The first inhabitants ever in Koh Phangan were monks, more than 2000 years ago, and they built the first temples.
Afterward, the spiritual influence of buddhism never ceased spreading its beneficial energy upon the island. The great King Rama V, still revered as a god today, did not miss to feel it, as it is said he did visit Koh Phangan something like 14 times during his reign.

Nowadays, this energy is still here, even palpable, and many travellers are impressed and confess easily that Koh Phangan is really special, without being able to say why. And that's also for this reason that several Yoga or spiritual practice centers have opened their doors here these last years.

And, it must be said that, after all the excesses of the full moon and other parties, a kind of purification process could be really welcomed... You'll be able to practice ritual body purification/detoxification as well as improve and upgrade your Yoga level through teachings and practice or even go for a meditation retreat, like Vipassana among others. And if you fancy it you can even get esoteric teaching about chamanic healing or the goodness of bellydancing...

If you don't want to get too much involved, you'll check by yourself through your own practice how deep Koh Phangan can be a haven of inner peace....

It's been a long time already since Yoga is teached in Koh Phangan. At first, the centers were created by passing travellers answering to the demand of other travellers who did spend some time in India and got interested in spirituality and meditation. Nowadays, it has became quite an institution.
The Sanctuary in Haad Thian is the oldest. For more than 10 years, this place have been puting people in search of nature and quite life together. At the center they promote spiritual practices as well as sharing information, knowledge and travellers stories. Originaly, the bungalows were built in the trees, but today you have almost all modern conveniences including luxury bungalows with air-con and hot water. The place looks more today like a californian "New Age" center than the original hippies community it was once...

Since few years already, now, many different schools and centers have opened, especially on the west coast (certainly due to the strong influence of the theluric energy stream spreading there), and AGAMA YOGA seems now to be a reference, after few years teaching here, the school, managed by Swami Vivekananda Saraswati, a renowned yoga teacher formerly teaching in the holly place of Rishikesh, in India, has a center for beginners in Ananda resort near Ban Hin Kong and the main center just before Bovy resort, at Haad Chao Pao. They have a complete teaching cycle of Yoga/meditation (lasting several years with 1 month basis classes) allowing one's to practice and evoluate gradually and consciously in the indian and tibetan tantric tradition of control of energies. They also propose a Teacher Training course lasting 3 months that delivers you a diploma and the right to teach (even using the name of the school if you like). It is to admit that their teaching is undeniably of a great veracity, and years after years the number of students grows inexorably, so much that they have now more than 4 yoga halls on the west coast.
If you do not have time to enter a long cycle, other schools offer short initiation from 3 days to 2 weeks with teachings about the chakras and varied spiritual initiation depending on the center, as well as Assanas (posture) practice sessions. PYRAMID YOGA, for example, further north to Haad Yao, has opened a center offering small sessions of few days with daily practice and teaching, that suits better short time travellers. There are some more, like the YOGA RETREAT center up north, or the MONTE VISTA retreat center, perched up a hill, at the exit of Thong Sala, has practice and teaching programs from 3 days to 1 month, as well as some initiation to chamanic journey and Reiki healing...

Meditation retreat in the Vipassana tradition are organised regularly at Wat Khao Tam, a meditation center, in a secluded place, behind the village of Ban Tai. It is actually a 10 days retreat where you can not speak at all except with the teachers. The daytime is filled with meditation sessions, 10 hours a day, with extra teachings session. It's very wellknown that during such retreats, very strong inner experiences may happen, alowing you to better know yourself from within getting closer to your soul. If you are interested, you'll have to check their programs and planning as the retreat is so much renowned worldwide that you may have to book your place quite a long time in advance. But You can still go there and check. It's karma also...

You can check the vipassana retreat web site for the date of the next sessions or any further information.

After speaking of soul purity, to respect the saying of our beloved french phylosoph Rabelais, "a safe spirit in a safe body", we present now some places to get pampered, practicing body purification. Since the death of the monk superior of the Wat Pho, on the road to Thong nai pan, the temple has reorganized its famous HERBAL SAUNA and the former donation is now a firm 50 bahts per person. The natural plants used are boiled, to diffuse the vapor filtered in the sauna room. This sauna has many therapeutic qualities from eyes and repiratory track purification to skin disinfection. There are some very good Thaî massage places around the sauna as well. The only other place where you can get a decent herbal sauna is at Ananda Resort, on the road of the west coast, in Ban Hin Kong, where Agama Yoga School helds some of their yoga sessions. The Sauna is open everyday from 02:00pm to 06:00pm. You'll also have to pay 50 bahts.

You will also find other body cleansing centers more or less "hard-core", but at totally differents prices.... the MONTE VISTA retreat center, at Nai Wok, for example, pratice purifications through colonic treatments as well as "softer" massages and spa offers, among others. On Haad Thian, the SANCTUARY, has detoxification classes, with vegetarian diet, herbal teas and enema. You'll also find pay (?!) fasting programs and hepatic treatments, above the classic ayurveda or thai massage and the suprising bellydance courses.... In Haad Rin, in the "soi cactus", CHAKRA traditionnal thai massage, waits for you with different therapies, like Chakras balancing, reiki healing, reflexology, traditionnal massages and even tarots reading ! In Haad Rin East, on the pier, you'll find JUNGLE GYM, who above from teaching Yoga(-stretching), offers all the high tech material for body building and gymnastic, as well as a bar serving "organic" energy drinks and salads. They also recently opened a center in Haad Tien in the Sanctuary Complex.

You'll also find many massage shops everywhere on the island. The quality may vary greatly (from a good masseur to one who will break your back for the rest of your travel...) and we warmly advise you the Wat Pho, near the herbal sauna area, in BanKai or Lek Massage near Thong Sala who is highly valued by all foreigners on the island. Otherwise, you can ask around or to your hotel. Some hotels even have their own masseur who can come directly in your bungalow or on the beach to provide the massage of your choice at your desired time.