By Vanessa Fleming, yoga teacher 

Intuition. It’s a powerful magic that lives within all of us. It’s also known as your “gut.” We often ignore our gut. We think that our higher brain can outsmart our bellies.

And that’s where my Thai Massage teacher will say to you, “Too much thinking! Headache!” and then pretend to bop you on the head.

It was intuition that lead me to this teacher, Pichest Boonthumme. In December, I was home for the holidays, resting and relaxing. I hadn’t purchased my return ticket to Morocco just yet. Something was holding me back. I talked to a friend about it.

“Why don’t you go back to Thailand and work on your Thai Massage?” he said.

And just like that, I knew what was the right thing to do. My friend made the absolute right suggestion. So I purchased my ticket to Thailand, and just a little over 3 weeks later, I landed in Chiang Mai.

And now I’m in the throes of my Thai Massage studies. I used to call it training, but I’ve quickly dropped that from my language, just as quickly as I was reminded that Thai Massage is a lifelong study and review. You can’t train for this. You have to learn to feel. You can learn the basic pressure points and energy lines, but you can’t do the same thing on every body…because every body is different.
And you must, must, must…feel. The intuition in this practice is the most important piece of the work.

Watching Pichest work is the pure embodiment of using this intuition to practice. I’ve heard him tell things to people about themselves that were confirmed to be true, even though he’s never spoken to this person before in his entire life. His harness of intuition is that strong.

Last week, I witnessed the rawness of emotion in the body through his simple touch and technique. A man came to class to receive healing. He was a heavy man, telling us he weighed 115kg (that’s around 260lbs). I’d guess him to be around 45 years old. Very crippled in his body. Especially in his hips, where he was so very tight. No mobility whatsoever.

So Pichest went right in. Immediately, the man winced. But Pichest didn’t let that deter him. He was gentle but firm. Confident but loving. He listened to everything this man’s body was saying. The changes came in almost immediately. Just a few minutes of work and compression and you could see the vast changes in this man’s body.

As Pichest continued to work, you could physically see the emotion running for a place to exit this man’s body. It was only about 10 minutes into the practice and work that this man was overtaken by emotion. The whole room could feel it. A collective gasp spread through each person. Such a huge release and it was only the beginning.

Witnessing this was so very intense. And fascinating. So very fascinating.

And it’s there where I sat and observed. I let that wave of emotion wash over me the whole day. I just absorbed what was happening around me.

Had I not followed my intuition, I would not have witnessed this. I would not have continued this path of studies and I would not have been living my truth. My truth is, I’m on this path to continue to witness the power of the spiritual body through yoga, energy, meditation, and contemplation. Thai Massage is another pathway on this adventure. The power of touch can bring so much into someone, or bring that trapped emotion out of someone.

So I continue this practice, this healing practice, and I continue to bear witness to the subtle or intense moments. I continue to listen to what my body feels when I work this practice on someone, and not rely on what I think I should be doing. It’s a headache, after all!

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By Vanessa Fleming, Summersalt Yoga teacher

I write this as I am sitting in a coffee shop, back in my hometown in Norfolk, VA. I’m back here spending quality time with my family for the holidays, after being gone for 8 months.

I am trying to wrap my head around everything that has happened in that time…meeting beautiful souls in Croatia on the yoga retreats, and then moving to Morocco to take on the most life-changing and challenging job I’ve had to date.

At first, I wasn’t sure I had made the right decision to go to Morocco. I had become quite a bit spoiled in Croatia with its beautiful waters, peaceful and still surroundings, loving and friendly folks with a laid back mentality and likeminded focus. I felt so whole and complete in Croatia, almost like I belonged there.

But Morocco…it’s a bit dirty, the water is unsafe to drink, and dust is everywhere. I also happened to be a white western woman in an Arabic country. I struggled with the vast personalities I encountered, and I had to learn how to navigate between a clash of cultures and personalities.

But there is ever a charm there, and each day that I was there, I grew a new appreciation for my surroundings. From the insanity of the language (Berber, Arabic, French and English will all be used in just one sentence), to how people drive, to the general curiosity that all Moroccans display, I started to notice more and more just how truly blessed I was to have this experience. And aside from the aforementioned cosmetic issues in Morocco, the atmosphere and landscape is absolutely stunning. From the beaches to the west and the mountains to the east, a simple turn of the head would instantaneously change my perspective.

But it wasn’t easy. Not at all, not even close.

The main roadblock I had in Morocco? Being grounded. What a challenge. This is where my meditation practice had become so necessary. I struggled regularly with finding space and consistency to sit. In a place where I was so far removed from my family, my friends, regular internet to communicate with them, the only thing I could really rely on was myself and my practice. Admittedly, I fell off from it quite a bit. But whenever I did find the space, time and commitment to just be, what always seemed insurmountable would become manageable. What seemed off the charts in difficulty became softer. When an uncomfortable moment seemed to drag on for forever, the moment would simply settle itself down.

Taking the moments to focus on the inhale, the exhale. The moments of feeling my seat connected to the floor. The time to feel the energy spring from my seat up my spine, forcing me to sit taller. The taller seat making me take deeper, nourishing breaths. What was so insane and strange just 5 minutes prior, calms and moves and changes form with just the simplicity of sitting.

I once had a student say to me, “I couldn’t meditate today. I kept getting distracted by my thoughts and I just noticed them way too much to focus on anything else.”

But this in itself is a form of meditation. Maybe the path isn’t about enlightenment or a perfectly quiet mind all of the time. Part of the process is recognizing when sitting with it for the day just ain’t gonna happen. But when those days come, tomorrow is another day. Even an hour later is another time. The simple act of recognition is the most essential key to start the awareness and mindfulness process. This student could have very well denied that the thoughts were distracting him. But he didn’t. He saw it for what it was…and in that, he started his pathway.

So, my lovelies, I part you with this…

As things become difficult, and it’s harder and harder to stay focused, remember your practice is there to guide you. Equanimity is not about perfect bliss and happiness all of the time. Equanimity is about breathing through getting through when all isn’t alright.

Find your seat, find your feet, find your breath, find a little charm and beauty. It will always, always, always prevail.

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By Vanessa Fleming, Summersalt Yoga teacher

As I’m taking a walk through the fields, I hear this pre-historic, dinosaur-like sound, echoing off of the vast rock formations surrounding me. Upon closer inspection, it was not, in fact, a T-Rex making this noise. It was simply a cow, amongst many cows, out in the pasture. The cow had a very deep “moo,” and every time the moo sound bounced off the rock walls, she thought another cow was responding. It wasn’t. The other cows were paying her no mind. She was simply having a conversation with herself, in this quiet and wide expanse of nature.

That pretty much sums up my experience here in Vang Vieng, Laos. Simplicity.

I spend hours a day just staring at the beautiful horizon, stunned and in awe of these magnificent rock formations just right out in front of me.

But it’s not quiet. I stare at this beauty while the beats of Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, and other early 2000s rap artists are being blasted from the bar just across the river from me.

Vang Vieng is notoriously a party town. For the last decade, this place has been infested with Westerners coming here, getting completely pissed while floating down the river in tubes, and creating a lively and outgoing party scene. As of recent times, the Lao government has strictly cracked down on this, as too many incidences have occurred.

So the party scene has somewhat subsided, and part of the reason why I am able to be here is because of hospitality development. I came to an eco-sustainable hotel called Silver Naga, situated right on the river. The hotel came to fruition because Rachel, and Aussie living in Laos for the last 25 years, and her husband, Soomphan, a Lao hotelier, created this resort-like hotel as a place to have a 5-star experience without the loud and crazy party. A few months ago, Rachel recruited 2 yogis, Michelle and John, to start up their yoga program. Fast forward to now, where I am teaching at Silver Naga, the only place that offers yoga in all of Vang Vieng.

So the climb out of the party reputation is slow, but steady. And it’s pretty damn cool to be on the front line of new development, even if I am only here for the month.

At first, I was having a real struggle with this place. Between the constant music and how incredibly laid back (read: lazy) the Lao people are, I was getting a bit stir crazy. There isn’t much to do other than sit by the pool, occasionally go on a hike, go rock climbing, and visit some caves. This is the first and only place I have ever been in the entire world where I walk into a shop or a restaurant, and the workers are sleeping! I’m not talking a cat nap whilst sitting in a chair. I’m talking mats and pillows sprawled out on the floor and the workers full-on taking naps right in the middle of the working day, for everyone to see. And, if the workers aren’t napping, the are disappearing. My friend and fellow teacher, Vanina, and I were having coffee one day at this adorable little cafe. We were just hanging out, chatting, lounging. When we went to pay and leave, we discovered that the barista just…left. Gone. Goodbye! Didn’t feel like working anymore, so he went home. We were left in the cafe alone, still having to pay our bill, and no one in sight. We called out for someone, we walked around the whole building a couple of times. So we decided to come back later to pay our bill, since no one was there. As we started to walk away, here comes the barista, in his swim trunks and t-shirt. He had been down the street hanging out with his friends! It’s just so funny to me.

Speaking of Vanina – I have made a friend for life. Vanina and I share the teaching duties here at Silver Naga, and we also share a room. Not only that, but we share most of our time together, and we share a lot about ourselves with each other. It’s not everyday that you create a strong bond with someone, but with her, I feel so connected. From moment one, we hit it off and we are so close, so fast.

Vanina and I are also very close with the other volunteers here too. There’s a community of travelers that come in and help out around the hotel. Whether it’s tending to the Pony farm that Rachel and her friend Sarah have set up as an activity for the kids visiting Silver Naga, or painting fences or walls, or covering for someone at the cafe whilst he is on vacation, or brushing and feeding the ponies, or even working in the kitchen with the staff and helping the cleaning staff get a handle on keeping track of sheets and towels in the 90 room hotel, we have this familial group. We eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. We go on excursions together. We all crash out at 9:30 pm together. The party scene…not for us. But sitting around playing cards or Catan while maybe having a beer? Sold. This is our lives, every day.

And because of my Silver Naga family, I started to frequent the fields and caves on my outings more and more, the loudness created from the music and the town development subsides when we get just 5 minutes away. It’s in the fields and pastures that I can sit and listen to cicadas singing, cows mooing, water running, and soundless but playful and calm energy surround me.

Another big part of my experience here are…the dogs. I absolutely love the dogs here at the hotel. Now, this is not something I experience back in the Western world. Sure, dogs hang out at little Mom n’ Pop BnBs, but full-on a 5-star resort with food? No way. But, there are 4 dogs here…Nike (the grandma), Lily (the daughter/mom), and Boo Boo (Lily’s son), and ZoZo (the unrelated Pomeranian that I swear is an animated toy and not really a dog). Nike was my very first friend here. When I arrived and no one was around, there she was, greeting me with her wise eyes and gentle demeanour. And the dogs are so…great. ZoZo is the only one leashed, as he’s the pet dog. But the other 3 are free to roam as they please. They wander the streets but also guard the hotel. They hang out with us when we are having all of our relaxations, but they also let strangers know that they are the bosses of the hotel, and you can not enter without their permission.

And they have all become my best friends because of course, they have.

So back to the cows. Every day at 3 pm, the cows leave the pastures and walk down the path back to wherever it is they came from. From the mamas to the babies, and a couple of males, they moo and walk and stop to drink. All in all, I’d say there are about 40 cows that make the daily trek. Maybe next week I’ll go follow them to see where they live, after all.

And of course, there’s the yoga and Thai Massage. I’m so grateful for this experience because I get to keep up my massage practice, but I also get to implement and try out some of my new approaches to teaching. Since this is a travellers’ town, I only get maybe one opportunity to connect with people in yoga. It’s become vitally important for me to bring my laid back experiences from here to the classroom. I haven’t been teaching strong vinyasa flow. I haven’t been doing hard classes. I have been doing a lot of step-by-step and slow expansion of the muscles. I have been doing a lot of supine Yin classes, where we don’t even come off of the back until 45 minutes in. I have been encouraging people to go deeper into what they visualize in their practice by letting it settle in, rather than going straight into poses and “muscling through.” I was nervous about this approach, as I know a lot of people want that power, push, and strength tester. But I’ve stayed true to what I am conveying, and that is to go with ease, care and efficiency. And the experience has been nothing but positive.

So until I leave, I’ll just be here, expanding and growing, meditating and just…chilling. Taking it easy. Isn’t that the point, after all?

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