I arrived at Karuna Meditation center at approximately 3am. It is located in a very small gated village. I guess it can best be described as a tropical version of Canebreak ( That's for my Mississippi friends). There is 24 hour security at the gate, HUGE homes, a village pool and spa, weight room, beautiful landscaping and Buddhist shrines, and a wonderful sala (pavilion) overlooking the pool.
All of the homes are the same color (Thai Homeowners' Association?) and the Center is a row of homes that have been transformed into a zen escape from the "real" world.
The Center has several rooms and bungalows, two meditation rooms, and a dining room and juice bar.
Here is the daily schedule:
7am- yoga on the beach
8:30am- breakfast
11am- yoga in the sala
1pm- lunch
2pm- meditation class
4:30pm- yoga by the pool
6:30pm- fruit for dinner
Meditation can be done at anytime durring the day in the meditation halls or really any place your heart desires. I enjoy the meditation halls because there is AC and tons of cushions and pillows.
Today was pretty intense. Since I did not get to bed until 4am, I slept until 10am and missed the morning yoga and breakfast. I made it to the sala yoga class, and it was incredible. All of the monks and teachers at the Center are American (No language barriers is a nice change of pace) and have wicked senses of humor. Julie, the yoga instructor, made the hardcore two hour yoga session so much fun. And believe me, doing asanas outside in Thailand brings a whole new meaning to "hot" yoga.
The food at lunch was so fresh and yummy. I was a vegetarian for two years, and the food today was some of the best vegetarian food of my life! I would like to become a vegetarian again, but it is nearly impossible in Korea, so I'm on the fence at the moment.
Now let's talk about Michael the monk, or, as I secretly call him, M&M. Who knew monks were so HOT??? He looks like a movie star, but is, by far, the most humble and intelligent person I ever encountered. His two hour meditation class was phenomenal. I could listen to him all day. He was so honest and witty. I laughed the entire time. It was very refreshing!
One thing that blows my mind is that M&M only sleeps three hours per day. I would be the most unpleasant person on Earth. I love my frequent 8 to 10 hours of sleep. He claims meditation takes away so much stress that the body's natural need for sleep and food decreases. I know it sounds crazy, but I can believe it because meditation is sooooo difficult. Seriously, sitting and not thinking is HARD!
Today, M&M told us to clear our minds while meditating, and every time a thought or story comes into our heads, block it out by saying "THINKING!" in our minds.
My meditation session followed this pattern:
"THINKING!"
"THINKING!"
"THINKING!"
"THINKING!"
"I wonder what time I will return from Phi Phi Island tomorrow? Am I pronouncing it correctly? I really should have learned more Thai phrases. Did the movie Brokedown Palace take place in Thailand? Clare Danes is a good actress. I wonder why she hasn't made any movies recently? I think her last film was that Sarah Jessica Parker Movie. Oh, what was it called? My left foot is asleep. Oh shit..."Thinking!"
Then there was more yoga, private meditation, and delicious mangoes for dinner. Mangoes rock! I never knew, but now I'm hooked! There are way worse addictions, right?
I even asked one of my students who vacationed in Thailand a few months ago, "What should I do in Thailand?"
I was expecting "Go to the beach; ride an elephant; go swimming; etc."
What I got was "Sleep in a hotel and eat a mango."
Well, done and done!
All in all it was a wonderful day, and I never want to leave.
