Ni Hao from China_yoga time

  Beijing, China
Saturday, August 26, 2006

Hello People,

I have been in China for quite a while already...staying in a yoga center for all this time. To focus more on myself and not doing any sightseeing really. Feels very good.

How/Why at the yoga center you might wonder?
Well that's where my China story starts....

In Mongolia I was already in touch with Roman, a guy co-organizing this retreat walk. We started talking and I was very interested to join. However as the exact became know, I was already on my motorbike cruising West. We stayed in touch, as he was traveling to China as well, we thought of traveling together for a while, by bicycle and hitchhiking was one of the options. As I made my way to Being he wrote me he was in this yoga center west of Being. If I wanted to come over and see how and what. I arrived to Being, in short: SMOG, LOTS of PEOPLE and NOISY. Probably still tired from all my adventures in Mongolia, it did not appeal to me much. Did not have the energy to start haggling as well, which is the thing to do in china if you want to save some money. Example: Bought my sunglasses for 70 yuan in stead of 165 yuan!! And could have gotten it for less if I had the energy.

Anyway, after my 2 days in Being, having seen Tiamen Square and trying the famous Peking Duck dish, I was ready to leave for a while. Gyan Giri, the owner of the yoga retreat center (mountainyoga) was so kind to pick me up and drive me to the center. There I met Roman again. He is very seriously into Raja yoga, eating raw food and living the simple life. I needed a break from traveling and focus more on myself. So I decided to stay at this yoga center for at least a few days. Roman told me lots about yoga and I got really interested. Until now it was just a word to me, but now I found myself open to this new topic in my life. Also feel that it can help me calm down in my normal very hectic life, get new energy and I can look more inside than outside. Something I feel like doing ever since I started traveling again. Seems like this time, my trip is not so much about seeing THE sights, but more to do with meeting people I can learn from and getting to know myself better. Trying to answer the one-million-dollar-question: What do I really want to do in my life?

Eating vegetarian food (no more meat for while after Mongolia), getting to know more about yoga and good connection with Roman (as brother and sister), the most logical thing for me was: stay at the center for while longer. My daily activities now consist of: getting up at 06.00, cold shower, 4-5 hours of yoga (asana exercises, meditation etc.), learning how to play the Djembe (African drum), photography and reading (yoga)books.

At the moment I am also in the middle of a vasting period. Roman knows a lot about cleaning your body from the inside and the vasting that goes with it, so took the opportunity to do it now. For me this feels like a new beginning for my body, changing my eating pattern, break the emotional eating habbits and loose some kilos in the process.

How does it work?
The day before cleansing you eat only (little) vegetables and fruit. Next day eat very little raw cabbage, drink 2-3 glasses of salt water and do 5 special asanas (exercises) and go to toilet. Repeat this (drink salt water and do asanas) until all the salt water and other waste is out of your incestines (darmen). Than also drink as much water at possible, and vomit it out (not my favorite thing I found out!!!). After this cleansing the vasting period starts. During this period you clean your big incestine (dikke darm) every morning and evening, by using a small hose attached to a water bottle, stick it in your anus and let the water get inside by gravety. Do some exercises and get rid of the water on the toilet. I know I does not all sound to tasteful, but it is really effective. Luckily I have Sara to support and help me, as she is doing it at the same time. We get to know each other very closely! Hahaha

At the moment I am on day 3 of vasting, still going strong. What are my plans for the near future? Stay at the center a little while longer, than start traveling again towards south China, crossing the border to Thailand. Yes, my initial plan was to travel to West China, Pakistan and Tibet, India, but change of plans.

Why?
Stefan, my brother, has met his thai girlfriend, who is in the Netherlands now for 3 months, going back to Thailand at the beginning of October. As I cannot meet her in Holland, I will go to Thailand to meet her there. Find that far more important than seeing Pakistan/Tibet. Can always do that later

That's it for now.
Will tell you all about my vasting later!
I will put the photos on in a few days, as I will leaving for an (non-active) buddist temple this weekend, doing...more...yoga

Love,

Liekie