Discovering Spiritual Awakening: Tania Ho's Journey from Hong Kong to Muse Flower Retreat

When the world feels heavy and our paths become clouded, a story of transformation can illuminate our journey. Tania Ho, the inspiring founder of Muse Flower Retreat and Spa, joins us to share her own metamorphosis after the loss of her father and how it led to the creation of a vegetarian wellness sanctuary in the lush landscapes of northern Thailand.

Through her tale, we uncover the surprising delights of vegetarianism and the profound impact it has on our well-being. Tania , with her deep knowledge of meditation, gifts us with practical advice for finding inner peace in a practice that speaks directly to our hearts.

The dance of fingers and the rhythm of chants can be a gateway to a deeper spiritual experience, and this episode twirls into the elegant world of mudras and mantras. I open up about the grounding energy of the Prithvi mudra, which has greatly enriched my meditation sessions. Together with Tania , we navigate the synergistic relationship between these gestures and the echoing of mantras, crafting an internal symphony that guides us toward profound contemplation and connection.

Stepping into the serene tempo of Muse Flower Retreat and Spa, we sketch a portrait of days spent in harmony with nature's pace. The conversation blooms as we preview an upcoming retreat designed to rejuvenate the weary soul, featuring yoga nidra, forest bathing, and the timeless wisdom of shamanic traditions. For those at the cusp of their spiritual quest, Tania  and I emphasize the significance of trusting your intuition to lead you to the right practices and mentors. Join us for an episode that celebrates empowerment, gratitude, and the myriad roads to spiritual wellness.

Website:  https://musefloweretreat.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musefloweretreat

Instagram: https://instagram.com/musefloweretreat

Chapters

• 0:50 Wellness Retreat and Meditation Tips
• 12:03 Exploring Spiritual Practices Through Mudras
• 20:38 Navigating Spiritual Wellness and Practices
• 26:33 Empowerment and Gratitude in Conversation

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:50

Hello everyone, welcome to our Spiritual Spotlight Series. Today I'm joined by Tanya Ho. Originally from Hong Kong, she is the founder and owner of Muse Flower Retreat and Spa. It's an all-inclusive vegetarian wellness retreat center based in Shing Ra, northern Thailand, offering yoga, meditation and spa retreats. Tanya also serves as a meditation teacher to teach people how to meditate in a fun, easy and practical way and how to trust their intuition. She has studied a number of holistic therapies, including devotional chanting, cacao ceremony, labyrinth walk, shamanic journey, flower essences, energy healing and, I'm sure, a whole lot more. Thank you so much for coming to the Spiritual Spotlight Series. I'm so happy you're here.

Speaker 2: 1:35

Thank you so much for having me here, rachel. Thank you, I'm so excited.

Speaker 1: 1:40

Can you maybe share with us the journey that led you from Hong Kong to founding the Museflower Retreat and Spa and what inspired the significant life change? Right, okay.

Speaker 2: 1:52

So I'll try to keep it really short, because it could be like a whole one hour just talking about that. But actually, you know, after graduating from university, I was working in Thailand already and then, when I was 25, my dad passed away. So my dad had depression. So that was, like you can say, that significant event in my life that really just changed everything. Because that's the one point, like, okay, I quit my job, I don't want to do things that I didn't want to do because life is too short, but I don't know what I want to do, and so that's the first time I attended a retreat and I was in Thailand then. So the first time I actually came to Chiang Rai with North in Thailand for a retreat, um, and you know it was really transformational, like the retreat experience for myself.

Speaker 2: 2:36

And so later on I had this opportunity to build a retreat center here. You know, come back to Chiang Rai to build a retreat center here. It was with an ex-business partner and you know we did the whole thing and after we opened a retreat center, which is about 10 years ago, we had different openings running things. So we split the business and became my own. So that's how kind of like that all kind of started and that's how it came here and I met my husband here. No expectation, but I did. I met my husband here also. So, and now you know we have a family here as well in Thailand.

Speaker 1: 3:13

I love that. I love that and if I encourage everyone to look up her retreat and spa, it is gorgeous, beautiful, like if I ever go to Thailand, 100% will be going. It is amazing. Just the pictures, I'm sure, don't even describe the justice of the beauty that you have there. It's, it's, beautiful. So let me ask you this so you flower retreat and spa is renowned for its all inclusive vegetarian wellness retreats. How does the vegetarian aspect of retreats contribute to the overall wellness and spiritual awakening of your guests?

Speaker 2: 3:48

Well for me, because when I attended my first ever retreat that I said it was a vegetarian retreat and I'm not a vegetarian. Oh, interesting, and it was.

Speaker 2: 3:57

yeah, it was such an eye opening experience because, I always thought vegetarian food was boring or, you know, you'd get fooled from it, and so it was really something that you know. For me, retreat experience is always about dropping, breaking through some kind of habit, or you're dropping something that's not what you're doing on a daily basis. So when I had a chance to open this retreat center even though I'm not a vegetarian myself, for me it's such an integral part of the retreat experience because that's what I had before it was such something that was so eye-opening, so educational and inspiring at the same time, and a lot of our guests who came here they're not vegetarians, and a lot of them just tell me they didn't miss meat. They know that vegetarian food can be so yummy and they're so full all the time.

Speaker 2: 4:46

They're not hungry all the time and of course, partly of course, when you go through the Richard experience, you're on vegetarian diet you just kind of you feel a little bit lighter on your digestive system, especially when we had dinner. It's kind of like a lighter experience. So it all of course contributes to that whole retreat experience. There's this kind of really gentle detoxing. So we're not a detox center, we're not a plastic center, but there's like kind of this detox, gentle, very gentle detoxing experience like happening.

Speaker 1: 5:13

Well, I think it's really important that you's like kind of this detox gentle, very gentle detoxing experience like happening. Well, I think it's really important that you know. You kind of said that you know it gets you out of the normal routine of your diet and going through a retreat is a very transformational experience. So I like that. It's a gentle digestive period and vegetarian food can be very yummy and I think a lot of people you know it seems to be leaning more towards a vegetarian lifestyle or a vegan lifestyle, so I find that fascinating that you offer that. So you're also a meditation teacher, which is amazing. You emphasize teaching meditation of fun, easy and practical way, can you?

Speaker 1: 5:51

maybe share some tips for beginners on how to start the meditation practice and how to stay consistent with it. That's something I also struggle with is how to stay consistent with doing meditation.

Speaker 2: 6:02

Yeah, of course. So to me, first of all, it's important to understand. There's so many different styles of meditation, and so, for each person, I don't know, rachel, what type of meditation have you? So, for each person, I don't know, rachel, what type of meditation have you tried, or which one do you like to do?

Speaker 1: 6:16

What do I like to do? I like to do guided meditations. What I'm most consistent with is like they're like energetic meditations, where you don't necessarily have to tune in and listen to what the practitioner is saying, but it will go to my energetic fields and my higher self will receive the healing in which I need. That I'm most consistent with. I do that three times a week, and then she, every three weeks, she does what's called a tall cups and it's like an hour long session and then she brings in all these different layers of you know healing, which that I resonate with most. But I, what I love to do is the idea of a walking meditation. But then I'm like, I'm always like am I doing this Correct? Am I supposed to be listening? Like I think I'm always like, I'll even text my friends. Well, I think I'm meditating and I've granted, I've been doing this a long time. I mean, I mean years and years, and years, so I'm not new to it. But I like, I'm still like, am I doing this right? I don't know.

Speaker 2: 7:14

So I appreciate any advice you have yeah, well, there are so many different styles of meditation. It's great that you know what style this seems like. You know it sounds like you're following somebody, um, and it's just really you really resonate with what she's offering. So that is perfect. And so you know, what I always like to tell people is there's just so many different styles. It really depends on what learning styles you are, what kind of dominant sense that you have.

Speaker 2: 7:40

So, you know, like visual learners, they might gravitate towards more like the guided visualization type meditation, but a lot of people actually are not. You know, even for myself, I always thought when I was young I was a visual learner, but actually I'm more like a um touch, like a learning through experience, kind of yeah so, um, so, but that's okay too. Like I will say, try different styles of meditation. Um, you know, we see pictures of people like holding a mood on their life, sitting and just breathing, looking really calm. For some people, you know, there is very easy for them to drop in like that, but for a lot of people it's it's not.

Speaker 1: 8:12

So it's also important to remember.

Speaker 2: 8:14

Okay, don't be fooled by the pictures. Just find a style that really matches with you. So when you talk about walking meditation, it can be a type of meditation, and here we're talking about different styles of informal meditation. I think sometimes, when we think of meditation again, we look at pictures where people are just sitting down. We think of meditation again, we look at pictures where people are just sitting down, but actually no, there are dynamic kind of movement meditation.

Speaker 2: 8:37

Walking meditation is a great one, especially for people who feel like they can't sit still. They don't feel, they just feel really restless Labyrinth walk, because we have a labyrinth here. So labyrinth walks are actually really great walking meditation tools. Um, and even if you don't have a physical labyrinth near you, or maybe because the weather is like too cold or it's snowing, you can't go to a labyrinth.

Speaker 2: 9:01

Um, there's something called finger labyrinth. So it's just like you know you this labyrinth pattern printed on a piece of paper and you can trace it with your finger, and the point of when you're doing a walking meditation is to just really engage all your senses. So it's a little bit different than when you're sitting down, closing your eyes. You're kind of like this engaging from the outer world. So you're focusing on your inner world, right, but when we're doing the walking meditation we're kind of doing the opposite, but in a way we're always kind of taking just a different path towards the same goal, kind of thing. So you're being completely mindful, completely present, where you are completely engaging all of your senses and through that then you're kind of going into that meditative state as well, like we're not thinking so much, you know, or just noticing what's going on right and I love the fact that you bring up that.

Speaker 1: 9:50

It depends on, maybe, what sense that you kind of resonate with. Like I myself am also not very visual and I'm more feeling, so I appreciate you bringing up that you don't necessarily have to fit in the box of how somebody is sitting on a cushion and you know their hands and they're they're deeply in trance and I like that. It's like there's all different ways to meditate and maybe find what resonates with you.

Speaker 2: 10:18

Yeah, and what works for you? It can be lying down. You know, a lot of people they said I think one of the most common issues people find is, like I don't have time to do meditation. So, you know, not everybody can wake up earlier, because usually people say you know, wake up earlier. Because usually people say you know, wake up earlier before everyone else. Um, it's also very hard for me so, um, finding the right time for yourself. Maybe it's just before you fall asleep at night that you do a very short meditation. Um, maybe sleeping time meditation that's totally fine too, like so it doesn't have to be a certain way, like how to look a certain way.

Speaker 1: 10:48

Yeah, I love that. I also love sleeping meditations too. I love listening to a meditation as I'm going to sleep, Like that's it almost helps me to sleep better, Like I feel that it's like, okay, let's go. I love that answer. So your holistic approach to wellness includes devotional chanting. You just mentioned labyrinth walk, shamanic journey flower essence and energy healing. How do these practices enhance the spiritual journey of your retreat participants?

Speaker 2: 11:18

Hmm. So you can see, that's kind of like just a variety of different offerings, because when people come here again, like because we're talking about, there's so many different styles of meditation or mindfulness activities, so you know, being coming to a retreat, besides of course, we have yoga, we have meditation, like the pranayama meditation. We also have all these different offerings because we also, you know, people come here. They might not be interested in the yoga but they might be interested in the spa, and what happens is, you know, when you're in the retreat setting usually, or when we're traveling, we're more open to try new experiences. A lot of people like to come here and, okay, I'll just give it a try. Like, maybe what's cacao ceremony? Let me give it a try. What's shamanic journey? We'll give it try.

Speaker 2: 12:03

And so the point of having all these different of course these are the offerings that really I resonate with myself, like I practice them myself because I want to share with my guests as well. And so just, yeah, kind of different ways to experience, you know, like spiritual practices and just see maybe which one resonates. Maybe some people they resonate with some practice more another. So I think the most important just being kind of going back to, like the vegetarian food question. You know, just being really open, trying different things, see which one feels good to you.

Speaker 1: 12:29

I love that. So one of the things is that I'm practicing mudras alongside mantra meditation. Can you explain how mudras can enhance meditation practice and perhaps share personal experience where a specific mudra profoundly impacted maybe your life?

Speaker 2: 12:47

Right. So I think I don't remember how I started with mudra, but then you know because, like I said, in the pictures we see people hold mudras like there must be something and to me, I sort of look at the different styles of meditation through different senses.

Speaker 2: 13:02

So the mudra to me is connecting your sense of touch. You know, if you're somebody who, like me, like to talk with my hands or somebody who's like, well, they were kind of touchy-feely that's. You know, when you hold a mudra it kind of gives one more focus point for yourself, something to focus on. So the mudra that I really like so this is, course, the one that we see in the pictures all the time. It's just a thumb touching the index finger, which is really good, it's. Some people call it chin mudra, some people call it dhyana mudra.

Speaker 2: 13:29

The one I really like, it's called prithvi mudra, which is the earth element mudra. So it's actually your uh sorry, your ring finger touching your thumb and then forming a circle and then you're stretching out the other fingers, yeah, and then. So that's really helping you to balance your earth element in your body and which is a grounding and centering. And what I find is by holding mudra even this little it's like five minutes or sometimes even less, depends how sensitive you are with energy Actually you can start to actually really feel, because mudras are like energetic seals, you know, you form kind of when you close your fingers or put your fingers certain procession. They form kind of like different kind of energy circuits in your body, wow. So I find that really cool because even if you're traveling, if you're on a plane, like you don't know what to do, you can just, yeah, you can even just hold a mudra.

Speaker 1: 14:16

I just want to expand on this a little bit more, on this particular mudra. So in's fast-paced world, many feel disconnected from the sense of grounding, because this is a grounding type of can you elaborate on how this mudra will help in reconnecting, like kind of like you said with the earth element and maybe providing someone with stability?

Speaker 2: 14:37

yeah, so well, I mean the. So it kind of goes like the yoga philosophy. There we have like five elements in the body, right? So, um, so when you close the finger, you put a finger in some way you're forming this closed circuit of energy and this particular mudra is connecting with your earth element inside. So you know, let me think about it is grounding.

Speaker 2: 15:00

So when you hold it, you can, you know, just, I would say, of course, when you hold it, if you're holding it and if you're watching tv, if your mind is somewhere else, you probably may not feel it so much. That's not gonna work, but it's best, you know, if you're holding it it can be closed, of course, you know, if your eyes can be closed, I really like those pictures. Um, then you can turn inward, then you pay attention, that you can really feel it more. Um, I think it's okay to do it open eyes too. For myself personally, my personal opinion, um, but like I said, if it's open eyes, all still, you're there, you're still turning the focus inward, so you're not like yeah I'm watching tv or watching my phone when I'm holding it that's a good point.

Speaker 2: 15:44

I don't know it might work, but you may not feel it. Yeah, because I. So you're not like, yeah, I'm watching TV or watching my phone when I'm holding it. That's a good point.

Speaker 1: 15:48

I don't know, it might work, but you may not feel it. Yeah, Cause I like you're saying like, just because you're holding it, you need to go inward also to really experience the full benefits of it.

Speaker 2: 15:56

Yes, yes, to really feel it, because you can hold it. And if you're not paying attention, there'll be like oh, it doesn't work Right, because the mind doesn't. You don't experience it. The mind is not really focusing on it's like oh, it doesn't work, so this thing doesn't work Right. Okay, rachel.

Speaker 1: 16:07

I love that.

Speaker 2: 16:11

You have to pay attention to it. It's like, okay, okay, let me feel how this works.

Speaker 1: 16:15

I like that when you're leading the meditations you probably would have people holding the mudras to really amplify the meditations that you're leading someone through.

Speaker 2: 16:27

Yes, usually I combine with mantra, so the practice of Japa, which is repeating 108 times with the mantra, and so we repeat the mantra, chant the mantra first, 108 times, and after that we sit in silence for not too long, you know when we're starting out, just maybe for a few minutes, and that's where you will hold the mudra, okay, and the chanting of the mantra. One way it's going to help to make your mind feel bored.

Speaker 2: 16:53

So the way that of course there's many more benefits of mantra because the vibration of the mantra itself, it has its own benefits, just like the mudra um, and so when you chant the mudra it's helped you to kind of drop in better. That's how I find it's faster to drop in into kind of like that inner space, into your inner world.

Speaker 1: 17:12

Is there a mantra that you particularly resonate with, and can you share it with us?

Speaker 2: 17:18

Yeah, I mean, there's so many mantras, but the one that I really love and I do always share with this one, it's Ganesha's mantra. So Ganesha, he is the Hindu deity that has, like, the elephant head I don't know, have you seen him, seen his image before? And so his mantra is Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha, om Gam Ganapataye Namaha. So the meaning if you say the meaning, it's really just I bow to or salute to Lord Ganesha, who is the Lord of removing obstacles, and we kind of see Ganesha as a divine name, or what his name really represents is these qualities that we already have within us.

Speaker 2: 18:05

So the qualities you know he is the lord of wisdom, he is the lord of removing obstacles, he's very grounded, right, he's very centered, um, too. So he had all these different qualities. So when we chant his name, we're putting a spotlight on these qualities that are already within us. You know it's not something that's outside of us. So that's how I understand it. And then you know, so you chant. I guess you chant the mantra because you're creating that vibration. Also, you're harmonizing your own energy with that energy of the mantra itself, the frequency of the mantra.

Speaker 1: 18:40

Yeah, thank you so much for sharing that, and I love that. I know that I've heard that mantra, but I don't think I've heard it pronounced correctly. So thank you for saying that, because I'm like oh, now it makes sense, like you know, because you read it, and you're like um Right, Rachel.

Speaker 2: 19:02

Yeah, I can also. You know, I'll type it in for you, like the name.

Speaker 1: 19:03

I love that. So you offer again a lot of holistic therapies at Museflower. For someone that's new to these practices, how do you recommend they start exploring to find what resonates with them best?

Speaker 2: 19:16

I would say, actually starting from your intention, because all the guests come here, we always ask them well, what is your intention of coming here to the retreat and from then kind of like, then kind of recommend what might be suitable for them. So some people, they might be completely burnt out and they come here. They can't like, they just want to like relax, they just want beer. Some people have gone through some trauma in their life and they just want to come here as their rest. Some people they're just traveling in Thailand and this is just their rest stop. You know. So everybody's different with their intention. So it really depends on their intention.

Speaker 1: 19:50

Yeah, I love that and I like that. So, as somebody who lives in the United States, burnout is very prevalent For somebody that may be feeling burnt out. What does that look like for a retreat for them? Like definitely relaxation, but is there any type of, you know, shamanic journeying or energy healing that you would incorporate into somebody who may be feeling a little burnt out?

Speaker 2: 20:14

yeah, I mean there's also kind of looking at the reason why they feel burnt out too, um, because there's just so many. It really depends on the person energetically how they're feeling, um, also on the physical front too, like, so, do they have the actual energy to want to wake up in the morning to do yoga, or maybe they just want to kind of sleep in, they just want to come to relax for the spa, and what I have, what happens? What I find is usually for the first at least three days, it really takes a person to really wind down and to start to really adjust to the rhythm and the living, like the pace here. So we don't have a very busy schedule, um, but it does feel like time goes really fast. So you know, you do morning in the yoga, you go breakfast and maybe you go for like a spa or like a workshop in the morning and that's lunch, and then you take a little nap maybe, and then in the afternoon there's a yoga class and then maybe you do a spa and it's like, oh, it's dinner time, and then you'd be like after dinner it gets.

Speaker 2: 21:11

There's nothing much to do around here, I would say, at night. So maybe usually people sleep earlier too because the lights we have a lights out, you know around 11 as well, so and then they start again and it's just you're also in nature because we're like kind of in the countryside, so there's nothing really exciting going on around us at night, not so many stimulations, so yeah, so really I've kind of forgot the question now.

Speaker 1: 21:38

I was going to say I love it, you're so calm that you're just like you're relaxed into you know someone not feeling burnt out. I love the winding down.

Speaker 2: 21:52

Yeah, so whether somebody is burnt out or not sorry, I was like wait, what am I talking about? So, like the first three days days, it just kind of gets them to really, yeah, to adjust to the the rhythm of the place and then that's where people maybe they start to feel like maybe they have a little bit more energy. They want to try something else. If somebody who's like really, really tired, they just need to take the first few days to relax yeah, that sounds so.

Speaker 1: 22:17

before I ask you the last question, if anyone is interested in learning more about Museflower retreat and spa or any of the services that you offer, what is the best place for them to go to?

Speaker 2: 22:28

So definitely come to our website, museflowerretreatcom, and we have all our retreat programs listed there. If you sign up for a newsletter, you also get a free 500 baht credit voucher that you can use towards your room booking or you can use it towards your spa booking when you're here or use it to exchange for a free group class while you're here. Um, if you don't mind me to add a little bit also, we're actually my friend and I uh you mean and I were doing a special retreat. So the yoga retreat and the spa kind of like package that we're doing it's available all year round, so you don't have to come for a specific starting date.

Speaker 2: 23:02

But this retreat it is a specific date and we call sacred rest with nature. So we talk a little bit about burnout, um, so my friend yumi she's from singapore, she is a rest coach and she also is a forest therapy trainer and forest therapy guide, so we've been combining modalities together into the six day, five night retreat. It's from november 29 to december 4th, so the information is also on our website as well, so people can get to experience yoga nidra. You might know it's like a sleeping meditation, which is also very, very yummy, um, and she does forest bathing as well, and other things too. And then I'll be doing the cow ceremony, the shamanic journey, the chanting as well.

Speaker 1: 23:43

Yeah, oh, that sounds wonderful. I love that. So, finally, with your extensive experience and holistic wellness and spiritual practices, what advice do you have for individuals seeking to embark on their spiritual journey but are unsure where to begin or feel overwhelmed by all of the available options?

Speaker 2: 24:05

That's a really good question, because there's a lot which is good and not good, like there's really good, it's so true to listen to your podcast oh, you're so nice and so get to know different people out there.

Speaker 2: 24:19

I always tell you, of course it's it's really following your intuition. But I know for someone who is overwhelmed, like I don't even know what you're talking about, I don't want to know what intuition is. Then I'll just say just kind of, really go with your feeling. Go with your feeling. If there's something, of course it great, you can come to be flower. But if not, find something locally. There's so much like resources online now that is great. So you're right, it's kind of hard to like find one. Maybe ask a friend. Sometimes I feel like you know you have that, maybe you already have a friend who's doing something. Um, it's always good to have, you know. It's like kind of that before like word of mouth. You know like ask your friend. Like you know where do you do your meditation, where do you do yoga?

Speaker 1: 25:03

that's a really amazing answer and I would add in, like trust, your discernment, like there are practitioners who may not have the best and highest good, so you know you're coming from a vulnerable space. You know when you're seeking spiritual practice and I like that. Trust a buddy, trust a friend. Tune in, use your intuition if you don't know what intuition is. Trust your gut feeling. What's your gut feeling like? I don't like that person. Trust it. Trust it yes, yes.

Speaker 2: 25:32

I would say always. You know for me, in my own experience, and I understand what you mean with um. There's just so many different practices. We're all human beings, you know nobody's perfect so I would say definitely always trust yourself over. If somebody telling you not to trust yourself, that's kind of like this big thing you have to really remember. If somebody tell you don't trust yourself. It's kind of um no, trust yourself first, that's an important one. Um no, trust yourself first, that's an important one.

Speaker 1: 25:58

That's a really good one, and just have to really resonate with you, yeah.

Speaker 2: 26:01

Just have to really resonate, Like if somebody says something you're like I'm not so sure and that's okay, Like it's just maybe you don't resonate with that person 100%.

Speaker 1: 26:09

Maybe at just this time period? Yeah, yeah, because I mean, there are so many different avenues that you can go down Like I. You've been on this path a long time, and so have I, and from where I was and where I am now is not the same, and what interests me then, and what interests me now is vastly different.

Speaker 1: 26:28

So, but you just don't know like it's all going to meld together somehow. But I like that. And also if some, like you said, if somebody's invalidating your feelings or something like that, or saying you know, with your self-worth, I like that too. I like that Good advice, yeah.

Speaker 2: 26:47

Thank you so much. Well, I listen to your podcast, get to know different people out there, right, I love it.

Speaker 1: 26:53

I love it, yeah, I love it Well, tanya, I want to thank you so so much for coming to spiritual spotlight series. I am looking forward to traveling to Thailand, hopefully sometime in the near future maybe a couple of years, but that's okay. But I'm gonna come visit you at your beautiful spa and retreat, yes. So thank you so much again.

Speaker 2: 27:12

Thank you, thank you, thank you, rachel.