Have
longed for a Yoga retreat and am glad my start is to the Country of Gold -
Myanmar where most people are Buddhists.
Before the set off day, Master Deva connected all 18 joiners via a WhatsApp group : “Looking forward to see you soon. Come with an open heart, wear a smile on your face, enough back up energy and yoga apparel in your luggage. Good night.” Yes - Yoga is not only physical, it opens up our minds and hearts too. The message was well received and we returned to him consecutive morning greetings with smiley emojis the next day.
The retreat was held at the Inle Princess Hotel @ Inle Lake. Master Deva kicked off with a briefing before the Welcome Dinner. He asked each of us to introduce ourselves and share our expectations of the retreat. Surprisingly there was no answer about improving one’s yoga practice or achieving a certain yoga posture. Instead many of us (including me) would like to meet new friends. HaPpy that we are so sync without prior knowing each other. In return, Master Deva shared he would like us to learn & memorise a Mantra : Tvameva Mata and to achieve an inversion posture. As a traveller besides a yogi, he also let us know the planned activities of exploring all wonders of the Inle Lake besides the mandatory morning and evening yoga practices and chanting of the mantra.
Every morning we were woken up by bird chirps and cicada calls to remind our practice starting at 7:00am. Walking along the pathway to the pavilion where we practised, you would see a hundred of water lilies and lotuses, blooming and gleaming under the sunlight. They are like tiny brushes gently soothing your nerves and calming your heart. Among all practices, I like the partner stretch the most. I was fortunate to have Joyce, a senior yoga practitioner, as my partner. She led me to go deeper in each stretch and I sensed her calmness flowing into my body. My feeling of this new way of receiving is so extraordinary and as she explained: We are connected :) I also managed to do half head stand on the last day with her step by step help. All practices were filled up with our laughter together with bird singings and Cicada calls - a wonderful orchestra of nature.
Pagoda visits is my favourite activity. Among all pagodas we visited, I particularly like the Kakku Pagodas Complex. Compared with the renowned Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Kakku is more historic dating back more than 2,000 years with 2,500 ancient pagodas lining up closely in long rows in the hills near the Inle Lake. Also love its crudeness. Though without much maintenance, many stupas are adorned with well-preserved sculptures carved in stucco, some of them show their original colours. When I went into the worship hall through the pink hallway, I was immersed in the ambience - a mix of green and antique gold colours ; a smiling Buddha in the middle, simple silver & white vases with green plants. Soo tranquil and comforting. Another impressive spot was the water pool reflecting the pagodas under the blue sky. The 3 layers: sky, land and water interweaved perfectly in the reflections.
Like most Asian countries, Myanmars are suffering from disparity between the rich and the poor. When we visited the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, I was astonished with the huge amount of donations from the rich. They were manifested in the summit of the biggest pagoda - the Diamond Orb of over 4,350 diamonds with 1,800 total carat ; the Vane of over 2,000 assorted gems and 4,000 gold bells weighting half ton; the Umbrella with over 83,800 jewellery items. The tour guide said the donations would be much more if the government has not declined further donations in these kinds ! The luxuries was a big contrast to what we were experiencing on the street - a child followed us a long way asking for a treat of food as he has been starving. Do hope the government is wise enough to turn all these gold, gems and jewellery to better the life of mankind of their country while fulfilling the wishes of the rich of donating their wealth to God for their own well beings.
The last day practice ended with a coherent group chanting of the mantra : Tvameva Mata and individual experience sharing of the retreat. Have done a bit of internet search to know more about the mantra besides Master Deva’s note on the English meaning of it. One of the searches described Tvameva Mata as a Mantra of Divine Happiness. Master Deva shared Yoga helps us to reach Peace, something greater than Happiness. We are happy when we get things we eagerly pursue. If we do not get those and we are still contended, that is Peace. Happiness is limited while peace is unlimited. Most of the experience sharing included thank you messages to Master Deva, to Gigi and YY for helping at the back and to each other. With thankfulness, we are well equipped to head on our journey of self-exploration and discovery for growth into inner peace.
The retreat has been a trip of friendships. Each of us captured happy moments and contributed to make up a total of 700 photos and videos as shared in our WhatsApp group. Angel has specially made a photo slide show with vivid background music while Zoe has made a video on Master Deva’s sharing. We would cherish these learnings and sweet memories in our life time.
Namaste :)
Shirley with the Lucky 18 : Angel, Athena, Cheman, Connie, Deva, Gigi, Ingrid, Joyce, Jennifer, Louis, Marco, Michelle, Pauline, Thomas, Tung, Wendy, YY & Zoe
Before the set off day, Master Deva connected all 18 joiners via a WhatsApp group : “Looking forward to see you soon. Come with an open heart, wear a smile on your face, enough back up energy and yoga apparel in your luggage. Good night.” Yes - Yoga is not only physical, it opens up our minds and hearts too. The message was well received and we returned to him consecutive morning greetings with smiley emojis the next day.
The retreat was held at the Inle Princess Hotel @ Inle Lake. Master Deva kicked off with a briefing before the Welcome Dinner. He asked each of us to introduce ourselves and share our expectations of the retreat. Surprisingly there was no answer about improving one’s yoga practice or achieving a certain yoga posture. Instead many of us (including me) would like to meet new friends. HaPpy that we are so sync without prior knowing each other. In return, Master Deva shared he would like us to learn & memorise a Mantra : Tvameva Mata and to achieve an inversion posture. As a traveller besides a yogi, he also let us know the planned activities of exploring all wonders of the Inle Lake besides the mandatory morning and evening yoga practices and chanting of the mantra.
Every morning we were woken up by bird chirps and cicada calls to remind our practice starting at 7:00am. Walking along the pathway to the pavilion where we practised, you would see a hundred of water lilies and lotuses, blooming and gleaming under the sunlight. They are like tiny brushes gently soothing your nerves and calming your heart. Among all practices, I like the partner stretch the most. I was fortunate to have Joyce, a senior yoga practitioner, as my partner. She led me to go deeper in each stretch and I sensed her calmness flowing into my body. My feeling of this new way of receiving is so extraordinary and as she explained: We are connected :) I also managed to do half head stand on the last day with her step by step help. All practices were filled up with our laughter together with bird singings and Cicada calls - a wonderful orchestra of nature.
Pagoda visits is my favourite activity. Among all pagodas we visited, I particularly like the Kakku Pagodas Complex. Compared with the renowned Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Kakku is more historic dating back more than 2,000 years with 2,500 ancient pagodas lining up closely in long rows in the hills near the Inle Lake. Also love its crudeness. Though without much maintenance, many stupas are adorned with well-preserved sculptures carved in stucco, some of them show their original colours. When I went into the worship hall through the pink hallway, I was immersed in the ambience - a mix of green and antique gold colours ; a smiling Buddha in the middle, simple silver & white vases with green plants. Soo tranquil and comforting. Another impressive spot was the water pool reflecting the pagodas under the blue sky. The 3 layers: sky, land and water interweaved perfectly in the reflections.
Like most Asian countries, Myanmars are suffering from disparity between the rich and the poor. When we visited the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, I was astonished with the huge amount of donations from the rich. They were manifested in the summit of the biggest pagoda - the Diamond Orb of over 4,350 diamonds with 1,800 total carat ; the Vane of over 2,000 assorted gems and 4,000 gold bells weighting half ton; the Umbrella with over 83,800 jewellery items. The tour guide said the donations would be much more if the government has not declined further donations in these kinds ! The luxuries was a big contrast to what we were experiencing on the street - a child followed us a long way asking for a treat of food as he has been starving. Do hope the government is wise enough to turn all these gold, gems and jewellery to better the life of mankind of their country while fulfilling the wishes of the rich of donating their wealth to God for their own well beings.
The last day practice ended with a coherent group chanting of the mantra : Tvameva Mata and individual experience sharing of the retreat. Have done a bit of internet search to know more about the mantra besides Master Deva’s note on the English meaning of it. One of the searches described Tvameva Mata as a Mantra of Divine Happiness. Master Deva shared Yoga helps us to reach Peace, something greater than Happiness. We are happy when we get things we eagerly pursue. If we do not get those and we are still contended, that is Peace. Happiness is limited while peace is unlimited. Most of the experience sharing included thank you messages to Master Deva, to Gigi and YY for helping at the back and to each other. With thankfulness, we are well equipped to head on our journey of self-exploration and discovery for growth into inner peace.
The retreat has been a trip of friendships. Each of us captured happy moments and contributed to make up a total of 700 photos and videos as shared in our WhatsApp group. Angel has specially made a photo slide show with vivid background music while Zoe has made a video on Master Deva’s sharing. We would cherish these learnings and sweet memories in our life time.
Namaste :)
Shirley with the Lucky 18 : Angel, Athena, Cheman, Connie, Deva, Gigi, Ingrid, Joyce, Jennifer, Louis, Marco, Michelle, Pauline, Thomas, Tung, Wendy, YY & Zoe
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