Our family has just returned from a 5-day yoga retreat with baby in Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand. Previously, I had not thought it possible to do a yoga retreat with baby, but last week we decided to just go for it. On Thursday afternoon we booked the retreat, flights and ferry tickets and we flew out on Saturday morning. It was such short notice that it very nearly didn’t happen. But I am so happy that we sought this one out and made it happen – it was a very fulfilling experience for all of us, including baby! I’ll share with you how we got there from Bangkok, our experience of the yoga retreat – including accommodations, classes, food and community vibes… And, most interestingly, my main reflections and take-aways from the retreat!
Have you ever gone on a retreat? What were some of the reflections you came away with? Did you take children on the retreat with you?
*I do not receive any benefits for writing of my experience at Wonderland Healing Center, I do so only to share a wonderful experience with others who may wish to explore yoga retreats in Thailand.
Choosing Koh Pha Ngan and Wonderland Healing Center
We began our search for a yoga retreat very broad throughout the whole of Thailand. Quickly we began to focus upon Koh Pha Ngan when we learned that the island is known as ‘crystal island’ since it is rumored to be formed atop a quartz crystal. It is believed that this provides healing energy to those present on the island, and from this belief has grown a large community of holistic healers, wellness and yoga retreat centers and healthy eating restaurants and cafes.
Through an elimination process of excellent online reviews and availability at the center on our chosen travel dates with our short notice before arrival (only 2 days), we quickly decided on Wonderland Healing Center. We also greatly appreciated that they were welcoming of us joining the yoga retreat with baby in Koh Pha Ngan.
For other great options on the island, this site has a great intro to other retreat centers.
How we got there from Bangkok
Our flight
Which travel option you choose will depend upon your priorities: time vs. money and other variables. We chose the fastest option since we were traveling with a baby, we had less time (only 5 days), and enough money to buy a plane ticket with Bangkok Airways. So we flew into to Koh Samui airport.
Bangkok Airways is a great airline but the one thing that really bothers me about their policies when flying with a baby, and car seat for the baby, is that, contrary to every other airline we have flown with (and there have been many!), they do not let parents place the car seat on a spare seat. They require you to check it into the hold or to place it in the overhead compartment. And they require that you hold the baby during the whole journey, or place her on a spare seat. This runs contrary to what seems intuitively the safer option for baby – to be seated in her car seat – however, there may be reasons why they have this policy that they were not able to explain to me.
Our ferry from Koh Samui to Koh Pha Ngan
Once we arrived at Samui airport, we then took the ferry from Mae Nam pier on Koh Samui to Thong Sala pier on Koh Pha Ngan. We had booked our ferry through ferrysamui.com and everything was extremely well-organized and ran to time. We also arranged our pick-up from the airport to the pier with that company and it worked very well.
Transfer from Thong Sala pier to Wonderland
When we arrived at Thong Sala pier, the Wonderland staff picked us up in their vehicle which was a song-thaew. Normally we would love to ride in this kind of vehicle feeling the freedom of wind blowing through our hair and enjoying all the smells of the island as we drove through.
However, with the baby in her car seat, we had a bit of a challenge. As I write in my blog on “My motorbike accident experiences in Bangkok”, I have lived first-hand the trauma involved in road accidents in Thailand. This country is ranked second in the world for highest number of road deaths per 100,000 of the population. I am therefore perhaps more cautious when it comes to road safety than other international parents may be, and I knew I wanted baby to be in her car seat for the journey.
We decided to put her in the front seat, inside the vehicle, next to the driver. This meant she could wear a seat-belt that would hold her car-seat in place, rather than take the risk of sliding around in the back of the song-thaew. Unfortunately, baby did not like being separated from her parents and cried most of the way. We even gave her some Peppa Pig to watch and that still wasn’t enough to stop the crying! Fortunately though, the pier is only a 10 minute drive from Wonderland, so we made it without too many tears.
Our experience at Wonderland Healing Center
There are various options of different retreat packages available on their website, as well as the possibility of individual day passes for those not staying at the Center. For us, we signed up to do a 4-night, 5-day retreat.
While the center does not normally host families with babies or young children, they were very welcoming and helpful to us. They were really great in providing a baby bed, in giving us extra bowls for baby food. They also put us in a room away from the majority of other residents, meaning we wouldn’t disturb them if/when the baby cried.
Accommodations
Standard double room 
Rooms overlooking pool
As a family, we stayed in a standard double bedroom, although there is also the option to sleep in shared dorms. Unfortunately when we arrived there was a lot of construction noise going on. Having just arrived from Bangkok where our apartment is across the street from a massive construction site involving 3 skyscrapers, a hotel and a supermarket, we were hoping to escape the sounds of saws, hammers and drills in coming to a retreat center. However, with the retreat center itself being such a haven we decided to stay. And I’m glad we did since the noise abated in coming days.
We had a wonderful family vacation! Each of us, as individuals, had wonderful experiences in the classes, in the connections we made with other guests at the center, and in biking trips throughout the island. (There are bicycles available to borrow and motorbikes available to rent). And together we had some precious family time at mealtimes and visiting the islands beautiful beaches. Our yoga retreat with baby in Koh Pha Ngan was a special, unique and fulfilling experience.
Class offerings and schedule
The center offers 3 yoga classes, 2 meditation classes and sometimes an additional evening session as part of their schedule. We took a tag-team approach to parenting and participation in classes and this worked really well for us on our yoga retreat with baby in Koh Pha Ngan. There was plenty of variety and frequency of classes that each of us parents was able to take a turn looking after baby and was still able to participate in 3-4 classes per day.
It was also helpful that the schedule was always posted a couple of days in advance so we could plan how to make the most of our time there and experience a broad variety of classes and teachers. The website describes the schedule as “eclectic” and I would agree with this. My husband, a more regular practitioner of yoga than I, was a little disappointed initially that it seemed like a smorgasbord of different classes and that there was nothing scheduled before 8am as in many ashrams. I, on the other hand, was really pleased there was nothing before 8am since I would seriously struggle to make it to a class so early! After a couple of days, he adjusted to the idea that Wonderland is not an ashram like other places he had stayed, and he really enjoyed the classes and teachings.
My experience in classes
Every single class I participated in, I was impressed by the wisdom shared by the teachers, with their breadth of experience and willingness to answer questions and genuinely help people on their life paths. Many who go to a yoga retreat or healing center are journeying through transitions, or upcoming changes, in their life and the teachers seemed to really tune in to supporting this.
I participated in many classes: some more “mainstream” like vinyasa yoga, yin yoga, and others less common such as chakra yoga, jappa meditation, reiki, facial massage marma points. The experience which was most powerful for me was in the Kundalini yoga class. I have practiced this type of yoga before but some combination of the teacher’s words, stories and wisdom, as well as her particular breathing techniques that she shared were particularly mind-opening. It was during these two classes that I had my most profound realizations (see 10 points below for more on this).
Food
The food is really delicious! Every meal I went up for second helpings! It is vegan, and there are a lot of gluten-free options. One of the top favorites is the vegan banana pancakes that they serve every morning. There has been so much discussion about how amazing the pancakes are that they have been generous enough to share the recipe on their website.
While being caffeine-free, sugar-free, meat-free, dairy-free for 5 days, I was really surprised that I did not have any cravings for these items, and that I was not hungry during my stay. The meals were so nutritious and delicious, it really satisfied me so as not to cause any cravings.
We also were conveniently able to find options to feed baby that were not too spicy or too raw or hard for her to eat. There were soups and lentils and fruits which were easy for her to eat and digest.
Bananas grown in Wonderland 
Butterfly blue pea flower 
Chili pepper
Community vibe
Aside from the food itself, the mealtimes were a special time in that it was buffet style self-serve and tables were banquet style encouraging lots of interaction and discussions between people who previously did not know each other. There were many, many individuals who came to the retreat by themselves for some solo time, re-connecting with themselves, but who also really enjoyed connecting with others over meals, over tea or smoothies in hammocks, in the steam room or on group trips outside the center.
Cold water plunge pool 
Herbal steam room
We really enjoyed meeting people from all over the globe – Europeans, North Americans, Japanese, Thais, Australians, Israelis… There was a wide age-range: people aged in their 60’s right the way down to people in their 20s.
We were the only family there on a yoga retreat with baby or child (other than the owners and managers of the center) so we definitely stood out from the crowd. Baby loved waving her little hand at everyone to get their attention and play with them. People were very warm, loving and gracious towards her and it felt very much like a safe-space. One woman also said “hats off to you for doing a yoga retreat with a baby in Koh Pha Ngan”, acknowledging it was an unusual and not particularly easy thing for parents to do. It was nice to feel welcomed, even though we were different in that we had a baby. (It is becoming more common in the US for yoga centers to welcome babies and children, but not to my knowledge very common in Thailand).
The structure of mealtimes, as well as the occasional group trip outside the island I think contributes a lot to the feeling of community that exists in the center. This is no easy feat considering many people arrive for only 3, 5, or 7 days and turnover is therefore high. However, many love the place so much that they decide to extend their stay. We also did not want to leave!
It is also a testament to the deep involvement and warmth of the owners and managers in the center who are happy chat with the guests at mealtimes and who, it is obvious, have poured so much love into creating Wonderland Healing Center.
My reflections and biggest take-away’s from our yoga retreat with baby in Koh Pha Ngan
- Baby loved being in a communal environment
- Tag-team parenting worked at the retreat
- “Let go of that which no longer serves you”
- “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle”
- Deja vu, being “on my path”, and connecting with my higher self
- The mind focuses on the negative, even when there is an abundance of positive around us
- De-constructing and re-constructing: slowing down to re-learn some things you thought you already knew
- I’ve been living my life distracted
- I don’t have to live with ongoing physical pains
- Angels come in many forms
1. Baby loved being in a communal environment
She wasn’t able to join in the yoga, mediation and massage classes, but she absolutely loved the communal eating experiences at mealtimes and the shared lounging space throughout the day. Baby said ‘hi’ to everyone through her adorable hand-waves and everybody responded so lovingly to her. She made a lot of new friends. I became known as “the baby’s mom” because everyone knew the baby. Adults and children alike wanted to be close with her and play together. She loved the attention and the games. And she also loved to watch the dogs strolling around the area. She was really fascinated by them as she had never been so close to dogs before.
2. Tag-team parenting worked
My husband and I are both into yoga, meditation and massage and so we both wanted to be involved in all that the retreat schedule had to offer. Each evening we would decide who would go to the 8am class and who would stay with baby and feed her breakfast. And from there on, the next day we would decide quickly between us who would go to each class throughout the day to gain as much benefit from our time at the center as possible. It helped that the schedule was posted around 3 days in advance so we could plan most of our stay. We were happily surprised at how do-able it was to be part of a yoga retreat with baby in Koh Pha Ngan!
3. “Let go of that which no longer serves you”
In one yoga class, the teacher asked us to each “let go of that which no longer serves you”. In essence, this means that if there is something in your life that no longer helps you move forward in the direction that you need or want to go in life, then you should try to let it go from your thoughts, feelings, behaviors. Without doing so, we are energetically telling the universe we are not ready to move on to the next stage of our life.
During the class, I connected this immediately with the frustration, sadness and disappointment I have been feeling over being repatriated (see my blog “Our family is being repatriated” for more on this). I have ruminated on this for 2 months now and have told myself that rather than focusing on these feelings, I need to focus on making the most of the time we have left. And, in my head, I have tried to do this, but unsuccessfully. This yoga class helped frame the issue in a different way. Rather than shifting focus, I just need to let go of the frame of mind of upset over the move and prepare for the next step in life.
4. “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle”
When connecting, even for a few days, with people who share their story with you of surviving cancer treatments, or of failed treatments that have resulted in a diagnosis of terminal cancer with only a few months to live, it is impossible to ignore how fragile and temporary we all are on this earth. It is a testament to the strength of the human spirit to carry on and to really live as fully as possible while we are alive. I am in awe of these beautiful souls and am in so much admiration of their decision to fly to a beautiful paradise island, to meet wonderful people and laugh, learn meditative practices, eat delicious, healthy vegan food, be massaged and relax on a beach or by a pool. These people are just phenomenal.
Even the healthiest looking, young, vegetarian, yogi joining a yoga retreat can be confronting challenges in life such as divorce, infertility, anxiety and major life transitions. We also, as a family, have gone through some major transitions, and will do so again in a couple of months with our next international move, and have dealt with our parents illnesses and surgeries in recent months.
It is a reminder that, in our day to day interactions, to show compassion to others, to carry the famous saying by Ian Maclaren in our hearts, and to “be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle”.
5. Déjà vu, being “on my path”, and connecting with my higher self
In one class the teacher says “you are on your path, you have never been off your path, you are right where you are meant to be”. I found this a very comforting and reassuring thing to hear when sometimes I live in doubt of the decisions I’ve made in the past that have ultimately directly and/or indirectly led me to where I am at this moment. On two occasions within the space of only 2 days, I experienced feelings of déjà vu. I mentioned this to another person I met on the retreat and she said this was a really positive thing to experience. She explained that it can be a sign we are “on our path”.
In some theories of life, it is believed that we have lived our life before and that it is all set out for us, and so when we experience a feeling of déjà vu it simply means that we are on our true path, we haven’t gotten lost along the way. Again, this made me feel reassured in my life. It can also be interpreted as a message from the sub-conscious mind that “you are walking the path you are meant to walk”. Having recently made major life transitions in making an international move to Bangkok, having finished my full-time employment where I had worked for 9 years, and soon to be moving to the US and undergoing another major international move, it was nice to hear that I was supposed to be at this retreat in Koh Pha Ngan! Things are moving as they are supposed to.
6. The mind focuses on the negative, even when there is an abundance of positive around us
When we arrived at the retreat we found our room was right next to a construction site. As I mentioned earlier, living next to a construction site in Bangkok, we were really disappointed to have tried to escape that noise and dust for a while, only to end up on our yoga retreat vacation again next to a construction site! Yet, I recognized the abundance, beauty, people and resources around us, aside from the construction, and realized I was focusing too much on the one negative in an environment full of positivity. It would be my loss to miss this experience for focusing on the negative instead of the positive. This is a good reminder to apply in other areas of life too.
7. De-constructing and re-constructing – slowing down to re-learn some things you thought you already knew:
I arrived at 8am for a vinyasa yoga class. I have been to many, many vinyasa classes, but this was unlike any other I have been to before. For some participants I imagine this would feel frustrating, for me I was willing to go with it. It was less energetic and at 8am, with no breakfast in me, I was glad of the slower pace and stretches. We focused on classic poses but using unusual props – chairs and partners to help us focus on proper alignment and twisting which can often be overlooked in a regular class.
I realized that it is easy to learn something, think that you’ve learned it correctly and continue for years doing it that same way. Until someone finally says, hold on, we’re going to de-construct this and then piece by piece re-construct it again. Only then do you realize a particular part of what you have been doing is not as it should be.
This was an important realization for me on a bigger level. This can happen in our careers. As Stephen Covey once said “experience is overrated. Some people say they have twenty years’ experience, when, in reality, they only have one year’s experience, repeated twenty times.” I need to be conscious of what I am doing and how I am doing it every time, not just the first few times.
8. I’ve been living my life distracted
I realized by the end of a yoga class that while doing one thing I am very, very often thinking or doing something else. I’m not fully present in where I am in the moment. In a transcendental meditation class, I was trying to meditate and was thinking about everything from my family, to work, to dinner, to the others in the room, to… the list goes on… I continue to try and bring my mind back to the internal (silent) mantra ‘aum’ and it is an effort for me.
I realize that I have been having conversations with people while thinking about what I need to do when I get off the phone. And I feel disappointed in myself that I have disrespected and cheated the person who was sharing their time, words, thoughts and feelings with me. I wasn’t fully present for them. And I want to change that.
9. I don’t have to live with on-going physical pains
In my normal routine I awake up with a sore back, neck and feet, and I think nothing out of the ordinary. I hate that I feel older but I know these aches and pains are a part of my life now. As the day goes on, the pain become less, yet I have learned to live with them and expect them now. But being here in these yoga stretches I realize that I shouldn’t have to feel this pain every day.
By day 3 of the retreat I noticed much of the pain I would normally feel in my back, neck, shoulders and feet when I would awake in the morning, was no longer present. And this felt like a present to myself! A little gift of starting the day pain-free. I have neglected my body these past couple of years and I have surrendered it to all the needs of my growing baby, throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is now time for me to re-start a self-care regime that includes physical activities like yoga, pilates, acupuncture, massage. These are all practices that can help relax muscles, relieve tension to ease aches and pains, and to reduce inflammation causing flares of auto-immune diseases and dermatitis issues that I live with.
10. Angels come in many forms
One teacher shared a beautiful story of her experience of an angel coming into her life in a most unlikely form. We were invited to consider the people in our lives who have acted as an angel to us, and to be conscious of this phenomenon in the future. I connected with the thought of our nanny in Bangkok as this person. She has been a true gift, and has had such a big and positive impact in our family’s life this past year.
Carrying these out of the retreat into day-to-day life
Wonderland Healing Center provided a wonderful space and opportunities for learning, growth and reflection – both physically and spiritually. It was also a great place for our family to spend quality time together as they were very accepting and welcoming of our baby, whereas many retreat centers would not be.
All of these reflections and take-away’s from my time at the retreat raise possibilities for change for the better in my life. I have shared a lot on what these will be above, and I aim to stay true to them and live them in my day-today life to improve my interactions with those around me – both those I care about and those who are seemingly only passing in my life. I also aim to begin taking better care of my own physical health and practicing greater self-care.