Friday, November 10, 2006

Kali's Cairn


A Beautiful Memory of our Sweet Little Puppy Kali. It was a real treasure having you in our lives! May you be on your way to a lighter life and a brighter place. We Love You!


On November 8, our beloved Kali was struck and killed by a car. We buried her in the center of the garden and gave her a special funeral to send her spirit on its way. We buried her on the meditation cushion that she would sleep on every morning as we practiced yoga in the shala.

It is sad for us to have to say goodbye, and we will miss her beautiful little puppy personality, but we know she has now moved on, and has been liberated from her little doggy-life.
As Su (our Yoga Thailand cook) said: "Kali was number one!"

What is Death but a reminder to Live. A reminder to pause more often, to breath in each moment, and to appreciate the people and experiences in our lives. It creates a space for us to reflect positively, to love immediately, and to extend to others true compassion in each moment. Death cannot be an excuse to become "the walking dead" incapacitated by our grief. Rather, it is a invitation to live life more fully, and to make the choice to embrace the opportunity of living in each moment of every day.

It teaches us to stop and observe the flowers, and to plant the flowers of our choice in the garden of our lives, and then to arrange them in the most pleasing way. It reminds us to light candles and incense, so that we may see more clearly the beautiful garden that exists all around us, and so that all our actions will carry with them a pleasant smell. It creates a space and a moment of pause, so that we might breath more deeply and take in all of the sweetness of this life.

From our porch we can see Kali's cairn. The cairn is used to show others the way. It is a beautiful reminder to be present, and to not waste a moment of our time. Outside our little bungalow, the birds still sing, the ocean still crashes on the shore, and we will continue to go on rearranging the flowers in the garden of our lives.

Loy Krathong Festival

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The Loy Krathong Festival is the Rainy-Season Festival of Lights. We are chasing away all the darkness and negative energy and inviting in the Light along with all the positive energy.



The Yoga Thailand staff taught our retreat group how to make their own Krathongs to place on the ocean later that evening.
The Krathong is set out on the ocean as an offering to the Divine. This offering is done to bring good fortune in the year to come, and take away any bad luck from the year that has past.



Here is a picture of Ta making her own beautiful Krathong! The Krathong is made out of the banana tree, and folded banana tree leaves. The center is filled with flowers, three sticks of incense and a candle. When you place the Krathong on the ocean you include a piece of your hair or a little cutting of your clothing, and some baht (money) as a offering to God or Nature or the Cosmic Forces that govern the universe.



Baby May and Little Ni are putting their Krathong out onto the ocean.
Make a Wish and Happy New Year to Everyone!

First Day At The New School!


Getting ready for their first day at a new school, Baby May and Little Ni were looking too cute and super sweet! Thought you'd like to see our little Yoga Thailand Kids all dressed up and ready to start their day!