A Rejuvenating Escape to An Island Yoga Retreat {Koh Yao Noi, Thailand}

After spending a whirlwind couple of weeks rock climbing on Tonsai Beach, I wanted to go somewhere quieter. Most of the islands in my Lonely Planet guidebook didn’t quite seem to fit the bill. In fact, Koh Yao Noi isn’t even listed in the SE Asia LP guidebook. I stumbled onto this piece of paradise with a simple google search looking for a yoga retreat. An *affordable* yoga retreat.

Enter: Island Yoga.

I booked the 3 night minimum just in case I hated the place. What if the yoga wasn’t strong enough? Or the people were some new agey space cadets? Or I realized I didn’t really want peace and quiet after all?

Way to have an optimistic outlook, right?

Suffice to say, I spent more than a week at Island Yoga and was a bit broken hearted to leave.

The yoga was wonderful, the yogis even better, and the semi-solitude was a welcome respite on a relatively chaotic backpacking trip.

Not to mention the island itself is an absolute paradise. Getting up at 6am to watch the sun rise multiple days in a row is not something I generally make a point of doing. But when you’re attempting to rejuvenate your soul, that ball of fire coming up over rocky limestone islands is definitely a magical thing to witness.

Having had a solid practice for 3+ years, but never having been on a retreat, Island Yoga opened my eyes to a deeper side of yoga. A strong asana flow is wonderful and addictive, but the meditative aspects are just as important; something I knew intellectually, but understand more wholly now.

This place gave me exactly what I was looking for and more. You will definitely find me back on the island at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later.