Bachata. Click here to see a trailer of "Thailand: A Healing Journey"