After 36 hours in transit (which we don’t have documented here because we didn’t want to initiate our blog with horror photos), Richard arrived in Koh Samui and the Yoga Thailand Retreat Center. And that’s where the travel nightmare seamlessly merged into the heavenly realm, the perfect antidote for jet lag and modern life.
The center’s owners, Paul and Jutima Dallaghn were there to greet Richard, who promptly impressed them by falling into a deep sleep. Richard said later that he hopes they thought it was samdhi and that it’s normal for those who live at high altitudes to drool while in samadhi.
Within a day Richard was up and teaching a group of enthusiastic students from all over Asia and Europe. With classes twice a day, and a break in between, there was time for plenty of yoga and even some site seeing. Best of all, Richard said, because the retreat center is right on the beach, the soothing sound of the waves provided a backdrop of calm that kept the mind clear.
The Yoga Thailand Retreat Center is quiet, peaceful and stunningly beautiful. It’s totally away from the big cities and the surrounding area is filled with the warmth and genuine compassion that is so deeply part of the Thai culture. Richard did visit into a small, near-by town that has reminders of the “real” world (a McDonald’s, a KFC and two Starbucks), but the pristine feel of Thai culture, rich with Buddhist roots, made even these symbols of the West less obtrusive.
For those of us in Boulder who watch Richard come and go so often, it sometimes seems like all he does is jet around the globe having loads of fun on perpetual vacation. Just like most things in yoga, that’s true….but it’s also not true.
It’s true because Richard loves the excitement of seeing the world and meeting new people. He is forever inspired by teaching eager and enthusiastic students (including those in Boulder). But it’s not true that traveling and teaching are all a vacation. (Insert visualization of Richard lying around in a hammock drinking whatever it is people normally drink when they lie around in hammocks on vacation).
More from Taipei coming soon…………