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May 16-18, 2016
Yoga with Amm Prajna Pitchaya and the Sivananda yoga community of Phan
GPS waypoint: 19°33'04.3"N 99°44'37.8"E
Location: 733 Moo 1, Phan District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand
Off to Phan District
A Sivananda yoga teacher in Phan District accepted my offer to teach free yoga in her studio. I also asked if I can attend her Sivananda class. She said yes. With that, after 5 days in Chiang Rai, I was off to Phan, 40 kms south to stay a day or two.
 class picture at Prajna Yoga Shala
Difficulty at the Bus Station
It was difficult to get the right bus at the Chiang Rai bus station. The way I say "Phan" was different from how the locals say it. With good intentions, they pointed me out to different bus directions. All the signs were in Thai and no one spoke English. I was confused and felt helpless. The right bus was just near me and would have left without me if not for a good Samaritan who took the pains of knowing where I was heading. I really love the Thai people - time and time again, they have given me their time and hospitality.
Google Map Live
I had been using the Google Maps App lately and it's been such a tremendous help. I would put a marker on my destination and then use the "You are here" marker feature on the map. As I get closer to my destination, the "You are here" marker gets closer to my destination marker. I would know exactly when to say "stop" to the driver - saves me tuk-tuk money or saves me a long walk.
The Old Phanburi Bed and Breakfast
At B150/night for a dorm bed and B50/day for a bicycle, I stayed at The Old Phanburi Bed and Breakfast. It's clean and the hands-on owners are friendly, helpful and pleasant. They gave me a discount on the bike rental and even took me to the songthaew station on my departure. Really nice people.
Amm Prajna Pitchaya
Amm Prajna Pitchaya is a Certified Yoga Instructor from the International Sivananda Vedanta who runs her own studio, at Prajna Yoga Shala, in Phan. She has been practising yoga for 3 years. She's the only yoga studio in town and enjoys a dedicated yoga community who practice daily with her. It's a wholesome, supportive and empowered community of mostly women. She would be my yoga hostess in Phan.
Attending Sivananda Yoga Class
I attended 2 of her Sivananda style classes. The asanas (poses) vary slightly with Ashtanga with focus on the chakras from the head going down. So it was a surprise to do a headstand early on in the sequence. I also noticed that poses are held longer. This suits me well. Even if I do Ashtanga poses alone, I usually hold them longer, allowing myself to sink deeper into the pose. I would hold it for 10 to 15 breaths until I feel that I got the full benefit of the pose. In effect, when I do my own practice, I combine many elements of Ashtanga, Sivananda and Vinyasa yoga.
Conducting the Yoga Class
I taught 2 classes. One was core-focused with lots of Chaturangas transitioning into Upper Dog. Since the students are not used to this sequence, it was a challenge to them. But they were strong and gung ho. The second class I taught was more of a handstand workshop. The asanas were warm-ups to all the muscle groups we would use including core strengthening. Finally, we all went to the wall for our inversions. I guess they loved it. Even after Savasana, they still went for the wall!
Post-Yoga Dinner
After the class, the group took me to dinner where we shared ideas, stories and insights. This happened on two occasions. It was good bonding. It's a community I could very well gel myself into.
Ending Thoughts
Like all good things, it also had to come to a close. With only 14 days on my Thai visa, I had to pack up and use up my remaining days in Pai. It was sweet of them to say I could come anytime. I already miss them. Thank you Amm!
--- TheLoneRider
Prajna Yoga Shala
Prajna Yoga Shala
Location: 733 Moo 1, Phan District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand
Website: https://ammpitchaya.wordpress.com
Tel: 089 177 7149
Hours: Mon. – Thurs. : 17.00 – 18.00 and 18.15 – 19.45
Friday: 17.30 – 19.00
Private Class and Sat/Sun is optional on request
Directions: from anywhere in Phan, ride a tuk-tuk and tell them to take you to the Mae San Bridge. They will not know Prajna Yoga Shala. Refer to the Google Map. You can also walk it from the main street.
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- Phan is not a tourist destination. The few foreigners you see here are expats who chose to live here. The closest big city is Chiang Rai, one hour north.
- Go to Chiang Rai Bus Station 1 (the old one) and catch a van for Phan, B40, one hour. The van will pass through the main road of Phan
This is more complicated even though Phan is closer to Chiang Mai than Chiang Rai. There are 3 ways.
- Direct - you get on the bus in Phan and you get off in Chiang Mai. But this is the longest route because the bus makes a circular route south passing through Payao, Lampan, Lamphun before it reaches Chiang Mai - B165, 5 hours!
- via Chiang Rai - you can take many buses going north to Chiang Rai (B40, one hour), and transfer to a bus there for Chiang Mai (3 hours)
- via Mae Lao - (recommended) at the old market, ride a blue songthaew headed for Mae Lao (30 mins, B25). Ask to be dropped off the main intersection where you walk about 200 meters towards 7-11 to catch the Green Bus for Chiang Mai (2.5 hours, B166). You'll arrive at the Chiang Mai Bus Terminal 3 (aka Arcade). You'll need to ride a red songthaew to get to the city center (10 min, B50)
- Nam Lot and the Pha Khong Caves - 15 kms from town center
- Pha Khong Waterfall - this is not too far from the twin caves
Currency Converter
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 Amm 
Prajna Yoga Shala
(May 21, 2016) Also thanks for giving us positive energy. Especially the 2nd class the handstand preparation workshop. Your instructions are very clear and exciting at the same time. We enjoyed a lot.
May 16-18, 2016
»» next story: Climbing up the White Buddha (Wat Phra That Mae Yen)
»» next Yoga story: Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation in Penang
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