Ricardo Martin
Originally from Venezuela, Ricardo began his concentration-based meditation practice almost 10 years ago, practicing occasionally along with the Ashtanga Yoga method – both the practices of meditation and yoga helped him to calm down the mind and to recognize deeper layers of himself. Eventually, his yoga practice led him to Thailand at the end of 2010, and it was here that he found a style of meditation that really changed his life.
During his search for a meditation practice and teacher, he had the good opportunity to practice at Chom Tong Insight Meditation Center in Chaing Mai, located in the north of Thailand. Here, he not only found a very holistic and complete form of meditation practice, but also, he found a teacher that he still currently follows at the moment. The type of practice is called Vipassana meditation, which is based on the fourth foundation of mindfulness; these are:
- Mindfulness in the body
- Mindfulness in the mind
- Mindfulness in the feeling
- Mindfulness in the mind objects
This type of meditation, on top of the meditation based on concentration, gives the practitioner the ability to observe, acknowledge, and recognize the true nature of the mind. During this process of recognition and acknowledgement, the ability of letting go will grow as well.
Currently Ricardo is assisting his meditation teacher, Khun Thanat Chindaporn at the Chom Tong Insight Meditation Center. The cultivation of mindfulness coming from this meditation practice not only helps him to improve his awareness in daily activities, but also, it helps him to understand the Ashtanga practice in a different way, allowing him to apply the knowledge gained through the practice out of the yoga mat.
Kunkanit Phrombut (Joy)
Originally from Thailand, Joy was introduced to meditation at the very early age of 5, and she took the study and practice and study of meditation more seriously 10 years ago. Joy has participated in many meditation retreats on Vipassana meditation, which is based on the fourth foundation of mindfulness. These are:
- Mindfulness in the body
- Mindfulness in the mind
- Mindfulness in the feeling
- Mindfulness in the mind objects
This meditation is the practice truly awakened her awareness and allowed her to understand life on a deeper level – this understanding helped her not only to support herself, but also to support others in this journey. Currently, she is assisting his meditation teacher Khun Thanat Chindaporn at Chom Tong Insight Meditation Center, given her the opportunity to support others in this beautiful path.
Joy values the knowledge from the Vipassana practice, “its shows you the truth of life, it gives us the opportunity to see things clearly as they are, and to be able to let go.”
What you will learn?
You will have the opportunity to experience a Buddhist meditation in Theravada’s Tradition. The technique is known as Satipatthana Vipassana (Insight Meditation based on the 4 Foundations of Mindfulness):
- Mindfulness in the body
- Mindfulness in the mind
- Mindfulness in the feeling
- Mindfulness in the mind objects
In this practice, you will be introduced to walking and seated meditation, using momentary concentration paired with mindfulness based on acknowledgement through mental notes, which allows you to be aware of the 4 foundation mentioned above. One of the strengths of this type of meditation practice is that can be used in any moment during the day, while preforming any type of activity, inviting more awareness into your life.