From spiritual to the start-of the-art, we share five unique paths to wellness in always beautiful Thailand
With its balmy weather, picture-perfect beaches and lush jungles set to soothe the senses, not to mention a culture of holistic and spiritual healing, Thailand is the perfect choice for a health and wellness holiday. Of course, we love the amazing wellness retreats smattered across the country, but there are other alternative, uniquely Thai paths to health and happiness you should also consider, whatever you wellness goals.
1. Unwind on a Yoga Retreat
We all know that regular yoga practice can help boost mental clarity and calmness, relaxes the mind and relieves chronic stress and its impacts on our physical wellbeing so a yoga retreat is always going to be a good idea.
There’s no shortage of yoga retreats to be found in Thailand, but with its zen-like ambience and beautiful beaches, Phuket is the perfect spot to disconnect from the madness and stress of city life and connect with nature on a deeper level while unwinding your mind and body through yoga practice.
Retreats start from beginner level to advanced offering instruction in new yoga postures as well as teaching new techniques for progressing in your practice. While you’ll find both luxury and laid-back retreats throughout Phuket, we like CC’s Hideaway, a boutique hotel overlooking the Andaman Sea near Kata, close to Kata Noi, Kata and Karon beaches. Their year-round yoga retreats have been created for those looking for an escape from the stresses of everyday life, and aim to promote mental and physical wellness through relaxation, meditation, exercise, and lashings of healthy food. Yoga retreats can be as long, or as short, and include two daily yoga classes, meditation, cold pressed juices, three healthy meals daily and daily activities.
2. Get Sporty at a Fitness Resort
Surrounded by dense jungles, sweeping mountains and 20 minutes from pristine beaches, fitness fans should head to Thanyapura Sports & Health Resort, an active holiday destination offering programs in sports, fitness and lifestyle medicine, where the programs are based around fitness and sports training.
Start your day at one of the two 900-square-metre gymnasiums. The first is dedicated to weightlifting and the second to cardio-focused workouts. There’s also an indoor spinning room, two fitness studios, covered outdoor free weights and crossfit gym, outdoor fitness zones and a Muay Thai stadium with boxing training area. With 80 fitness group classes each week including HIIT, Spinning, Abs, Core, Yoga, Pilates & much more, you’ll easily find a workout to suit your personal needs.
A resort where you’ll trade the bikinis and floppy hats for lycra and a baseball cap, Thanyapura is surrounded by some of Phuket’s best cycling routes. Afterwards cool off in the 50m Olympic pool or 25m training pool, then take to one of the world class courts for tennis coaching, the cushioned synthetic track to perfect your running or maybe you’d prefer to learn how to excel as a triathlete with expert private coaching.
3. Join a Muay Thai boxing camp
Get fighting fit with Muay Thai, the national sport of Thailand. A brilliant stress releaser, the high impact sport offers both aerobic and anaerobic workouts, helping participants to improve flexibility, build a stronger core and reduce blood pressure. While you might like to start off with a single session, there are training camps located around the country for those who plan on taking it to the next level. Most camps will accept students at any level, from beginner to athlete.
Unleash your wellness warrior at Battle Conquer Muay Thai Gym, surrounded by acres of rice fields amongst the pretty hills of Phetchabun in Northern Thailand. This family-owned training camp is the place for those wanting to maximise the health benefits of Muay Thai. Their 7- to 30-day Wellness Muay Thai Packages include twice daily Muay Thai lessons, twice daily yoga sessions, meditation classes, CrossFit training, an optional five-day raw food detox, air-conditioned accommodation, three nutritious home-cooked Thai meals a day, bike hire, hiking and more.
4. Find Inner Peace at a Meditation Retreat
With one of the world’s largest Buddhist populations, Thailand offers visitors a chance to not only visit Buddhist monasteries but to learn from the monks who live in them through English-speaking meditation retreats. While some wellness retreats offer meditation experiences, Buddhist meditation and spiritual renewal is the focus at these retreats. These retreats are far from a holiday and most will expect you to rise before the sun, forgo meals after noon and follow monastery guidelines, including chores.
Wat Phra That Si Chom Thong is a Buddhist temple and monastery located 58- kilometres from Chiang Mai. Dating back to the mid-1400s, the forest monastery boasts a fine Stupa and houses a fine collection of bronze Buddha images and a holy Buddha relic. Behind the historic temple sits the Satipatthana Vipassana Meditation centre, which hosts a 21-day Meditation Foundation Retreat that offers an introduction into Vipassana meditation techniques such as mindful prostration, walking meditation and sitting meditation following the sixteen stages of insight knowledge found in Buddhist texts.
For those with less time to spare, Wat Suan Dok, located on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, runs popular one- to four-day retreats that are an excellent options for those curious about meditation but not ready to make a longer commitment.
5. Optimise Your Health at a Holistic Wellness Retreat
Southeast Asia’s spa capital is renowned for its many world-class health and wellness retreats offering state-of-the-art health facilities and latest treatments.
Kamalaya Koh Samui is amongst the very best. Located on Koh Samui’s serene south coast, and woven around a sacred Buddhist hillside, the legendary retreat offers a holistic approach to health, allowing visitors to reconnect with their inner self and begin the process of healing mind, body and spirit through a carefully curated combination of ancient Eastern healing traditions and Western medical research.
A comprehensive range of health programs include contributions from naturopaths, Ayuverdic specialists, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners, yoga teachers, fitness experts, physiotherapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, meditation coaches and life enhancement mentors and more
Guests are invited to take a pre-arrival functional testing assessment to fast-track results on Kamalaya’s world-renowned wellness programmes in resilience, immunity, sleep, fitness, gut health, detox, weight, anxiety and stress management. Results-focused, functional testing can identify any unmet needs that require correcting to improve any imbalances to ultimately preserve future health.
For more information on our special inclusions packages for Kamalaya, email us at hello@purehealth.travel
Disclaimer: This article provides general information only, and does not constitute health or medical advice. If you have any concerns regarding your mental or physical health, seek immediate medical attention.
