By Caitriona Potter
‘The farther you travel, the closer you get to yourself’. For me, that closeness came in the far reaches of Isaan. There is something primal and soul- stirring about being a part of the raw power and grit that is authentic Muay Thai. The discipline, culture, tradition and whole- hearted respect are a privilege to experience first-hand – and has undoubtedly shaped the woman I am becoming.
I remember my first time training traditional Muay Thai. I had just finished my day’s work of teaching English at a school in NorthEastern Thailand (Isaan). Nervous, excited, and a little bit afraid, I walked out to the courtyard where Kru Diao sat waiting for his students. His first instruction was simple: run 5 laps around the school, in the blazing 30+ degrees heat.
Undeterred, I set off, soon to be joined by the very students I had taught only hours before. As they adjusted their stride to accompany me, I felt instantly gratified, nervous system relaxing, part of the tribe. The first lap turned into two, then three, then four, until finally the fifth: the ‘speed round’. Yet I suspect it was a modified version of speed as my fellow, much fitter, fighters decidedly stuck by my side.
Along the way, I received a lot of supportive cheers from onlooking students: ‘Su, Su teacher!’ (keep fighting!). Somewhere amidst the blazing heat, tired legs, and deep sense of kinship, I felt in my heart this was going to be good. Rounding back to Kru Diao, I expected the ‘real’ boxing to begin, but alas, to my horror, the next stage of training was 20 minutes on the skipping rope. We stood side by side, and as I marveled at the brutality of it, I observed the fighters laughing, joking, and skipping. This was their daily routine, something to be carried out with diligence and dedication; instinctual and unwavering humility. It was in this moment I understood Thai values in action. These students had studied all day at school, haven’t eaten since lunch, have already ran 5 laps of the entire school under the unrelenting Thai sun – and they are still training while smiling, conversing without complaining. I watched on in amazement as the student fighters threw kicks, elbows and knees with force that could slice trees, as I recovered from my first round of pads with Kru. Humility, respect and good-naturedness are all high values most of us aspire to, but how many of us can be cheerful, diligent and humble when we are tired, hungry, and facing the skipping rope for twenty minutes? It occurred to me that these values are not something you dutifully embody at a temple or when praying for a desired outcome, but they are to be expressed in the daily moments when the alternative may be more natural and even expected.
For these fighters, Muay Thai is not merely a sport, a fitness regime or a hobby; it is their way of life that reflects in their actions, their character and their attitude. If I was ever uncertain or ignorant about Muay Thai, I was now deeply in awe, enamored, and undoubtedly, hooked. Hailing from Ireland, I never considered myself to be a ‘sporty person’. My first and only attempt at our national sport, Gaelic football, was at 10 years old. Whether it was my apparent lack of fitness, the archetypal Irish weather, or my adolescent shyness, my first experience of sports was so deeply uncomfortable for me that I had vowed to never try it again. It took 12 more years- and a trip to the other side of the world- to discover how wrong I was.
It still fascinates me how limiting that identity was for me, and all the possibilities I would have missed out on if I had never given sports another shot. Muay Thai has undeniably changed my life, my sense of self, and my outlook. In those humbling after-school training sessions, I learned more about discipline, character, and the type of person I aspire to be than in any self-help book I had scoured before. The ‘art of eight limbs’ has opened me up to friendship, mentors, community, a physical and mental outlet, and a belief in myself I feel privileged to honor.
There is special spark of selfbelief that is born out of burning muscles, body soaked in sweat, and a ‘Jai-Dee’ (kind-hearted) trainer who pushes you past your own limits, that bleeds into every other area of life. Consequently, you can wake up earlier, run an extra km (or five), and extend kindness or patience more easily to others. The training is brutal, but the impact is golden. As I’ve grown deeper into exploring spirituality, I realize you don’t have to travel to the Himalayas or attend ceremonies to experience the sacred (and I’ve done both). It can be as simple as making sure no man gets left behind, sharing your last drop of water, or giving a supportive cheer that pushes someone to the finish line. I was supposed to be their teacher, but truthfully, I’ve learned more from those students than I can ever repay.
