Morning

03.10.11:  In this class we have a great mix of nationalities.  One Greek, one French, two Belgians, one German, one Italian, three Americans, two Thai, one Japanese, one Serbian.  Everyone is really cool and we are getting along well.  The two Thai girls both work as Thai massage therapists.  I and one of the other Americans are massage therapists as well.  Everyone else is green.  I’m not sure who has the advantage here, but I suspect it might be the MTs – there is a lot of theory that we know and have field experience with that the others don’t. 

Our mornings start out pretty mellow.  Everyone drags their carcasses to the cafeteria to eat and drink coffee.  As I am something of a crab first thing in the morning this is a challenge for me.  (At home I get up and don’t speak to anyone for hours – I plant headphones on and work out on my crosstrainer until I’ve burned 1600 calories – if that doesn’t get the endorphins blasting around my bloodstream nothing will.  Once I get off the machine I feel a bit more chirpy and up for it all.)

At 9:00 we assemble in a room with the teacher and do the morning prayers.  Tradition dictates that we pray to Buddha and to the Father of Thai Massage, Jivaka Kumar Bhacca, every morning before practicing the massage.  This ritual calms me, settles me down and gets me ready.  After prayer there is a moment of meditation and I take this time to empty my head of everything else and get ready to learn.

Tomorrow is our first day of massage!  I can’t wait, I’ve come so far for this and I am SO ready!