Yoga Learners

Yoga Learners

Keith

Matt | OM

Max

Leo

Calum

Nana

Doriana

Yoga Classes with Calum

Location : Nawa Saraan Healing Space, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Backgrounder
I met Calum at the Tuesday vegan dinners with Aman. He is soft-spoken, reserved and a little introspective. He is currently into community development work for an NGO. Before, he worked for the United Nations along the same line.

Calum didn't appreciate the competitive nature he felt in the yoga studios he's been to - thus the one-on-one classes where I tailor-fit a program according to his stated needs - flexibility and strength. He used to be a monk, so meditation shouldn't be challenging. He also goes to the gym for his treadmills and military presses, so the cardio proficiency should be there.

While there will be emphasis on his specified needs, the program is first and foremost, yoga - the entire 8 limbs (moral conduct, priming the body, harnessing the power of the breath, and stilling the mind).

the 90-minute class is always capped by an exchange of ideas and life narratives over coffee/bread

Class 1
(Mar 27, 2021) Being the first class, there was a good amount of overview for the program - spelling out the details, managing expectations and assessing where Calum was with his strength and flexibility.

Class 2
(Apr 3, 2021) A person is only as young as his spine is flexible. Mobility and full range of spinal movement was the focus of this class. It consisted of cobra, sphinx, upward-dog, bridge, camel, locust...just short of the wheel, which will be for later.

Class 3
(Apr 10, 2021) If yoga is a lifestyle choice, then it has to be something beneficial for day-to-day life. Optimizing the digestive system is one of the must-do. With a clean and fully functional gut, vitality is restored and energy remains high.

1. water therapy - ingesting one liter of structured water (running through a funnel full of stones and stirring a vortex), and making it alkaline (adding one lime and sea salt).
2. nauli - one of yoga's shatkriya (purification process) through stomach churning.
3. handstand - twisting asanas were supposed to be next, but this was eclipsed with learning how to jump forward from downward-dog, which was in turn eclipsed by doing a wall-supported handstand. I could have stuck to the original plan, but always, the learning is faster and more meaningful when something relevant and urgent is addressed instead.
4. pranayama - Wim Hof breathing. Calum swears by the benefit of the Wim Hof method
5. meditation - body scanning and gratitute

Long and extended coffee/bread conversation followed where we talked about the Japanese ethical code, sustainability for the planet, writing a book, etc. Calum brought oranges and cucumbers.

Class 4
(Apr 17, 2021 Saturday) conducted at the park. The routine was about functional strength. It was inspired by Chris Sommers (40-year gymnastics coach and trainer for the US Junior Olympic team) and Ido Portal (reigning movement guru). Despite borrowing from gymnastics and calisthenics, this is primarily a yoga practice where physical challenges are only the means to harmess the breath and still the mind.

1. Wim Hof breathing - 3 rounds of 30 breaths, breath-hold at 45, 55 and 50 seconds (Calum's chosen time...better to let this come from students...they challenge themselves)
2. stretching - neck to calves
3. rag doll hang - meditative hang, 3 rounds, lasted 20 seconds/round
4. Jefferson Curl - from no weight and slowly coming down, even making stops to stretch every vertebrae, then light weights, 3 rounds
5. farmer's walk - slow meditative walk, full mindful Ujayyi breathing, rest-stop if needed, exchange weights if assymetrical, and shrugs on the last 20 feet
6. seated meditation - body, mind, emotional scanning, gratitude

Yoga lasted 2 hours and we proceeded back to Nawa Saraan for coffee and bread for another 3 hours. We started yoga at 9am and ended up at 2pm - quite a long day but productive day.

Calum doing the Farmer's Walk (with heavier weight) and doing the Jefferson Curl (with a very light weight)

Class 5
(Apr 24, 2021 Saturday) The focus of this class was supposed to strengthen the heart through HIIT, extend the spine's range of motion through backbends, forward bends, sidebends and twists. Instead, we went full-on with pranayama - Wim Hof, Bhastrika, Kapalabhati, Anuloma Viloma and Ujjayi breath (in that order). Every type of pranayama was ended by antara kumbhaka (breath-hold in the inhale) and bahya kumbhaka (breath-hold in the exhale). Meditation was an analogy of the mind being a mountain range while thoughts from the past and future, as passing clouds.

It was already 1pm when we finished our coffee. Conversation ranged from head-hunting tribes, racism, community development challenges, consciousness as creators of reality, ASEAN's idealized role in South East Asian matters, and current global issues.

Quote of the conversation as it pertained to watching Cowspiracy and Seaspiracy:

"I need to recharge the guilt feelings" (of eating meat)

Class 6
(May 1, 2021 Saturday) The focus of this class is heart strengthening and developing agility in full compliance to the principles of yoga - breathing, staying present, being mindful and not reacting to the increasing difficulties.

1. Wim Hof breathing - 30 breaths with 1 minute breath-holds, 3 rounds. Doing this first already primes the body for what's ahead
2. stretching asanas - head to foot, to warm-up the body and increase mobility and range of motion
3. HIIT - HIIT has many benefits (burn fat, lose weight, improve blood flow) but my aim for this session is cardiovascular development and agility - rope skipping, high knee-taps, butt kicks, jumping jacks, fast foot-shuffle, switching mountain climbers and abdominal bicycles (credit to Chris Heria). 2 sets, each with 7 routines for one minute followed by one minute of Wim Hof breathing. 2 minutes in child pose between the 2 sets.
4. pranayama with breath-holds at the end - 30 Wim Hof breaths, 30 secs bhastrika, 1min 20 secs kapalabhati, 5 mins anuloma viloma, 5 mins ujjayi breathing
5. meditation - savasana with body scanning, 5 mins

The session lasted 4 hours - workout for 2 hours followed by 2 hours of coffee/bread conversation which touched mostly on movies - what makes a good movie, reviews, movie classics. Calum took up movie making in his university. He always brings fruits with him for sharing as well. This time, oranges and rambutans.

high knee-taps for 1 minute followed by 1 minute of the Wim Hof breathing

Class 7
(May 8, 2021 Saturday) The focus of this class is core strengthening and pranayama

1. breathing - 3 rounds of 30 breaths/round, hold on the last exhale while being completely relaxed, hold on the next inhale while engaging mula, uddiyana and jalandara bandha, releasing slowly with a constricted throat on the last exhale. This is one round.
   1. 1st Wim Hof breathing - full deep breathing with no pause
   2. 2nd Sadhguru tongue-out - breathing through the mouth, producing audible sound on the breath, no pause
   3. 3rd Sadhguru tongue-in - tongue pressed against the upper soft palate as close to the nasal cavity as possible (nabho mudra), breathing through the mouth, producing audible sound on the breath, no pause
      
      
2. stretching asanas - head to foot, to warm-up the body and increase mobility and range of motion
3. core workout - leg raises, seated Russian twist, seated in-and-out, flutter kicks, chair crunches, hip raises, bicycle, boat, high plank, static side plank, dynamic side plank, superman
   One round of 45 seconds, followed by 1 min of Wim Hof breathing
4. pranayama with breath-holds at the end - 30 Wim Hof breaths, 30 secs bhastrika, 1min 20 secs kapalabhati, 5 mins anuloma viloma, 5 mins ujjayi breathing
5. meditation - savasana with body scanning, 5 mins

Class 8
(May 15, 2021 Saturday) The focus of this class was to go back into traditional yoga asana, primarily, the Warrior poses - Surya Namaskars, Warrior 1 & II, Trikonasana, and Parsvakonasana.

1. breathing - 3 rounds of Wim Hof with up to 1:20 breath-holds
2. asanas - mostly warrrior poses linked through Ujjayi breathing and interspersed with Wim Hof breathing
3. pranayama - Wim Hof, Bhastrika, Kapalabhati, Anuloma Viloma
4. savasana - body scanning

Warrior poses

Class 9
(May 22, 2021 Saturday) Leveling-up, this class is Adhitthana Prana Vayu - point-of-failure asanas, pushing the limits of the body to practice equanimity of mind. This is interspersed with progressive Wim Hof breathing with full bandhas and maximum breath-holds. After 8 classes, Calum should be ready for this.

1. Wim Hof breathing - 3 rounds, 30-40-50 breaths progressively, holding the peak breath-hold at 1.30 mins
2. stretching - head to foot
3. Vinyasa | Adhitthana-asana | Wim Hof breathing (with breath-hold) sets
   • tadasana with arms up, interlaced hands and balls of feet
   • chair pose while holding on to rails
   • high plank
   • superman
   • hand-stand

wall-supported handstand

Class 10
(Jun 5, 2021 Saturday) Today's class was done at the park. Yoga has no cardiovascular component, so to fortify the heart, I add a high intensity interval training (HIIT) into today's sequence. One round consists of 1 minute of HIIT and another minute of Wim Hof breathing.

1. Warm-up - full-body warm with focus on the legs
2. HIIT - rope skipping, high knee taps, butt kicks, fast-foot shuffle, jumping Jack, switching mountain climbers and abdominal bicycles.
3. Pranayama - bhastrika, kapalabhati and anumoma viloma
4. Savasana - body scanning

Class 11
(Jun 19, 2021 Saturday) Today's class was a return to traditional Ashtanga-ish yoga flow. Even though there is more flow asana, I underscored that the main focus of this class remains the same - mindfulness on the breath, the breath synchronized with movement, and asana all the way to its safety edge. Mind, breath and movement work together seamlessly in a divine dance.

1. Surya Namaskar A & B - 3 rounds each.
2. Standing One-Legged Asanas - tree, hand-to-big-toe, half bound lotus standing/forward pose, eagle, and Lord of the dance
3. Seated Asanas - seated forward bend, head-to-knee, cobbler's pose, diamond pose, sage twist pose, ankle-to-knee-to-ankle forward bend and linked vinyasas
4. Wim Hof breathing with Mandukasana mudra - 3 rounds
5. Savasana - corpse pose while body scanning

post-class coffee, talking geo-politics, crypto-currency and being the UN secretary general

Class 12
(Jul 4, 2021 Sunday) Today's class was focused on exploring the full spectrum of Hatha Yoga's duality and its pragmatic application in our day-to-day lives. By using a bow for analogy and visual imprint (I actually fabricated one), I demonstrated what the body is doing when doing inhale and exhale on an asana.

I've been introduced to this obscure concept many years ago in the Philippines in a Master Class when I asked a question to my teacher then, Veer, when he described 2 opposing body scenario when an asana is held. Example, Parsva Konasana (extended side angle pose). On one hand, he said nearly all muscles are engaged - knee pushes against tricep, tripcep pushes against knee, fingers reaching out as foot edge digs into the mat stretching the body-side like a knife-edge, shoulder twisting to open the chest, head turned to the sky, etc. On the other hand he also stated that asanas are supposed to be held in a steady relaxed state. Hmmm. How could both be possible at the same time? He explained that asana can be intensified on the inhale and relaxed on the inhale. That made sense, but I didn't do anything to explore that angle.

Fast-forward to Ubud, Bali (Indonesia) when Andrea Paige devoted a class on the meaning of Hatha Yoga at The Yoga Barn. We practically spent the next 10 minutes learning just how to pronounce the word. I came away from that class more curious than ever about this duality being a singularity.

Through deepening practice in the following years, this concept became more concrete. In my own practice and other classes, I would intermittently implement this approach - full-body engagement on the inhale, and steady state-hold on the exhale. It was powerful.

It was only in Tom's Ashtanga Primary Series that I employed it full-on in all asanas. It was so intense I thought I would pass out, despite my fitness and proficiency. That was epiphany! Just how powerful is this?

INHALE:
On every inhale, the 'fight or flight' SWITCH is turned on, visualizing that I am on a stare-down with a hungry lion. All muscles are engaged - stretched-out or contracted, ready for an all-or-nothing fight to the finish. Explosive energy is primed to be unleashed and the body prepares to launch like a wound-up spring. Inhalation is continuous even when the lungs are full and no more air is coming in - keeping the tension on the bow as it is pulled all the way to its safety edge.

EXHALE:
On the exhale, the switch is turned-off. The lion has vanished. The warrior morphs into a monk. The body eases off but still holding a steady pose. The bow is eased from 100% to 80%. The heart begins to pump slowly. Out-breath continues even when the lungs are already empty and no more air is coming out...in an unbroken motion of letting go.

INTENTION:
Unbeknownst to most people, they give up control of that switch and let the turn of events take over. They are even oblivious to the fact that they can actually regain that control. Without that control, they can remain angry for hours needlessly. Painful episodes from the past or worries about the future linger for days before they dissipate. The immune suffer from continued stress and the body gets sick. By exercising control in turning the switch on when the need for protection is imminent, we circle the wagons and brace ourselves. When the danger or conflict is over, we turn off the switch so the body can resume digestion, restoration and cell repair. The body's functionality is not impaired and health is optimized.

When the shaven WARRIOR is flanked by his protector twins

Ending Thoughts
This private one-on-one class was later replaced by a group class where Calum continued to be a part of. Those 12 classes spanning 3 months went by fast. With his ongoing participation in my Saturday group class, I hope he finds resonance being in group setting for yoga. The people who attend my class are pretty much filtered for their energetic vibe. Ultimately, this new Saturday class is a chain to which we make the individual links with - many strands twisted together to make a stronger rope.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

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Chiang Mai INFORMATION

Chiang Mai Map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

IMPORTANT PLACES
Bus Station
Train Station
Chiang Mai International Airport
Nong Buak Hard Park - free yoga classes daily

HOTEL
Arun Dara Villa - 7 exclusive rooms, 1 swimming pool for every room, grand opening
Nawa Sheeva Hotel - big rooms, high ceiling, salt-water pool, restaurant, cafe
Nawa Saraan Hotel - low density (4 spacious rooms), stone garden setting, Koi fish pond, Old City location
Arun Suite - 3 bedrooms in a 3-storie guesthouse within Old City, ideal for families

RESTAURANT
La Pizza Chiang Mai - Italian pizza, pasta, wine, dessert, coffee
Natural Bird Nest by Burapa - authentic bird's nest soup

WELLNESS
ITM - International Training Massage School - Chiang Mai's most prestigious massage school
Float Chiang Mai - sensory deprivation float pod
Zira Spa - upscale authentic Thai massage and spa treatment

MOTORBIKE RENTAL
Tawan Bike - motorcycle rental | +66 91 635 2863 | Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200

Travel Tips for Thailand

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