Bliss Buddies
What a way to end three days of vigorous asana!
My friend—and YJ Web Content Editor—Andrea Kowalski asked me to be her partner for Saul David Raye's Thai Yoga Massage class on Sunday afternoon, and it was the perfect coda for the weekend.
From the very beginning, Raye encouraged us toward deep relaxation with his honeyed baritone/bass voice. He began by leading us through a classic chant, "Lokah samastha/Sukhino bhavanthu," which he translated as "May all beings everywhere be happy and at peace."
Then he sketched a very quick overview of Thai yoga massage. The name is a bit of a misnomer, he says, since the practice actually originated in India, probably about 2500 to 4000 years ago. The practice combines three important strands of Indian culture: Yoga, Ayurveda, and Buddhist spirituality. Many of the moves bring yoga asanas to mind; other moves incorporate the energy meridians that are part of the Ayurvedic tradition; and the whole practice is grounded in the Buddhist notion of metta (lovingkindess practice).
Any tensions we'd accumulated dashing aroundt he conference, trying to absorb everything at once, melted away when Raye had us lie down next to our partners and then led us through a brief relaxation. "As one of my first teachers used to say, the first step in any practice is simply to be present," he reminded us. "The secret ingredient is mindfulness."
Then, over the rest of the two hours, he coached each partner in giving the other a simple but incredibly satisfying Thai massage sequence. Other than Raye's quiet instructions, the only sounds were contented sighs and even happy groans from the massage recipients.
When the lights finally came up, I glanced to my right, where two more YJ staffers, executive editor Mary Bolster and managing editor Katherine Griffin were happily sprawled in post-massage bliss. "Do you remember exactly the order of all those moves?" Mary asked. "I can't wait to show this to my sisters the next time we all get together!"