Grow

letting go of image

Shaving My Head

A Practice of Detachment, Reminder and Inspiration

Om Namah Shivaya

(I Bow To My True Identity)

ego detachment

My name is Elicia Woodford, I am 35 years old and currently living in Koh Samui, Thailand.  My business ePowerMe is about releasing thoughts, behaviors, beliefs, toxins, and stress that keep us from being who we really are and fully alive. I am launching another business called Samui Healing which is designed to provide cleansing information, services and resources to support ePowerMe’s mission. I’ve personally done many various body, mind and material cleanses this year. Cleansing is about getting rid of what we don’t need that is attached to the ego like stress, social pressure, and an image that is identified with the body and material things.  I decided to end my year of detox with a spiritual ego cleanse by shaving my head to detach from society’s pressure of looking a certain way and caring what others think.

Reasons, Reminders and Inspiration:

v    Spiritual Detox and Detachment

• Detaching from ego, image and identity

v    Source of Happiness

source of happiness

• How you feel is dependent of what you are thinking and the health of your body.  If you are overly concerned with physical appearance, and what others think, then you will cause unnecessary stress and unhappiness.
• Most people think that if they look good then they feel good.  If you dig deeper on what it is costing you in stress and worry to look good you will see that is not true. 
• Pay attention to your thoughts “My hair is too short, I wish my hair was straight/curly, my roots are showing, I want to look like Angelina Jolie, I can’t go out with this pimple, I need my teeth whitened, I wish I was skinny, my nail chipped…”
• All the physical things that seem to matter most are impermanent and will change.  Your hair will grow, your nails grow, you choose to adopt a clean natural diet and your skin and hair glow plus the extra 5 pounds comes off without trying.  With this awareness you can focus on what matters most in life: the health of your mind and body.
• I’m not saying to not care how you look and to let yourself go but instead let society’s pressure of how you should look go. Care more about what thoughts you let in your mind and what you are putting in your body.  Know what thoughts and food either feed you or deplete you.  Your happiness depends on them.
• Focus your energy up towards who you are, how you live, and your potential instead of down towards what you look like, what you have and comparing yourself to others.  Become aware by asking yourself, “Does it matter, does it make me happy and is it beneficial to my life?”
• Another thing to be aware of is how you treat others and your generosity.  When you give selflessly and are kind to others you feel good about yourself.  Practice compassion on yourself, while making changes, and you will feel good and be able to relate to others with a better understanding.

v    Cancer

prevent & heal disease

• Cancer is real and can heal.  Place importance on trying to prevent it by improving your lifestyle choices. 
• Cancer, and other illnesses, can only live in a toxic and deficient environment. The best defense towards disease is a healthy body.
• Focus on boosting your health with detox, cleansing and nutritional therapy.

v    Patience & Dedication

• Patience is needed for growth and development.
• Developing the mind with awareness and compassion for yourself and others requires practice and patience.
• Be excited to see what develops at each stage of the growth. It is about the journey and not the destination.

v    Embracing Natural Beauty

live & radiate from your heart and nature

• When you live from your heart and nature you radiate natural beauty.
• I am releasing what is not me (chemicals) to let my natural hair and self shine through.

v    Re-birth

• 2009 detachment & detox – from the things that I don’t need, that cause stress and unhappiness.
• 2010 birth & new development – caring and nurturing my mind and body like a newborn.

Let go of what you are not to find out who you are!

Credits:

Hairshaver – Dany Lopez,  samuihair@yahoo.com, +66 (0) 81 787 4893

Blue Sarong – Donated by Ta from Thai Organic Life

Photographer & Samui Healing Model - Carrie Bain

Spirit of Kamalaya

A couple of days after my cleansing program ended at The Spa Chiang Mai I flew directly to Koh Samui to make it in time for the Healing Forum during the Mala Festival.  The Healing Forum was held at Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa, who just won six 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards, including the Crystal Award for Favorite Spa in Asia.  I stayed at this “wellness paradise” the night before the forum and was able to experience some of what they have to offer the day of the forum.  They get my vote for best spa but it’s hard to even call Kamalaya a “spa”, they are so much more.  Kamalaya is a very special and sacred place.  This is the spot for those looking to reconnect with themselves holistically and in luxury.

When I landed in Koh Samui I knew there was something different in the air and felt my soul’s desire to stay.  Thailand is at the top in the world for wellness travel, and Samui is where to go for healing.  My wellness guidebook received a more narrow focus upon arrival.  I decided to stay awhile, research and discover all of the healing services on Samui. Samui Healing was born to provide the information to help people decide which program is best for what they are looking for.  The Healing Forum turned out to be very synchronistic for me since the main topic of discussion was the need to have all of the wellness resources on the island in one place, through an online wellness directory. This project lives in my heart and is something that I tried to do almost 2 years ago in the US, called wherewellness.com.  I’m not sure if I will end up helping them with that project but I know there is a need for an online, printed and personal healing guide.

joining together at the mala

I’ve spent over 2 weeks now researching and experiencing most of the cleansing programs on Samui.  Kamalaya may be the favorite but it’s not the best choice for people looking for a fasting program or raw food. That’s why I am passionate to help lay it out to make it easy so that each person can decide which is the right choice for him or her.  We all know what is good for us; we just need all of the information in order to make the best decision.  So far, I’ve researched over 10 different cleansing programs and still have a few more to visit before the end of the month.  Already I’ve  helped a few people in passing and I am excited to see what develops.

simple & powerful green smoothies

In addition to the various cleansing programs on the island, Samui is also home to many individual practitioners/healers to help support everyone’s overall well being.  The one that has impacted my life the most is inspirational Jennifer Thompson with Healthy Bliss.  She gave me my first crystal reading, which accurately showed me where I was with my chakras and what was happening in my life. It confirmed what I needed to do to be more in balance, which I am still working on.  The Green Smoothie Gathering she held last week was the best thing (for me) that I’ve experienced so far in Samui.  I’ve know and experienced the power of eating raw foods over the last 2 years but had not learned about the power of green smoothies until now. I’ve been struggling with how to eat a raw organic diet like I did in Atlanta since I arrived to Thailand a few months ago.  It was great to discover The Spa’s Radiance Restaurant, which is the only one on Samui (and one of the few and best in Thailand) that prepares raw meals.  When deciding on which part of Samui I wanted to live, my only criterion was to be in walking distance of The Spa for the raw food.  After awhile though, as with anything, I was looking for variety and a way to eat at home to save money.

gotu cola smoothie = happiness

Jennifer’s green smoothie class was just what I was looking for and more! Here is an excerpt from Jennifer’s handout: “Green leave are the only food source in the world that can transfer sunshine into energy.  They do this by creating chlorophyll.”  Chlorophyll is the edible energy from the sun.  Using a blender is not only fast and easy but it is powerful because it breaks the greens down so that our bodies can absorb all of the minerals and valuable nutrition they contain and we crave.  What about juicing?  Well juicing is good if you are fasting (to give your body a break from digesting to eliminate toxins) but when you juice you strip the fiber and antioxidants from the produce.  Jennifer’s passion and knowledge inspired me to immediately buy a blender, cutting board, knife, smoothie container, and fresh produce.  I’ve had 2 smoothies a day ever since and each time they are delicious and different.  This morning I blended an apple, fresh ginger, lime, cup of water, kale, romaine, parsley, banana, ground flax seed and bee pollen.  All of the produce I bought yesterday when I rode my bike to the street market for under $2.  I am a full blow green smoothie addict and I love it!  I feel so inspired and vibrant.

sunset at silver beach

My life here is simple and ideal.  I wake up and walk to the most beautiful beach in my backyard to do yoga, meditate and swim at sunrise. I come back to my room to chop some produce I bought at the street market the day before and blend it up.  After I drink up the vibrant energy, I wash the blender, knife and cutting board all in my shower.  I realize I don’t need much to be happy and actually not having much makes me happy.  Live raw, live simple, and be happy.

After I finish my research at the end of the month I’m planning on living with the monks at a temple on the south end of the island.  I’m learning to sit with all of the ideas I have swimming around in my head and take the time to watch them develop.  Sitting in quiet meditation with no distractions is something I’ve been craving for a year.  My spirit blossoms when I’m at the temple and I’ll be able to teach the monks English while at the same time learn Thai and actually practice Buddhism.

morning meditation

Yesterday I wrote a testimonial for Julia Griffin with One True Self and I came to realize that exactly a year ago I started to manifest my life that I am living now.  Here’s what I wrote:

Julia is a very gifted intuitive and has helped me manifest my dreams that I am living right now.  I first started to work with Julia in Oct 2008 and participated in her manifestation ecourse. It was exactly a year ago and I was going through a painful process of losing everything I owned. Out of survival, I started to wait tables and feel depressed. Julia helped me stay focused on my vision and dream that lived in my heart.  She leads powerful live group meditations each week that she records and provides in mp3 format to listen to on your own. During these meditations I could see and feel myself living in Thailand on the beach while working on my mission to inspire and empower others.  I’m writing this right now from my balcony in Koh Samui, Thailand on the beach while I research and write about all of the healing programs on Samui.  I get daily message from people around the world thanking me for my inspiration. My heart bursts with joy and gratitude for Julia and my life that I’ve created.

This morning, as I was walking down the beach, I remembered seeing the same beach image in my manifestation exercises with Julia.  I remembered the joy that I felt in the picture that I am now feeling in my whole being.  Dreams do come true when you listen to your heart.

feeling the joy

What I contribute that has helped me really be able to listen to, and live from, my heart is the OneDream course that I completed in January 2009.  I also just wrote a testimonial for the School of Humanity and Awareness at CIK this same week that I am ending this post with.  I am filled with gratitude and love with this reflection.

I am forever grateful for finding the School of Humanity and Awareness at CIK.  I started with The Inner Knowing Course 4 years ago, which awakened something deep inside me that craved to know more about myself.  Since then I submerged myself into everything they offer (except the singles course, and yes, I’m still single :) Each course helped me open up to really know and listen to myself.  It is impossible to say which course was my favorite.  They all were in so many ways; building upon and complimenting each other.  How my life was before the SOHA and how I am now seems like a different lifetime.  I believe OneDream impacted me the most. It has really opened me up to trust and listen to my heart’s desire.  Some of the changes I’ve experience since starting OneDream are: quitting my 10-year corporate sales job, creating a business for myself to help others, release things that no longer serve me (including all of my material possessions) move to and thrive in Thailand.  I am so different then how I was before the SOHA  and now so me. I am living my life fully!

There is only one journey. Going inside yourself.
Rainer Maria Rilke

My Thailand journey just made a stop to go inside myself for a proper cleansing. Gandhi realized to change the world first he had to change himself. To heal the world I must first heal myself. I started The Spa Chiang Mai Resorts’ 7½ day Cleansing Program on Monday, September 14, 2009.

all signs point to health

When I arrived on Friday I did not know I was going to stay and go through the program, however, my body did. I’ve learned to pay attention to my body now and really listen to it. As soon as the driver pulled into the property I started to feel very uncomfortable and bloated. My digestion is so messed up from living in Thailand these past couple of months. The land of smiles overall is a healthy place to live since wellness is a part of their life and culture. Back in the US, my body had been used to mostly organic, raw, plant based foods, which is very rare to find in Thailand. We are so fortunate to have the choice.

In Ban Phe, where I lived for my first month, there were no raw organic choices. I was at the mercy of overcooked (dead) stir-fried veggies that were smothered with cheap oil, MSG and who knows what else. The workload was a lot and I was drinking caffeine with sugar all day to stay focused. I was eating and drinking things I was not used to digesting. After the course I was able to cut out a lot of things that I knew were causing trouble but I still felt like I needed help. I love how my life works out; I always find what I need when I need it.

table reminder

I was excited to talk with Guy Hopkins, the founder and pioneer of healing health spas in Thailand, to learn about his journey and resorts. Our conversation inspired me to listen to my body and take a break from my Thailand journey to stay and go through the program. I did a pre-cleanse diet for 3 days to prepare my body for the fast. That consisted of eating just raw organic fruits and vegetables as well as drinking a liver flush twice a day. In addition to their extensive and delicious menu in the Radiance Restaurant, they also have a Faster’s Menu. The first 2 pages of the Faster’s Menu has a list all of the liquid choices you can have during the 7 day fast and what you can order on days 1-4 when breaking the fast. The fast list includes “spa” vegetable broth soup with a few variations, wheatgrass, liver flush, vegetable juice, carrot juice and my saving grace – fresh coconut water.

what feeds me

If you know me you know how much I love health and detox. I may be even a bit obsessed with it. I’ve done different detox cleanses on my own now for 17 years. It started in college when I was reading The Chinese Book of Health and History and the Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity. I found out that Guy Hopkins was also reading the Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity around the same time. I’ve tried The Master Cleanse 3 times over the years, fasted with juice and water, ate clean and took herbs to detox, spent a week in an Ayurveda detox spa for panchakarma and I’ve also enjoyed many colonics. What Guy Hopkins has developed over the 14 years here in Thailand has just blown me away.

detox center

This is the most thorough cleanse I have ever done and most likely the best deal around. The program is well organized and very supported. They start by emailing, as well as giving you on arrival, “Your Cleansing Fast Step By Step Instructions” booklet. You then meet with the health director before your cleanse to go over what to expect and to answer any questions. Afterwards you schedule a viewing of Guy’s introduction to the program and colema video. In the instruction booklet there is a cleansing schedule to follow everyday that keeps you busy and full.

Each day starting at 7am and ending at 9pm there is something to take or drink every hour and a half. At the detox center they specially prepare 5 detox drinks a day (a liquid bentonite and psyllium shake), provide filtered water, resources and FAQs. Each morning they give you 2 packets of intestinal cleaners and herbal nutrition tablets to be taken 5 times a day. Along with a flora grow probiotic to take before bed. The detox center also prepares the coffee colema that you administer yourself twice a day in the privacy of your own comfortable bathroom.

meditation sala

The Spa Resorts also offers a free meditation class every morning at 7:30am. Also available at no charge are many educational in-room videos, as well as, books to take out from the Sawadee (hello in Thai) Center. This is all apart of the Five Habit System to Longevity that Guy advocates throughout. Those five are: cleansing, breathing properly, food combining, exercise and meditation/peacefulness. The extra services available to help support you, and the cleanse, are: yoga, raw food and detox classes, herbal steam, Thai massage, reflexology, and ‘Ampuku’ (abdominal massage and pressure points for elimination). I chose to buy a package of 7 herbal steams and also a package of 7 Ampuku massages, 1 of each per day. A package of 7 only costs around $30.

For those who don’t think they need to clean the inside of their body, try it and see. It is truly amazing and motivating when you see the amount of toxic “stuff” that comes out once you stop digesting food. The right herbal support is also key to pull the toxins and mucoid plaque away that is wreaking havoc on our mind, body and spirit. This “gross” subject is the key to our health and needs to be talked about and addressed. I am reading one of the best books on health and the cause of disease from The Spa Resorts’ library; “Cleanse & Purify Thyself” by Dr. Rich Anderson. I highly suggest the book and this cleanse for radiant health and energy.

“The bowel feeds every organ, every tissue, and every cell in our bodies. When the bowel environment and function has become contaminated or inefficient, the cells and organs in the rest of the body will reflect that contamination and dysfunction. A toxic and acid bowel means toxic blood and lymph, toxic liver and other organs and cells, and poor health.”

organic garden

Our bodies produce this mucoid plaque for protection in an acid environment. To replenish the alkaline minerals and your health, eat raw organic plant based foods and stop (or limit) all intake of acid-forming foods. I will list those here:

Alcohol, all processed foods, anger, barley, bread, cake, canned fruit, cereals, chickpeas, chocolate, cigarettes, coffee, complaining, cooked grains (except millet and quinoa), corn, cornstarch, dairy products, drugs, eggs, foods cooked with oils, glazed or sulfured fruits, ketchup, legumes, lentils, meat, fish, birds, shellfish, mustard, nuts, seeds, beans, oatmeal, pasta, black pepper, popcorn, salt, soda crackers, soft drinks, soy products, stress, white and processed sugar, artificial sweeteners, black tea, overcooked vegetables, distilled vinegar, all forms of wheat.

Already after day 4 of The Spa Resorts’ cleanse my bloat is gone (most likely from all of the mucoid plaque and toxins released), I feel clear, inspired and happy. Seeing is believing and is also motivating to continue with the cleanse and an alkaline lifestyle.

wheatgrass pina colada

Remember to cleanse and purify to feel your power!

Raw & Detox Retreat/Spa/Café

Rasayana Retreat

57 Soi Prom-mitr,
Sukhumvit 39,
Tel: 0-2662-4803-5
email: info@rasayanaretreat.com

my favorite item on menu w/ coconut meat inside!

Rasayana’s café serves up the only raw/living food in Bangkok that I know of. Once you enter the beautiful property you forget that you are in Bangkok. I was amazed that the organic, plant based meals cost no more then I usually pay for local Thai meals.  They even have a variety of raw snacks you can purchase to take home.

clean them out everytime

I selected the Rasayana meridian abdominal massage and a colonic from their service menu. Both services were very effective and made comfortable. For the colonic, they added coffee, milk thistle, aerobic oxygen and red clover. They are in need of an English speaking therapist, especially for those getting a colonic for the first time.  The information on their website is outdated, the Bangplee location is close, and pictures would also be useful.

Bonus: you get a coconut kefir shot after your colonic and ginger/lemon tea after meals.

all of my favorite things

Budget

Thai Massage

Health Land

5 locations in Bangkok

massage = medicine

If you are looking for a traditional Thai massage you can usually walk out of your guesthouse door and have many to choose from.   I’ve had some of the best Thai massages at Health Land. They offer many services to choose from at great value in a nice, clean environment. It’s somewhat of a factory but reliable, if you like your therapist remember their number.

Free

Outdoor Gym

Adult Playground

Lumpini Park

Sala Daeng BTS Station and Silom MRT , at the junction of Rama IV and Ratchadamri road. A free outdoor “gym” that is 140-acre (0.57 sq.km) including colorful exercise equipment and many wellness groups such as Thai-Chi and Yoga.  The groups gather around 6am and 6pm each day. The park also has an artificial lake where visitors can rent paddle boats.

one of the many groups at 6am/pm

Reflexology is a science that maps out the key energy zones of the
whole body on the feet. By pressing these specific areas of the feet,
every organ, gland, muscle and body part is affected. These techniques
are unique to traditional reflexology and are different from the
motions used in other types of massage.

In addition to traditional reflexology which relies on reflex points,
modern reflexologists also consider the feet in and of themselves. The
health of one's feet is a big concern; feet that are healthy and pain
free are very important for one's overall well being and are an
important consideration in reflexology.

What Reflexology Does

Reflexology allows the body to self-correct, cleanse itself, and purge
itself of toxins. This is accomplished by applying a precise pressure
upon specific reflex zones in the feet to achieve a highly specialized
relaxation in the corresponding area of the body. This improves the
nerve, blood, and lymphatic supply. By working on a certain area, the
corresponding part of the body receives improved nerve, blood and
lymphatic supply.

The purpose of
nerves is to carry messages and instruct the body. When the nerves
improve, the instruction also improves, and as a result the body itself
improves as well. Every nerve in the body begins and ends in the hands
and feet. By applying this specialized pressure on the foot, the
outcome is improved instruction to each and every part of the body,
resulting in a re-educating, a re-patterning, and a re-conditioning of
the nerves and instruction through the reflex/neutral electrical system
of the body.

The purpose of blood
is to transport nutrition and oxygen to all parts of the body. It is in
the hands and feet that blood transfers from arteries to veins to
return back to the heart. This is the reason why the feet must be
flexible and dexterous. Stress, which is responsible for 80% to 90% of
ailments, can act like a tourniquet, wrapping around the body,
squeezing so tightly that it causes an impediment of blood flow which
results in an a deprivation of blood to other parts of the body.

Again, by using this specific, highly specialized relaxation technique,
reflexology is able to relax a specific area of the body enough to
improve the blood supply to that area. This will then allow improved
transportation of nutrition, glucose and oxygen which that area of the
body needs in order to function properly.

The purpose of the lymphatic system is to cleanse and purify the body
and lubricate the muscles. A healthy system is a cleansed system;
congestion is disease. The absence of balance in the body is disease.
The lymphatic system cannot cleanse or purify very well if it is weak,
sick or congested. The lymph flows in one direction only, toward the
heart; also every lymphatic vessel begins and ends in the hands and
feet. By using reflexology we are helping the body correct, strengthen,
and reinforce itself.

Imagine a
healthy body that has a strong and well-toned nerve, blood and
lymphatic supply. Reflexology, which is not invasive but persuasive,
can enable the body to obtain and maintain this healthy condition.