8 Day Meditation Retreat with Yoga in a Peaceful Private Beachfront Resort in Koh Phangan, Thailand

Under the guidance of experienced teachers, you will participate in three daily meditation sessions, each lasting 45 to 60 minutes. You will also have the option to join one or two yoga classes each day to help open the body, release tension, and enhance energy flow. Beyond the guided sessions, you will have opportunities for self-practice, with support available through both public and private Q&A sessions to address any questions or deepen your understanding.

As you immerse yourself in this dedicated approach to meditation, you will begin to experience the transformative effects of mindfulness across all areas of your life. With regular practice, you can free your mind from limiting beliefs and false perceptions, allowing you to fully embrace the richness of the present moment.

During this retreat, you will build a healthy foundation for meditation which, over time, may lead toward:

• Reduced Stress: Numerous studies have shown that regular meditation practice can lower the levels of stress hormones in the body, reducing stress-related conditions like anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure.
• Emotional Wellbeing: Meditation promotes feelings of relaxation, happiness, and inner peace that transcend our external circumstances. By connecting with our inner selves, we can experience inner fulfilment that cannot be found through external means.
• Deeper Connections: Through regular meditation practice, we cultivate loving kindness, feel greater compassion and empathy towards ourselves and others, and realize our interconnectedness with all beings.
• Liberation from Suffering: By transcending our ego-based thoughts and desires, we can free ourselves from the suffering that arises from attachment and aversion. Meditation helps us cultivate a state of equanimity and detachment, allowing us to experience contentment regardless of our external circumstances.
• Self-Realization: Meditation helps us realize our true nature beyond the limitations of the physical body and mind. By stilling the fluctuations of the mind, we experience a state of oneness, inner peace, and spiritual realization.

Why Should I Meditate?

Meditation is the practice of looking deeply into the nature of reality. It allows you to concentrate on the internal world while surrounded by external distractions. By meditating regularly, you can free yourself from false perceptions and beliefs. In short, daily meditation liberates the mind, allowing you to experience the present moment in its entirety.

As babies, we experience sensory input as one holistic field of somatic awareness. Our five senses – sight, sound, touch, taste and smell – haven’t yet been categorized into separate mental compartments and as a result, we are effortlessly open, innocent, and happy. This integrated sensory awareness continues to remain the real ground of our experience. However, through the acquired habit of labelling and judging different aspects of experience, we cut ourselves off from its grace.

In One Yoga Thailand's daily meditation sessions, pointers are given to direct your awareness into open, embodied, immediate sensory presence (with eyes closed, but aware of the blank screen of your vision). As your awareness opens into a holistic sensory experience, you discover its essential formlessness. Your mind remembers how to remain present without labelling and judging and you effortlessly access the grace of your being.

What to Expect in Your Daily Meditation

This retreat follows the Theravada Buddhist tradition, offering practical guidance in time-tested meditation practices to cultivate mindfulness and wisdom through direct experience.

You’ll Explore:

• Anapanasati: Mindfulness of breathing to calm the mind and build steady awareness.
• Satipatthana: Observing body, feelings, mind, and thoughts to cultivate insight.
• Vipassana Fundamentals: Introduction to insight meditation into the impermanent and selfless nature of experience.
• Metta Bhavana: Loving-kindness meditation to open the heart and balance the mind.

Grounded in the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, these practices help free the mind from reactivity and bring a sense of peace that goes beyond the cushion.

You’ll also take part in mindful practices such as walking meditation and mindful eating, learning how to extend awareness into everyday activities.

For those wishing to go deeper, the retreat offers the option to remain in silence for one or more days. Students choosing this will receive a “Silence” badge, signaling their commitment to stay inward and avoid interaction.

What Makes This Retreat Special?

"The goal of meditation is Yoga, most commonly translated as "Union." To overcome that which is causing separation, one needs to have continuous practice – which requires discipline. For this very reason, One Yoga has created this Meditation Retreat, a program for sincere practitioners in search of a place to support this process. When one sits continuously with the right understanding, the right effort, and the necessary discipline, one is known as a Sadhaka. When the Sadhaka keeps the process going continuously, it creates momentum, pathing the way to the goal of Yoga." – Daniel Mark Taylor, Co-Founder of One Yoga

This meditation retreat is designed to support sincere practitioners on their journey to Union with the Divine. Therefore, this retreat will not only allow you to unwind and relax in a serene tropical environment, but you will also gain deep and practical meditation experience.

Whether you're just beginning or deepening your meditation journey, a week at One Yoga offers the perfect foundation for a lasting spiritual practice. Embrace a sincere and focused approach to meditation that will continue to support and enrich your life well beyond the retreat.

Daily Schedule

• 06:30 - 07:15 Meditation
• 07:30 - 09:00 Yoga
• 09:00 - 10:00 Breakfast break
• 10:00 - 11:00 Self practice or Q&A
• 11:00 - 12:00 Meditation
• 12:30 - 13:30 Yoga Nidra or sound healing
• 13:30 - 16:00 Lunch break & rest
• 16:00 - 17:30 Yoga
• 19:00 - 19:45 Silent meditation

From Monday to Saturday. Sundays are your day off!

A Day in the Meditation Retreat

The Meditation Retreat is thoughtfully crafted to help you discover a deep sense of inner peace and mindfulness.

Each day begins with a guided meditation, setting a calm and centered tone, followed by a balanced yoga session that includes asana, pranayama, and meditation. After a nourishing breakfast, you will have time for self-practice or a Q&A session, leading into another guided meditation. Before lunch, you’ll be guided into deep rest through practices like Sound Healing or Yoga Nidra, a meditative state often described as “psychic sleep.”

In the late afternoon, you may return to the mat for another revitalizing yoga class. After some time to unwind, the day gently concludes with a silent evening meditation, helping you settle into stillness and reflection.

Ample breaks are woven throughout your schedule, giving you time to unwind on the private beach or explore the tranquil surroundings of the island.

Yoga classes: you will practice multiple yoga styles during the retreat, including Hatha, Vinyasa, and Yin yoga. The level and intensity of the class will be adapted according to the needs of the students. Variations for all levels will be offered, making these classes enjoyable for beginners and experienced practitioners alike.

Meditation: guided by experienced teachers, you will enjoy three 45- to 60-minute meditation sessions per day. In addition to guided classes, you can practice what you’ve learned during self-practice and clear out any doubts directly with the teacher during public and private Q&A sessions.

Your teachers: The classes will be taught by multiple teachers. They are sincere yogis with many years of experience and dedicated personal practice. They will share their diverse gifts with you from an authentic and heart-centred place of service.

Responsible tourism

Thai people are known for their understanding and warm hospitality, but it is important to be mindful of certain cultural taboos and social norms:

• Respect for the Monarchy: Always show reverence towards the royal family. It is a serious offense to disrespect them or objects depicting the king, such as currency.
• Temple etiquette: Wear clothing that covers your knees and shoulders when visiting temples. Remove your footwear before entering, and sit with your feet tucked behind you, ensuring they do not point towards any Buddha images. Women should avoid touching monks or their belongings, give way to them on pathways, and refrain from sitting next to them on public transport.
• Modesty at the beach: Avoid public nudity or topless sunbathing. When heading to or from the beach, ensure you are appropriately covered.
• Body language: The head is considered the highest and most sacred part of the body, so avoid touching anyone’s head. Conversely, the feet are viewed as the lowest and should not be pointed at people or sacred objects.
• Saving face: Thais deeply value politeness and composure. Smiling is an excellent way to win people over, as visible anger or arguments can cause embarrassment.
• Respect and protect the environment. To conserve the pristine nature of Koh Phangan's beaches and jungles, they encourage you to avoid using plastic bottles and bags if possible - rather, bring your own reusables.

By respecting these cultural conventions and adopting sustainable practices, you will not only enrich your travel experience but also show gratitude to the warm and welcoming Thai people. A few kind words in Thai will go a long way, too.

Important information

Sometimes, One Yoga Thailand may take pictures or video recordings during courses. One Yoga Thailand may use these for marketing purposes. If you do not want to be included in these pictures or videos, please let them know, and they will make sure they are not using any pictures or videos of you. The use of alcohol and recreational drugs is prohibited during the retreats, including during free time. Breaking this policy will result in eviction from the course without being entitled to any refund.

Smoking is prohibited on the school’s premises, both indoors and outdoors. If you must smoke, then take a walk alone outside the One Yoga campus and do not influence others who might want to quit smoking, neither by smell nor by sight. If you are attending a yoga teacher training course, you must attend all classes at the scheduled times and follow the teachers' instructions to receive a yoga teacher training certificate.