Give Me a Break

With half of the training behind us. Thankfully, we were given a day off as being a child all the time can be really challenging and energy consuming. Some of us, didn’t mind to be in that state all day long (impressive, especially when I realized I was the youngest one!). As for me, there was nothing of it left, so I gladly went into my solitude in the middle of rainforest.

As the course takes place in the middle of the jungle, there is plenty of space to wander and connect with the nature. What more do you need, when you are surrounded by palm trees, enormously big bushes and flowers that you can only hug and see here; the clear-water river and the waterfall you can jump in for refreshment; juicy green hills you can climb or just simply look at while the morning mist is cutting them in a half. Well, if it that’s not enough, you can indulge yourself with bodily pleasures like massages or yummy, fresh, vegan food, deserts and smoothies prepared by Pi Kwan or Pi Pui, the loveliest Thai ladies ever. How do you know, if people are good and warm, even when they don’t speak much English? You can taste it, in their food. I do that here. I do it a lot… Trying not to ask my partner, if I look fat those days.

On their day off, my partners in crime, got lost in the local market, trying traditional Thai snacks and fresh coconuts, took a massage and spent time on the phone, calling family and friends. Where do they get all thoat energy, I am asking you?! And me…? I went into complete silence. After all that talking and singing, I decided not to speak for a whole day. Having done Vipassana Meditation course, where you are not allowed to speak for the whole time the course takes place, I knew the benefits of this practice pretty well.

So, what does keeping the silence do for you and your environment? I won’t tell you about all those important things like lowering blood pressure, boosting immune system and saving life energy. What you will find, just right after fighting the initial awkwardness of not being able to speak to people that are greeting you and wanting to have a chat with you, is a change in your attitude and your body language. Because you are so sorry you cannot chat, and don’t want to seem to be rude, you start to smile at everybody and send them good vibes. Positive thinking, baby! Then, you are not getting involved in small talk and empty conversations, without guilt of being an unsociable freak. This also cuts out a lot of negative talk that we are not even noticing in a daily life. Not being able to respond calms you down and helps you to go more inwards and makes focusing in meditation easier. And if you feel like you meditated enough, it leads you to other forms of expression and interaction with the outside world so at the end of the day, you become a hippie sending love and hugs to everyone. Let’s keep the silence, people!

This way, I end up meditating and filing in my coloring book with all the colors of the rainbow… for a whole day. Giving myself the space and permission to do “nothing”, I found energy to read and write a bit in the evening. Relaxed and calm, I got so deep into the process that I forgot about my silence and cheerfully, with all the strength of my throat, I wished “Good Night!” to the last person leaving the jungle restaurant… oops!