What people are saying

The Journey

I was looking for different answers to questions which were reoccurring in my life, when I went to visit Alicia in the summer of 2005. Embarking on my own walkabout in the making for six years, I wanted to start this journey with a different vision. Alicia developed the initial plan of action for me involving a little island in Thailand called Koh Pha Ngan, an exploration of meditation, yoga, and Thai healing massage. Before I left, I was filled with reservations and what-ifs, but Alicia supported her work and her plan for me. She said, “Just get on the airplane, everything else will come in time and fall into place.” With nothing to lose and everything to gain in the spiritual exploration of my Western ideals co-existing with these ancient Eastern ways of being, the experience has been life-altering and more influential than I ever imagined. 

The experience started with a 10-day meditation at Wat Koh Tam under the tutelage of Steve and Rosemary Weissman. Having never attempted meditation before, I entered with unclear expectations for the experience. I found a peace and serenity within the cacophony of noise my brain espoused. After the meditation sit, I moved to the other side of the island for an 11-week Yoga Teachers’ Training Course at Pyramid Yoga, led by Marina Halleran and David Goulet. Inspiration abounded participating in a community of like-minded individuals exploring alternate methods of being and living, as well as Swadhiyaya, or self-study. I discovered aspects about myself that I once thought were lost as well as other aspects that were buried beneath the muck. Once the yoga training came to a close, I began the last leg of this spiritual exploration in a course teaching Thai Healing Massage which was taught by Shama. Understanding the energy lines of the body and the influence of  “hara” in your intentions to heal others brought my four months of study of Eastern spirituality full circle. Being a life-long learner, these four months began my exploration and discovery of a different, healthy, invigorating way of being.

As my walkabout continues on into South America, I take with me the lessons of Buddha, yoga, and Thai culture. I practice yoga daily, the breathing, the stretching, and the meditating and more importantly the visualization and intention I put into the start and course of my every day. Not only did Alicia change the scope and intention of my journey of self-discovery, but also my ways of interacting with the world and my community once I settle down in a stationary setting of existing. Alicia facilitated a journey for me based on my previous experiences and my needs at the time. She has a visionary quality in her ability to intuit the needs of those looking for the difference in co-existence with a way of life that must change for our survival and flourishing.

– Doug Cost, educator