In The Moment ~ Fall 2013
Reflecting on Merit and the Seasons of Change
Lighting a kom loi in the town of Mae Cho
INTRODUCTION
As the year winds down, I am reminded again, as I am every year, of my time in Chiang Mai. Specifically, today I hold the memory of Loi Krathong and the Lanna festival of Yi Peng (actually two different holidays that often coincide during the full moon in November). If you have ever experienced this spectacular event, no doubt it is vividly impressed upon your mind. Visually, it may be the most beautiful occasion I have ever witnessed. Spiritually, it was profound. Having had already completed several levels of massage training, our class had the privilege of being invited to visit Mae Cho (Jo) by our Teacher, Chongkol “John” Sethakorn. We arrived at what may be the largest gathering in Northern Thailand for this folk holiday, celebrated in its authentic formal manner. Before we left, many classmates and I made traditional floats (krathongs) to be released onto a tributary of the Ping River in honor of the Goddess of Water. We also collected paper lanterns called kom loi (floating lantern) to send to the sky. My general understanding was that the lantern ceremony was to “let things go”… while holding another person in mind. Releasing the flaming beacons to the heavens often symbolize a way to transfer karma to the spirit of the deceased in order to ease their suffering. Having recently lost my father and in the midst of a separation, I decided to send up balloons for my dad and my broken marriage… the feeling of relief was amazing and a new chapter in my life began immediately. I now have a better understanding that the tradition is largely based on the broader concept of merit within the Buddhist practice, the three pillars of which can be interpreted as “giving, a life of mental calm (personal development), and a mind of good-will”. So every year to participate, I take time to check myself and realign my actions with my intentions. With this in mind, Kristen and I have decided to try some things a little different at FLOW Massage & Bodywork as the leaves begin to turn and fall.
As the year winds down, I am reminded again, as I am every year, of my time in Chiang Mai. Specifically, today I hold the memory of Loi Krathong and the Lanna festival of Yi Peng (actually two different holidays that often coincide during the full moon in November). If you have ever experienced this spectacular event, no doubt it is vividly impressed upon your mind. Visually, it may be the most beautiful occasion I have ever witnessed. Spiritually, it was profound. Having had already completed several levels of massage training, our class had the privilege of being invited to visit Mae Cho (Jo) by our Teacher, Chongkol “John” Sethakorn. We arrived at what may be the largest gathering in Northern Thailand for this folk holiday, celebrated in its authentic formal manner. Before we left, many classmates and I made traditional floats (krathongs) to be released onto a tributary of the Ping River in honor of the Goddess of Water. We also collected paper lanterns called kom loi (floating lantern) to send to the sky. My general understanding was that the lantern ceremony was to “let things go”… while holding another person in mind. Releasing the flaming beacons to the heavens often symbolize a way to transfer karma to the spirit of the deceased in order to ease their suffering. Having recently lost my father and in the midst of a separation, I decided to send up balloons for my dad and my broken marriage… the feeling of relief was amazing and a new chapter in my life began immediately. I now have a better understanding that the tradition is largely based on the broader concept of merit within the Buddhist practice, the three pillars of which can be interpreted as “giving, a life of mental calm (personal development), and a mind of good-will”. So every year to participate, I take time to check myself and realign my actions with my intentions. With this in mind, Kristen and I have decided to try some things a little different at FLOW Massage & Bodywork as the leaves begin to turn and fall.
Honoring
GIVING
Because we believe that bodywork should be readily available to everyone, and take the stand that we hold compassion and loving kindness for all beings to be happy and fulfilled, we are going to experiment with a flexible pricing pay scale. This is an opportunity for those who realize that they would like to take greater advantage of the benefits of our work, but cannot justify the monetary costs. We will maintain our current listed prices; but encourage you to be open with us. If you or someone you know honestly feels that our normal rates are not affordable, yet you can’t afford to NOT get the work done, please let us know. We can discuss package rates, group rates, reduced rates, and referral based options. We are also open to the possibility of bartering for goods or professional services on a case by case basis that satisfies both parties. Basically, we will work with you. We do not need the details of your situation. Simply that you would like get more bodywork from us and that you don’t have the budget is enough to see if we can work out an agreement (temporary or long term) which will assist you discreetly and without judgment.
Because we believe that bodywork should be readily available to everyone, and take the stand that we hold compassion and loving kindness for all beings to be happy and fulfilled, we are going to experiment with a flexible pricing pay scale. This is an opportunity for those who realize that they would like to take greater advantage of the benefits of our work, but cannot justify the monetary costs. We will maintain our current listed prices; but encourage you to be open with us. If you or someone you know honestly feels that our normal rates are not affordable, yet you can’t afford to NOT get the work done, please let us know. We can discuss package rates, group rates, reduced rates, and referral based options. We are also open to the possibility of bartering for goods or professional services on a case by case basis that satisfies both parties. Basically, we will work with you. We do not need the details of your situation. Simply that you would like get more bodywork from us and that you don’t have the budget is enough to see if we can work out an agreement (temporary or long term) which will assist you discreetly and without judgment.
Our festival gazebo
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
We are approaching the eve of our third year and would like to update you on our direction as we enter this season of change. Over the Labor Day weekend we attended the Second Annual Yoga Jam in Floyd, VA where we performed over 30 hours of Thai and table massage from our cozy gazebo nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We were pleasantly surprised to have several return customers and almost double our turnout from last year. There were many faces from Hampton Roads and we picked up a few regular customers here locally that we were introduced to over the long weekend. We will be going back next summer and hopefully for many more. Our boy Liam, is now two (going on twenty), and serves as a daily reminder of the remnants of youth that we would like to hold on to, as well as those that we might be served by letting go. As we hold fast to a dream that includes life afloat, travel and leisure, as well as professional growth and development, we continue to chart a course in that general direction… certainly not without going wayward from time to time.
We are approaching the eve of our third year and would like to update you on our direction as we enter this season of change. Over the Labor Day weekend we attended the Second Annual Yoga Jam in Floyd, VA where we performed over 30 hours of Thai and table massage from our cozy gazebo nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We were pleasantly surprised to have several return customers and almost double our turnout from last year. There were many faces from Hampton Roads and we picked up a few regular customers here locally that we were introduced to over the long weekend. We will be going back next summer and hopefully for many more. Our boy Liam, is now two (going on twenty), and serves as a daily reminder of the remnants of youth that we would like to hold on to, as well as those that we might be served by letting go. As we hold fast to a dream that includes life afloat, travel and leisure, as well as professional growth and development, we continue to chart a course in that general direction… certainly not without going wayward from time to time.
Floyd fun
Our current ideal entails completing the repair and maintenance of our home in Norfolk, before dividing our time between Virginia and the Virgin Islands. Our goal is to transition into a seasonal practice in both locations, spending May-Oct in Virginia and Nov-Apr in the tropics. A counterpart to bodywork includes an offering of sailing lessons and charters as a means to achieve a healthy balance in life… call it the yoga of sailing. We will most likely be based on my previous home of Saint Croix, a pristine paradise for sailing, diving, and limin’ (relaxing). We envision bodywork on the beach accompanied by water based activities. While we are dreaming big, we also anticipate an extended visit to Chiang Mai within five years (fingers crossed) in order to complete the teacher training that will allow us to certify students in Thai Massage and take our private practice to another level. We are a good way out and will certainly be here fulltime for at least another year. Of course we all know how plans go! Meanwhile, we are simply going with the flow and invite you to join us along the way!!!
Inviting change
GOOD WILL
This is exciting to us… Thanks to a few customers that felt compelled to publicly share their experience at FLOW over the summer, we now have a Yelp listing! We didn't really have any prior experience with this social network and were pleasantly shocked to discover our listing after it popped up high and clear in a Google search one day! I wish to express a warm embrace so far for the attention, as we have been getting very noticeable traffic from it; especially by people visiting or recently locating to the area. It has occurred to us that as self-employed individuals our resume and letter of recommendation IS a series of testimonials and word of mouth. On that note, I unabashedly invite any and all comments that relate your experience with either Kristen or myself as body workers, flattering or not, as long as they are in good nature and honest. You can leave them on our Facebook page, Yelp, or on our website. If you wish to remain anonymous or not have your comments be displayed in a public forum at all, you may confidentially email them to us with that request. Simply put, we want to know what you think! To show our appreciation and because the holidays are rapidly approaching, we have decided to offer the following:
This is exciting to us… Thanks to a few customers that felt compelled to publicly share their experience at FLOW over the summer, we now have a Yelp listing! We didn't really have any prior experience with this social network and were pleasantly shocked to discover our listing after it popped up high and clear in a Google search one day! I wish to express a warm embrace so far for the attention, as we have been getting very noticeable traffic from it; especially by people visiting or recently locating to the area. It has occurred to us that as self-employed individuals our resume and letter of recommendation IS a series of testimonials and word of mouth. On that note, I unabashedly invite any and all comments that relate your experience with either Kristen or myself as body workers, flattering or not, as long as they are in good nature and honest. You can leave them on our Facebook page, Yelp, or on our website. If you wish to remain anonymous or not have your comments be displayed in a public forum at all, you may confidentially email them to us with that request. Simply put, we want to know what you think! To show our appreciation and because the holidays are rapidly approaching, we have decided to offer the following:
In the moment
CLOSING THOUGHTS
We are sailors. We tend to follow the wind and water as much as possible, yet we remain mindful of each, especially when sailing against them. That said, much of our energy is centered on finding the path of least resistance while continuing to master the art of taking life as it comes and reacting accordingly... in other words, we practice living in the moment. When we do react it is usually directly attached to a specific desire. At times in life, we may wish to maintain the present course, requiring a delicate balance of subtle heading corrections. Other times we elect to change direction entirely, calling for certain and decisive actions. Regardless of either choice, the irony lies in an endless need to alter course in some way. All in all, regardless of our intentions, constant change is inevitable.
Well, that’s the news from us at FLOW Massage & Bodywork. While we make no promises, as electronic networking is not our strongpoint, watch out for an occasional post on topics that may be of interest, upcoming workshops, and any special announcements in between our quarterly newsletters. Specifically, we are putting together a fun hands-on (and feet-on) Introduction to Thai Massage, to be hosted in the first quarter of next year. If you are interested, let us know and start thinking about who you would like to partner with; or come as you are and we will pair you with someone new. Details to come soon!!!
We are sailors. We tend to follow the wind and water as much as possible, yet we remain mindful of each, especially when sailing against them. That said, much of our energy is centered on finding the path of least resistance while continuing to master the art of taking life as it comes and reacting accordingly... in other words, we practice living in the moment. When we do react it is usually directly attached to a specific desire. At times in life, we may wish to maintain the present course, requiring a delicate balance of subtle heading corrections. Other times we elect to change direction entirely, calling for certain and decisive actions. Regardless of either choice, the irony lies in an endless need to alter course in some way. All in all, regardless of our intentions, constant change is inevitable.
Well, that’s the news from us at FLOW Massage & Bodywork. While we make no promises, as electronic networking is not our strongpoint, watch out for an occasional post on topics that may be of interest, upcoming workshops, and any special announcements in between our quarterly newsletters. Specifically, we are putting together a fun hands-on (and feet-on) Introduction to Thai Massage, to be hosted in the first quarter of next year. If you are interested, let us know and start thinking about who you would like to partner with; or come as you are and we will pair you with someone new. Details to come soon!!!
