With its world-renowned parties and natural abundance ranging from jungle, waterfalls to emerald-hued ocean, Phangan has drawn visitors from all over the world. And while some have come and gone, others have decided to stay and make the island their permanent home.
But Phangan has a lot more to offer than just parties and nature, it’s also home to various spiritual communities or “conscious communities” promoting everything from veganism and yoga to all sorts of therapies and spiritual explarations including women’s circle and sister’s circle.
Among foreign travellers and expats who make up the majority of these communities is Pallavi “Pally” Boonsiriskul, a Thai-Indian woman who holds a workshop called Sensual Embodiment. EQ catch up with Pally to find more about what she refers to as women’s work, feminine spirituality or goddess movement.
“It’s about restoring the balance between these two energy polarities in human society. Throughout human history, we’ve always lived in a society full of yang energy. This male energy causes us to move through life in a hurried manner because we value success above all else. Yin energy, on the other hand, allows us to move slowly and quietly according to the rhythm that we can feel with our hearts. It teaches us to value everything we experience with all our senses.”
“Every woman has a hidden power within herself. One of the jobs women do is to bring out their provocative power without feeling ashamed of being judged. And that's where Sensual Embodiment comes from. It’s being at one with your own sexual energy.”
“My workshop lasts 5 weeks and the first week is all about bringing out the femininity in you. Many of us don’t even know how our genitals work. We are missing out on such subtle things in a world full of yang energy. I’ll help you to understand the balance of these two energies. And while human beings are made up of body, mind and soul, we are only aware of the existence of the first two. The reason why we don't realize the importance of spiritual work is because we live in a society that doesn't value it. In fact, it is indispensable for us because it is essential for us to realize our purpose in life, and the purpose of this workshop is to enable us to balance our body, mind and soul.”
“Each week we gradually get to know the unique femininity within ourselves until we are able to unlock the quintessence of your raw selves without guilt. This course is called ‘The Activation’ or the beginning of independence in oneself.”
“What is an activation? Well, it’s actually a portal to discover what everyone already possesses deep within. It can be getting into the true goal of life, having keener senses and perceptions or being confident in yourself. This is then followed by ‘shadow work’ or getting to know your own dark side that we always try to hide so that we don’t run away from it. We will learn to embrace this inner demon and love it. Finally, we will get into ‘mirrow work’ which allows us to fall in love with ourselves by coming out of this unconditional space and accepting everything we really are. The next step is to dispel the feeling of shame caused by the conditions created by society and to enter the final process that leads us to true inner freedom and the release of our feminine self. We’re free to be the woman you want to be without feeling guilty because we truly accept this womanhood inside of us.”
“In the course, we rely on what we call a set of practical tools for when we feel that the world is on the brink of crisis. Or when you want to restore the balance of mind, body and soul. It took me three years to learn to fully harness these tools and I’m condensing them into the 5-week workshop. Each week, I aim to create the space for my participants so that they can grow each week until they’re released from various bondages that prevents them from accessing the power that resides within, and reclaiming the freedom to truly be yourself. This is what it means to live according to your true purpose and purpose of being alive.”
From my own recent experience of participating in Pally’s shadow work, I saw how jealousy came from this feeling of inferiority a woman has when comparing herself to other women. It’s such an uncomfortable and difficult thing to overcome. Pally gave me an answer that I'm very grateful for.
“Jealously is a good thing because it tells us what we want and allows us to see the purpose of our existence. In a world where yang energy is dominant, negative feelings are often judged entirely as negative because yang is all about reflecting only the bright side while yin is to go into the darkness to reach knowledge born of intuition without judgment.”
“From my personal experience, I found that the more we experienced the darker side of ourselves, the more happiness we found. It was comparable to the roots of a tree, the deeper it pierced the darkness of the ground, the larger the tree trunk grows.”
In a world where almost every woman faces the same problem as a result of the beliefs and attitudes of society, we’re made to feel like we to compete with one other. It’s not easy to live in the world where our value is being judged based on our appearances, status, and education. Through Pally’s workshop, I have come to realize the true meaning of “Goddess Movement.” We all operate under the Divine energy which connects us all from deep within.
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