Rocket Yoga. Get There Faster.

Back in my year in India when I was looking for enlightenment one of the toughest part was the goddamn meditation. To sit quiet for a few minutes that’s OK. But for hours! They are saints back there in India, and I’m not. But there are ways to find inner peace, and one of those more active methods is blooming in Thailand: yoga, or more specifically: Rocket Yoga. Get to the fitness nirvana faster.

Larry Schultz? Says something? Argh you ignorant soul. This is Larry Schultz. And Larry Schultz recently brought his Rocket Yoga teachings to Bangkok for the first time. And guess where. At Bangkok’s top yoga studio Absolute Yoga Bangkok. An unintentional namesake of this site. There they find peace of mind by body activity, here by mental work …

Anyway, Larry Schultz has been teaching yoga for 30 years and has influenced yoga practitioners around the world. Bangkokian fellow yoga practitioners felt indeed lucky to have him here. In case you missed this express way to salvation, here’s a short cut. You might wanna give Rocket Yoga or any yoga for that a try. Yoga is booming here. Khun Ben and Khun David, participants at the workshop, sent us this little report with photos by Patrick Thorpe:

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February 22, 2010 | Filed Under Culture & Arts, Health, Body & Mind, Sports & Fun | 1 Comment 

Hail 2010, Year of More Liberal Booze

As we all know, being a wine lover in Thailand is an elitist thing. Imports being taxed over 200%, because wine lovers are considered to be snobs who can afford any price. An average bottle sets you back at least the double of the price you pay in the West. Or even in Vietnam or Cambodia for that, former colonies still honoring their former master’s way of life.

Some good news for a change. There’s a fierce price war between local alcohol producers and importers looming. Prices could fall, partially at least. Starting 2010 the Asean Free Trade Area Afta will be fully established. Afta reduces and – for some products – entirely drops import taxes. Darn free trade and globalization. Meaning imported alcohol will also be cheaper. Import duty on alcoholic beverages is cut down to zero, nullifying the customs tariff.

That doesn’t go down well with our purists who not only pushed for laws that reinterpret what a beer calendar can look like. The radicals of Chamlong Srimuang’s Santi Asoke sect successfully prevented legal Thai companies producing legal alcoholic products from listing on the Thai stock exchange. Perfectly consistent with his yellow insurrection against Thai democracy. But change is in the air:

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December 26, 2009 | Filed Under Business & Economics, Food & Drink, Health, Body & Mind, Nightlife & Entertainment, Society | 5 Comments 

OMG

A problematic ground is always a fertile ground for religions. From a church’s official press release: “More than 36,000 Christians representing more than 1,700 churches across Thailand are prepared to implement My Hope, a successful outreach project of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). Evangelistic meetings will be taking place in homes, churches schools and various other venues all over the country December 17th to 19th.”

Christian missionaries are especially aggressive along the border with Myanmar, now they go more local: “In a country where only one-half of one percent of the population belongs to a evangelical church, the need for the Gospel is tremendous,” said Bill Conard, vice president of international ministries at BGEA. “But the church is ready, and we are eagerly anticipating what God will do through His people.” This new campaign My Hope Thailand mainly targets the local segment:

“My Hope Thailand is an effort driven by local Christians who want their communities to know God’s love in Jesus Christ. These Christians, referred to as “Matthews,” (recalling the disciple who invited friends to his home to meet Jesus – Matthew 9), will host neighbors, relatives and friends to watch a thought-provoking TV program or video, which feature sermons from Franklin and Billy Graham dubbed into the Thai language, as well as testimonies and songs from Thai Christians (…)”

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December 16, 2009 | Filed Under Culture Shock, Health, Body & Mind, Society | 6 Comments 

Swine Flu: Done

Somewhere I read of parties thrown overseas to deliberately get the swine flu in the hopes of becoming immunized. Well, somehow I managed to come down with the flu without a party. Actually not me alone. My wife showed her first symptoms a few hours after mine started. Yes, it seems to spread that fast.

No idea if she brought it into the family or me. There was this guy coughing in the Skytrain, but she had been at some seminar upcountry and was at an Xmas party … No, not a get-the-flu party. Whatever. Was the flu bad? Not too much. Rather felt like a major discomfort.

A first test confirmed an Influenza A virus, with the swine influenza H1N1 being an Influenza A subtype. Final test results just came in. H1N1 2009. I’m fine, but my wife has a more serious version it seems. She came back from hospital with a whole little pharmacy. Including Tamiflu. The doctor though didn’t say a word about quarantine. Keep away from people as long as you’re not well. Should you be afraid?

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December 10, 2009 | Filed Under Health, Body & Mind | 7 Comments 

Walking The Bhikkhuni Path

The cultural tradition of this country has Buddhism at the heart, making Thailand truly unique in my eyes. Everyday, just by speaking Thai, I get reminded of my belief. But like all things beautiful when they become mundane and perfunctory, we stop taking notice and we stop to appreciate. The meanings become dissipated.

This is Buddhism today. Buddhism in Thailand has become a tradition that is blindly followed with little comprehension. It’s no longer a way of life. Deep down we know that it’s supposed to be good so we form superstitious beliefs around it, elevating it higher and higher beyond our grasps.

Buddha, today, has been reduced down to the golden statues that we pray to for help and merit making. The real Buddha, the historical Buddha has become a distant, remote, god-like figure. Prince Siddhartha’s life is read to children just like any another fairy tale. This is not the way I relate to Buddhism or how I truly appreciate Thai Buddhist culture and tradition. Let me tell you what I mean:

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November 18, 2009 | Filed Under Culture & Arts, Health, Body & Mind, The Thai Mind | 5 Comments 

CNNGo

Life in Asia is about to be enriched by CNNGo.com, a new local lifestyle and travel site from CNN. “A work still in progress,” as CNNGo’s Bangkok city editor Karla Cripps tells aB.com, is launching the Asia regional site covering the six city sites Bangkok, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo on September 28th, 2009. Makes you wish to be in Asia, that’s right! Eat, drink, play, shop, sleep, it’s all in there.

Sneak peeks are available, but the curtain’s about to be raised anyway. Initially planned for a June launch and delayed again and again, the site’s editor-in-chief Andrew Demaria took a timeout for a careful preproduction and went for a late September start. An invitation email now promises: “CNNGo is the ultimate insider guide for Asia’s greatest cities. Set to be the definitive, indispensable city lifestyle resource, it harnesses the unrivalled experience, integrity and excellence of the CNN brand in a unique digital destination.”

Sounds like an addition to or even competitor of local blogs? Well, the whole site is a kind of blog. And bloggers will play an integral part within CNNGo. Each city has a dedicated “Local Blog Buzz” section pointing to the very best blogs locals and travelers should know about. All adding up to: “For the most discerning local, the cultural voyeur and the visitor (travelling for business or pleasure) alike, CNNGo compiles the best each city has to offer, often dishing up the unexpected and opening up these cities like never before.”

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September 23, 2009 | Filed Under Culture & Arts, Fashion & Style, Food & Drink, Health, Body & Mind, News & Media, Travel & Tourism, Truly Bangkok | 10 Comments 

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