Yoga At the Orphanage

By John Dunbar 18 August 2008 10:19:00

Yoga at the Orphanage

I wanted to share a special day some of us had recently at a local Hill Tribe orphanage near the resort.  A lovely Australian couple, guests here at Anantara, Golden Triangle, Rory and Terry Crawford, accompanied us as well.  General Manager, Mark Heather very kindly provided us with a van for the journey up to the orphanage, located in a string of mountain ranges near Doi Mai Salong, close to the Myanmar Border.

Just a short history on the orphanage - it began about fifteen years ago as a grass roots project started by Khun Apinat, a gentle Aka man, and his family.  Khun Apinat and his wife, Khun Noon, have five children of their own, but over fifteen years this has grown to forty-two extra kids from the surrounding Hill Tribe villages in the area.  Khun Apinat began the program to allow these kids to have an education as they are all from villages that have no access to public schools.  Their villages are up in the mountains far away from roads or any kind of vehicular transportation.  Without his program these kids would never have the opportunity to attend school. 

My dream has always been to teach some of the kids yoga.  Rory and Terry also do yoga so it was natural for them to accompany us up there.  The one hour drive from the resort was spectacular.  The rains are in full swing in Northern Thailand now and the landscape is covered in a brilliant green haze from the rice fields up to the bamboo on the peaks of the mountains.  We stopped along the way to enjoy a spectacular view that spanned three countries with visibility so clear we could clearly see over forty kilometers all the way to Laos and Myanmar. 

The kids loved the yoga.  They were all naturals at the postures, with the supple flexibility of youth on their sides they flowed beautifully into each pose.  Although most of these kids speak Thai, their native tongue is Aka.  Since my Thai is questionable at best and my Aka almost non-existent, Khun Po, Mark Heather's wife, who is also one of my yoga student in my Yoga Teacher Training Program at the resort, helped translate postures to the kids.  It was all a good laugh and at the end we all enjoyed the close bond that yoga brings to everyone.

After the class, the guests toured the orphanage and were presented with hand embroidered Aka bags that the children had made.  Then the kids sang some traditional Aka songs that really put a wonderful feel to the afternoon.  Rory and Terry made a kind donation to the project and we left with good feelings in our hearts, buoyed by the joy the children had given us.  The big hit of the day was when Khun Po brought out her little DVD player to show a cartoon to the kids.  I don't think they had ever seen a DVD and they crowded around the little screen watching in amazement.  Now I know what to give them for Christmas this year!

Many thanks to Terry and Rory for joining us on the excursion and to Anantara for providing the transportation.  It is days like this that really allow you to reflect on your life and realize how blessed you are to have spend this wonderful time with this kind and loving Aka family, high up in the mountains of Northern Thailand. 

A note to readers: unfortunately, do to raising food prices in Thailand, and a strong Baht, the orphanage has had to cut back on the number of kids it can support in the program.  Last year they had 54 kids and now they have 42.  This is truly a grassroots project with no administration costs.  Every penny donated goes to support the kids.  If anyone is interested in either visiting the orphanage, learning more about this amazing project, or making a donation please get in touch with me.  If you would like to visit the orphanage while you are at Anantara, Golden Triangle talk to the concierge who can assist you with this.

Add your comment

Christina Paris Says
25 November 2008 07:05:00

Hi Mark, I am currently planning my gap year and will be in Hong Kongend of March. I was planning on travelling around Thailand in April, and came across this page. I was wondering if the orphanage would take on any volunteers? Many thanks, Chrissie

ettie higgins Says
21 August 2008 09:52:00

Hi Mark, I will be visiting Anantara Golden Triangle at the end of the month with my friend Kate, and younger sister Daisy. We are coming from ireland. I would like to know how we can assist this orphanage with supplies (most likely we will purchase in Bangkok - such as school supplies? thanks and looking forward to hearing from you soon. best regards, Ettie

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