Peace Of Mind

Karen Tee drops into Luang Prabang to practise the obscure yoga that keeps Aman’s billionaire CEO Vladislav Doronin focussed.

- Karen Tee

Duck Drinking Water. Wild Yak Nudging. hawk holding Breath. these are the names of yoga poses, but they are nothing like what I have learnt in my decade of yoga practice, which features better-known postures like Warrior and Cobra.

For this ancient Tibetan practice called Keksel, each pose is in fact a series of calisthenic style moves that have to be executed repeatedly. For example, for Duck Drinking Water, you stand with legs akimbo and dip your torso multiple times to the ground. On top of this, you have to hold your breath until the end of the sequence.

Even though I struggle to breathe on cue, by the time we settle into the lotus position at the end of the session, my mind feels pleasantly clear, my breathing is finally smooth and I feel delightfully loose-limbed from the repetitive motions.

This style of yoga, practised by followers of the ancient Tibetan Bon lineage is not well known. But now, there are at least five more people – myself included – who have experienced its benefits after attending a retreat hosted by Tibetan-born monk Geshe Chaphur Rinpoche, at Amantaka in Luang Prabang, Laos.

Based in the San Francisco Bay area, Chaphur Rinpoche is the founder of the Gyalshen Institute, which preserves Tibetan culture and traditions. the foundation holds retreats and classes in accordance with the Bon lineage. as a young boy, Chaphur Rinpoche was recognised as the reincarnation of great master Chaphur Phuntsok Wangyal Rinpoche by other high lamas. In 2008, he received his academic Geshe degree from Menri Monastery, the principal monastery for the Bon tradition.