Yoga Teacher Training

After 4 weeks of early mornings, amazing yoga, brain stretching learning and a bit of fun on the side I am now a qualified yoga teacher. I'm so happy that I decided to take the course and go for it. Not one regret at all. I can't wait to teach my first class – possibly some yoga for thai boxing with the guys at the camp here tomorrow!

So what have I been doing... My daily schedule was to be up at 6.30 to start class at 7. Each morning we had 2 to 2.5 hours of yoga, breathing and meditation. shakti, our teacher took the classes for the first couple of days but after that we thrown in the deep end. Every other day I had to teach part of the class. It started off with just having to learn one asana (posture) but as the days went by we had to build up with the transitions and longer sequences of teaching (with the rest of the class being our students). All of it being continually assessed for knowing the right instructions, teaching safely, knowing the physical and esoteric benefits, hands on adjustment and just having presence as a teacher.

(Sunrise - my walk to class each morning )



(Morning Class)

From 11 until 2 we have a class, either philosophy, history, learning asanas in detail or looking at the more spiritual side of yoga. Lots of discussion about energy! The whole pace of the practice is a lot more meditative than what I have been doing recently and it's refreshing. Something I will bring into my own teaching.



(Some of my class where we had our lectures)

I have the afternoon off – although by the time I've eaten, had an hour of sun, studied and showered it's time to be back for the last session of the day. 6pm to 8pm – we continue our lectures or occasionally have watched a film. We watched the Peaceful Warrior the other day. A great film and I'd recommend watching. Then it's time for dinner – Si had generally already eaten – can't keep him waiting after his boxing training - and then bed. We both had Saturdays off but Friday nights and Saturday generally involved sleep for me – although Si was a bit more adventurous. Last Saturday we did quite a good tag team effort at partying at Guys Bar the main party place here, with Si going the 10 – 5.30am shift and me getting up to continue the dancing while the sun rose. Followed by a swim and some morning time on the beach it was a pretty perfect Saturday.



(Practising for class)

It's been an intense month though and I got quite sick mid way through the course with nausea, back ache and just slept through from about 3pm until the next morning. The next day I had horrific backache in the morning, necked some pills but shakti organised for an acupuncture session which really helped. It took a few days to be properly back on form, whether it was exhaustion, a bug or what I don't know but I'm feeling healthy and fit now.

Around the bay there's a real emphasis on looking at alternatives to Western medicine. You can get any sort of alternative therapy here and just because we label it 'alternative' in the West doesn't mean less good. In fact in the yoga we're spending quite a long time studying anatomy and the anatomical benefits of the asanas as well as looking at why people suffer with a lot of the common disorders in the west. We're very quick to medicate with drugs or suggest surgery, treating the physical body rather than looking a little bit more holistically at why we're suffering and whether we need to medicate with chemicals or not. Don't get me wrong, we can do so much with western medicine that is fantastic (and I'm certainly not throwing out my ibuprofen) but I'm definitely going to have my eyes a little bit more open to taking a more holisitic approach to my health going forward.



(Acro / Partner Yoga (not really yoga) - Si is going to work on his hamstrings :)


Simon teased in the previous blog about a lot of conversation here about energy – guilty I'm afraid. The group of other students is fantastic – we have great energy :) - but the place in general is somewhere where everyone smiles, there is no stress and people just chat and are friendly. It is a bit of escapism but hopefully we can take some of what we've experienced here away with us.






(A final (only!) evening out and guys from the course leaving the bay)


Yesterday we had a little taste of home with Tracy, a friend of mine from work, and Craig arriving on the island for a couple of days. We had a lovely dinner and it was good just to chill with some familiar faces for the evening. We actually treated ourselves to the one place serving good red meat - the first we've had since leaving home and had a gorgeous steak - but will be back to fried rice for the remaining days as steak does not come cheap out here.



So with the yoga finished I'm just taking time to be on holiday for a few days before we head to Bangkok on Monday and then fly to Sydney on Tuesday. I'm making copious notes for my future yoga website – can't wait to get it started – and I feel like wherever else we head over the next few months I've got my yoga to take with me, carry on learning, start teaching and have a whole new journey to take.


Tonight is our last Friday night here so we're aiming to do what we have failed to do so far and do a proper all nighter and see sunrise on the beach tomorrow morning. There's not much on the agenda tomorrow apart from beach so there's no excuse for me really. Party blog to follow!!


Love to all,

Charlotte x




(The whole class at the end of the course with shakti mhi our teacher)

PS - Links to our full photo set for Koh Pha Nagan below:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=199429&id=681815399&l=3b99387283

KPN 3



http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=195176&id=681815399&l=8dc560c7ab

KPN 2



http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=191075&id=681815399&l=536c452416

KPN 1

Horizon Muay Thai Camp

We are now safely ensconced in Horizon Muay Thai (thai boxing) camp for the next four to five weeks, having slogged all our stuff up from Beam Bungalows up the steep path to our new hut. Still suffering a bit from jet lag and the heat we took a day to chill out and do nothing ,then I was due to start my training the day before Charl started her course. So what then happened to me just as I was due to start? What else but a visit from the old nemesis, Tonsillitis.

Coincidentally the last time I had tonsillitis was when I was staying on Koh Tao, just a couple of miles to the north, when I was visiting Thailand three years ago. Must be something to do with the change of environment, jet lag and long journeys. Frustratingly that was me in the sick bay for a couple of days. I'm not very good at either being ill or having to wait to start stuff so I had to make an effort not to slip into a habitual grump.

Horizon's huts and gym occupy a rocky headland in between the two beaches, Haad Tien and Haad Yuan. From our balcony we have a view over the bay which is definitely one of the best around. Basically we got lucky because accommodation round here is tighter then I've ever seen before in Thailand.

Horizon at Dusk seen from the opposite headland

Our hut's basic but spacious. We were to find out we were sharing it with big and small Gecko's, a colony of termites, several large hunstmen spiders a variety of different ants and a funny looking small scorpion - after Borneo though we seem to be pretty much immune to all that.

Muay Thai training is twice a day, sun – fri, two hours per session. Training normally consists of skipping and stretching to warm up, then shadow boxing, then rotating between using the bags and sparring in the ring with the trainers or each other.

Practising on the bags

Having missed the first three days of my prepaid training with tonsillitis I was busting to get started so proceeded to make thirteen of the the next fifteen sessions. Top marks for commitment but I was I soon found out that is too much for your body to cope with if you're not already in top shape.

One of the Will's demonstrating the jump punch

By the end of this I was nursing a strained shoulder, stiff back, swollen feet, strained groin muscle and several large purple bruises up and down my legs. A particularly painful Thai oil massage, including the excruciatingly agonising armpit tendon pinch of death, seemed to sort my shoulder out. Then I drifted into a slightly more sedate routine of missing the morning session, instead going for a long swim and using the weights in the Gym then joining in training in the afternoon, which most of the guy who were there for a month or so seemed to slip into. It only works out about sixty quid per week for the training so when you've booked for a month you don't feel too bad about missing the occasional session.

I also found out about three weeks in that the combination of sunbathing, training, not drinking enough water then going out on the beers is a very easy way to give yourself heatstroke – another couple of days in the sickbay for me.

With all of the healing and alternative therapy focus down at The Sanctuary life at Horizon provides a good contrast for me. I always find it amusing when Charl is describing in great detail some yogic philosophy about self realisation and all I can offer in response is an enthusiastic report about the new flying elbow move I learnt in training today. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement that keeps my mind a bit active with trying the understand some of her course content, and Charl a bit grounded so she's not going to sell all her worldly possessions and go and live in a tree somewhere.

Leaving Dinner for Carlsten - a guy who had been staying for 2 months here.

People tend to book in here for a minimum of two weeks so it lends some nice consistency to it on the social side. It generally seems to be full, with a slow rotation on a new person or two coming in every week or so. The staff are, as you'd expect from Thai's, a particularly chilled out bunch of people. There's a couple of three/four year old boys who are around some of the time, whose main activity seems to be Farang (that's us) baiting. Many an afternoon nap on the floor cushions has been rudely interrupted by a pair of three year old knees landing on your abdomen having launched themselves from the table, still when you grow up in a kickboxing camp I guess that's inevitable.

Charl & The amusing named Boat (sure that's not the thai spelling but that's what it sounds like)

Once or twice a week the Thai's go into the main town, Thong Sala, to watch or participate in Muay Thai fights. I went in one night with them as two of our trainers had fights. It's fair to say they don't seem to take it too seriously at this level as I certainly didn't spot any training going on unless it was disguised as drinking, smoking or playing poker.

One of the trainers Phu is an absolute legend. He was out partying until eight on sat morning, then again through to seven am on Sunday morning. Monday, looking decidedly under the weather, he tells us he is fighting that night.

In Order left to right: Phu, Ma, Peng & Nuk

Making our way to the main town, Thong Sala,we watched the first of our trainers, Ma, be outmatched by a much bigger Thai, the equivalent, of a welterweight vs a heavyweight, and unfortunately he was out by KO in the 2nd round. Phu's fight was the headliner, his opponent looked young and fit, Phu looked hungover (he's also well into his thirties by this stage). It looked all over after about a minute as an impossibly quick kick to the thigh had left him limping. By the end of the first round however he had recovered and was simply soaking up everything the youngster could throw at him. Then in the second he proceeded to give a demonstration of the full range of muay thai kicks, punches and elbows. There were knockdowns on both sides and one comedy moment where Phu was just standing there with his guard down taking the blows just to show he could. In the end the ref stopped it shortly into the fourth and gave Phu the fight – experience obviously won over youth and speed in this instance. Video of the fight is available on my facebook page (too big a file for the blogsite)

All in all it's been ideal for me be staying and training here. Without it I would be turning into a vegetable on the beach or spending money I don't have out on the party scene here and slipping into nocturnal mode. We've met some good people so a big hello to both the Will's, Levi, Holga,and all at Horizon is you ever end up reading this.

Chilling between training sessions

We're into our last week as I write. Charl has three more days of course left and I will scale down on training, partly due to a jarred neck and pulled abdominals. We'll maybe enjoy a few drinks at a couple of the parties around, do a spot of diving and top up the tan's. In ten days time we'll be enjoying the hospitality of the Merrit's Back in Sydney. I'm looking forward to getting back on my surfboard and hopefully squeezing in a round of golf.

Training in progress (Si in the injury bay at this stage)

Si in Training - I had by this time pulled my inter-costal rib muscles so was only doing light training and avoiding left sided moves, gives you an idea of what we got up to though

More training - Still carrying the rib injury so not really at full pace again!