‘Sanctuary to the Soul Retreat’

Koh Samui Island – Thailand

Saturday 10th September – Tuesday 20th September 2022

with Brigitte Riley and Rosemary Booker

Koh Samui is the most well known and 2nd largest of all the islands in Thailand and lies in the Gulf of Thailand off the east coast. This beautiful paradise island is famed for its outstanding beauty and has something to offer everyone. It’s known for its palm tree edged white sandy beaches, coconut groves, crystal clear turquoise waters and dense mountainous rain-forest.

Our stunning venue is is on a beautiful, non-touristy beach, on the southern coast of the island. It is a pioneer in the world of yoga retreats and the leading health and wellness retreat centre in Thailand. It came highly recommended by a number of influential yoga teachers that we both hold in high regard.

‘Sanctuary of the Soul Retreat’ with Rosemary and Brigitte

This yoga retreat will offer you the opportunity to practice yoga in-depth with experienced and inspirational teachers who both share a passion, not only for yoga but for personal growth. Each session will be carefully planned and structured so that we educate and provide a specific experience in all aspects of practice, from meditation, pranayama and asana. At each class, one of us will be teaching whilst the other, guides and assists you to practice at your own unique level. At each session, you will be encouraged to not only practice the physical postures but also to inquire and explore a deeper sense of intimacy with self. On this retreat there will also be plenty of down time for treatments, excursions, adventures and fun. Our aim is for you to develop and evolve both your yoga practice and your life.

We are aware that this wonderful holiday may attract couples or friends, whereby one half is a beginner yogi, or would prefer to practice at a slower, more basic level. Therefore every morning, there will be a ‘Yoga Basics’ class with Brian Riley, this class will run at the same time as Brigitte and Rosemary’s class but in a different yoga shala.

Facilities

• 4 dedicated yoga shala practice spaces

• A beach front saltwater swimming pool fully equipped with sun loungers and shaded areas.

• A purpose built cycle studio, soundproofed, air-conditioned and facing the beach

• A sea view fitness loft for working out

• A beachfront chill out lounge, the perfect spot to do nothing, sit and read, or lay back and listen to music

• An herbal steam room overlooking the beach which uses a blend of Thai herbs to add to the therapeutic effect of steaming.

• A meditation garden, a perfect secluded space for quiet contemplation or personal meditation sessions

• A Wellness centre, Therapy rooms and Infrared sauna

• Complimentary Wi-Fi

• An Eco-life boutique, with carefully chosen items to fit a sustainable and conscientious approach

• Stand up paddle board & bike rental

• Guest Reception – the friendly front office team will help with any local logistic inquiries or anything to do with your stay

• The beach – 4 kilometres spanning spectacular sunrises each morning to incredibly colourful sunsets in the opposite direction. A walk west leads you to the Golden Pagoda, one of Samui’s oldest and treasured Buddhist shrines.

• A sustainable recycle centre to care for the planet, to compost any leftover food and recycle any other forms of trash

Food and Beverage

The buffet food, served daily is fresh, tasty, delicious, healthy as well as nutritious and local produce is sourced to support you in your yoga practice as it draws upon Ayurvedic principles. Freely available and included in your stay, are tea, coffee, fruit, daily brunch and daily dinner buffets. There is also a full juice, snack and coffee bar as well as multiple filtered drinking water stations. To keep it natural means all homemade without processed food, local ingredients as much as possible, organic if available, a well-balanced carefully planned mix of ingredients, no sugar, no iodized salt, no MSG or related products, and only the use of stable and healthy oils and fats. A team of over 10 Thai cooks and a talented head chef with a large team, make all our of our food here with dedication, care and love.

NB: Our venue is a place of health and well being, therefore a smoke and alcohol-free centre.

Accommodation

The rooms are set back from the main beachfront facilities perfect for quiet contemplation and relaxation. Regardless of which room you stay in, the beach, pool and practice spaces are seconds away. The Eco-friendly buildings make use of cross-ventilation, natural lighting, rainwater harvesting. All rooms have built in wardrobes, writing desks, a hot-water kettle, mugs, refrigerator, mosquito screens, fans, air conditioning, hair dryer, a personal locker drawer as well as provide bio-sustainable hand soap, shampoo, conditioner and shower gel.

Private Room – For couples With queen-size double bed, comfortable private balcony and private en-suite bathroom.

Two Bedroom Loft Rooms – For twin sharing, two bedrooms on split levels, (each with queen size double beds) with comfortable private balcony and private en-suite bathroom. *You can book this with a friend or we can organise a suitable share for you.

One Bedroom Suite – Living room, fully equipped kitchen, large bedroom with queen size bed, large private en-suite bathroom, large private balcony.

NB: Rooms will be reserved on a first come first served basis.

Private rooms – Single – With queen-size double bed, comfortable private balcony and private en-suite bathroom.

Excursions and things to do

There are three ‘complimentary’ excursions during our stay;

• A boat and snorkelling trip to a nearby island

• A trip to the local night markets for shopping

• A beach and temple walk.

Many other excursions/activities can also be booked during your stay and arranged at an extra cost via reception;

• Ang Thong National Marine Park – a limestone pinnacle harbour with secluded powdery beaches, sheer cliffs, and caves, which are home to myriad birds, monkeys, dolphins, and other wildlife.

• Ang Thong–paradise islands tour

• Na Muang Waterfall Tour

• Secret Buddha Garden – Lush hilltop garden flanked by waterfalls & displays of statues of the Buddha, animals & more.

• Lamai Beach

• Eco jungle safari tour

• Kayaking

• Snorkelling/diving day cruise

• Thai cooking workshops

• There are a few bars and restaurants within walking distance of the retreat centre and many more are a short taxi ride away.

More useful information

• Check in time is 2pm on the first arrival day of the retreat – Saturday 10th September

• A welcome meeting will take place on the day of arrival (Saturday 10th Sept) at 5pm

• The first class will be the following day on Sunday 11th September at 7.30am.

• Check out time is 12pm on the last day – Tuesday 20th September

• You are very welcome to stay extra days before or after the retreat.

• Thursday 15th September will be the groups day off, so you can venture further afield and explore the island.

• No VISA is required for entry into Thailand, as long as you are not planning on staying for more than 30 days.

• This is a 10 day yoga retreat, Thailand is vast and stunningly beautiful, with such a wonderful culture. We therefore recommend that you travel and experience the country if you can, either before or after the retreat. Here is a website that gives you an idea of other places that you might like to include in your trip; The 15 Best Destinations in Thailand

Getting There

Koh Samui has its own airport and the easiest way to travel to the island is by flying from London via Bangkok as your stop-over, then from Bangkok to Koh Samui. Another route is via Singapore. There are many airlines that fly to Koh Samui from London and the flights cost roughly in the region of £500 – £700.

Yoga Practice Sessions

Mornings

Yoga will begin at around 7.30 am, there will be an alignment based vinyasa flow class taught by either Rosemary or Brigitte with the other assisting. We will then have a hearty breakfast/brunch buffet.

Evenings

Our second yoga class of the day will be in the late afternoon around 5.00 pm and is for all levels of yogi including beginners. You can expect all aspects of yoga, such as restorative yoga, yin yoga, meditation, satya somatics yoga, technique/therapeutics class, yoga nidra and breath work.

*Yoga basic classes

We are aware that this wonderful holiday may attract couples or friends, whereby one half is a beginner yogi, or would prefer to practice at a more basic level. Whilst the price of the holiday will remain the same to yogi’s and non yogis alike, we are therefore offering ‘yoga basics’ classes every morning which will also begin at 7.30 am. These classes will be taught by Brian Riley (Brigitte’s husband) and are optional.

Included

• Two buffet meals of brunch and dinner every day

• All yoga sessions

• Ten nights accommodation

• Drinking water

• Tuesday – 1 – 3 pm: Temple walk

• Wednesday – 1 – 4 pm: Boat & Snorkelling trip, weather permitting

• Friday – 6.30 – 9 pm: Night market at the Fisherman’s Village in Bophut

• Use of all venue facilities

Not Included

• Spa treatments at the Wellness centre

• Coffee/Juice and Treats bar

• Airport Transfer (although this can be arranged via the venue)

• Travel Insurance – required to book this yoga retreat.

• Return flights to Koh Samui, Thailand

About your teachers

‘Committed to constantly learning, improving, and evolving’

Rosemary Booker

Rosemary is a Registered Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (Teacher Trainer), she has been guiding students in the art of yoga and lifestyle now for over 12 years. She believes in yoga for life and takes every opportunity to share the tools and practices, that have helped her to positively evolve with others. Rosemary is a friendly, approachable teacher, her host of knowledge shines through, as she seamlessly blends the spiritual and physical. Her classes are inspirational, challenging but at the same time playful, she takes great care in creating a non competitive yoga space for which her contagious enthusiasm uplifts others. She is passionate about offering plenty of hands on adjustments, so that her students leave her sessions feeling re-aligned, strong and joyful on every level. She also specialises in focused breath work which opens the mind to experience clarity and deeper meaning. Rosemary shares her teachings in Northamptonshire, UK, via classes, 1:1’s, specialised workshops, mentoring for yoga teachers, teacher training’s, short courses and retreats in amazing places.

Brigitte Riley

Brigitte has been an established yoga teacher for 17 years. She is a Registered Senior Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance Professionals, which is the highest accolade in professional yoga teaching. She is always evolving her teachings and is particularly recognised for her in-depth anatomy knowledge. Her expertise lies in correcting mis-alignments within the outer physical body, as well as teaching yoga practices that promote therapeutic healing for the inner subtle body. She is also known for her love of fluid creative vinyasa flow, her unique playlists, her inspiring writings, her philosophy on life and her ‘keeping it real’ wisdom. Brigitte’s authenticity, natural warmth, playfulness and heartfelt approach radiate through in to her teachings. Her mission is to encourage students to not only open up their bodies, but also their minds, so that they may discover new levels of healing, opportunity, possibility, creativity, transformation and adventure in order to live the most amazing life possible. Brigitte teaches weekly classes and private’s in the UK, as well as vocational yoga teacher training courses and mentoring for yoga teachers. She also teaches both specialised workshops and yoga retreats nationally and internationally.

Brian Riley

Brian’s yoga journey started in 2009 after attending his first class with Brigitte, he discovered that the yoga resonated with him on many levels. In 2012, he decided to embark on his own Yoga teacher training program and was awarded his yoga teacher diploma in December 2014. Brian now teaches weekly classes in Milton Keynes, UK and regularly assists at many of Brigitte’s workshops and teacher training programmes, thus gaining first hand guidance for his own teaching. Brian is a personable, kind and caring individual, he creates a safe space and meets each student at their own level, so that each individual feels supported within their own unique practice. He is passionate about teaching yoga at all levels and places a strong emphasis on holding postures, thus encouraging his students to feel and breathe with a deeper state of awareness. He has a sound understanding of body anatomy and offers excellent alignment cues with lots of encouragement, to enable his pupils to connect more positively with their bodies and minds. Brian is a registered RYT teacher with Yoga Alliance Professionals.

Cost and booking

2 bedroom loft – Twin share (price is per person)

£1372 per person – £250 deposit, plus final payment of £1122.00

BOOK TWIN SHARE HERE

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Private Room– Single occupancy

£1678 per person – £250 deposit, plus final payment  of £1428

BOOK SINGLE ROOM HERE

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Double Occupancy Room (price is for a double room)

 £2744 – £500 deposit, plus final payment of £2244

BOOK DOUBLE ROOM HERE

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Deluxe one bedroom suite – Double occupancy (only 1 suite left)

£3206  – £500 deposit, plus final payment of £2706

BOOK DELUXE SUITE HERE

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