Media Reviews

You can read about the numerous media write-ups and interviews that have featured Samahita over the past 17 years.

Paul Dallaghan Featured on CNN

Samahita’s co-founder Paul Dallaghan is featured on CNN International on International Day of Yoga on June 21, 2019, with anchor Amara Walker. Paul explains the rise and growth of yoga and why we need it in today’s world to help with psychological stress and anxiety. Paul discusses the importance of breath and demonstrates posture you can do everyday.

Yoga and Meditation Retreats: Why They’re Essential in 2025

Zoom Bangla

In today’s fast-paced world, finding a sanctuary where you can reconnect with yourself is more important than ever. Yoga and meditation retreats offer the perfect escape to recharge your mind, body, and spirit. If you’re searching for the best yoga and meditation retreats in 2025, you’re about to discover transformative experiences that can lead to profound inner peace and lasting well-being....

16 Yoga Teachers’ Favorite Escapes

Yoga Journal

“Samahita is a perfect balance of luxury and simplicity. They have all sorts of yoga programs year-round, as well as indoor cycling classes and a full range of health and spa treatments. The quality of the staff—they are caring, but not intrusive—and people who teach here is amazing, as is the food!” —Mary Taylor, a yoga teacher based in Boulder, Colorado, and co-author of The Art of Vinyasa...

How to calm your mind with breathing, according to science

Richard Sima - Washington Post

Breath, body and brain aligned The relationship between our breath, body and brain has been known for at least 1,500 years, said Paul Dallaghan, a breathwork expert and researcher who is publishing a review on the history of yoga. “One reflects the other. As the breath moves, the mind moves,” he said, citing yoga texts. More recent research has found evidence supporting this ancient insight....

Eight ancient wellness rituals you can still experience today

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

These therapeutic acts have been honed over many centuries, and testimonies to their alleged benefits have endured to the present day....

Times of India Travel Story

Times of India

Thailand offers an abundance of wellness retreats nestled amidst serene landscapes, offering everything from yoga and meditation to holistic healing and spa treatments. Here’s a list of 10 top wellness retreats in Thailand....

The 9 Best Yoga Retreats in Thailand in 2024

Yovada

Experience the perfect blend of mind, body, and spirit rejuvenation at the 6-day Yoga Core Cycle Fitness Retreat on Koh Samui, Thailand. Led by Paul Dallaghan, this retreat marries yoga with functional fitness for a comprehensive well-being approach, emphasizing physical, emotional, and mental health....

The Best Spas in Thailand

Conde Nast

Originally a famous yoga teacher school, Samahita now welcomes yoga enthusiasts as well as experts. Set right on a strip of sand on Koh Samui, it’s the brainchild of Paul Dallaghan, an internationally renowned teacher....

International Yoga Day Sneak Away To These Gorgeous Yoga Retreats Around The World

Outlook Traveller

Celebrate International Yoga Day 2023 by seeking solace in tranquil retreats, where serenity intertwines with mindful practices, offering respite from the bustling city and revitalizing your weary soul....

Wellness Travel in Thailand

The Art of Healing

Samahita Retreat started operating in 2003, and is known for yoga teacher training, breathwork, and wellness teachings in Thailand....

Wellness retreats in Thailand: Your guide to blissful getaways

Thaiger

Are you tired of the hustle and bustle of city life and in need of some R&R?...

5 yoga retreats in Koh Samui where you can reflect, relax, and enjoy incredible views

Thaiger

Is a yoga retreat in the tropics calling your name? Koh Samui can be an ideal destination for your next wellness gateway....

The Best Yoga Retreats In Thailand

DestinationMundo.com

With their grand temples and palaces scattered all across the land, the tropical country of Thailand in Southeast Asia is known for its religiousness and spirituality....

Paul Yoga Retreat Thailand Samahita Retreat

CNN

Samantha’s Review of Samahita

Health & Fitness Travel

Samahita, which is Sanskrit for centered, has its origins in New York in the 1990s where founder Paul Dallaghan established Centered Yoga and was exploring all elements of yoga, meditation, spirituality, health, nutrition, alternative living and more....

Editor’s Choice Award: Samahita Retreat Offers Couples a Rejuvenating Getaway in Thailand

Hayley Matthews

Couples often return from vacations exhausted by the tours, itineraries, and nights out on the town. But, when they travel to Samahita Retreat, located on the southern coast of Thailand, they come back rejuvenated....

【女生獨遊推薦】一個人去泰國蘇梅：做瑜伽嘆spa

Cosmopolitan HK

總有些原因，你才會想一個人出走！比如失戀散心？平日工作應酬太繁忙，想樂得耳根清靜？或是享受一個人的時光，與自己對話，洗滌心靈？不論是甚麼原因，女生確實需要獨遊一趟，因為只有獨遊過才會有更多體會。擁有陽光與海灘、可「激玩」又可「放鬆玩」的泰國蘇梅，絕對是適合一個人Eat、”Play”、Love的好去處。...

7 OF THE BEST YOGA RETREATS IN THAILAND

ALYSSA JAMES

Thailand is a place people go when they want to rebalance their mind, body, and spirit. It’s a country that offers nature, spirituality, and fun in an affordable package....

EXPERT-LEVEL YOGA AND STRESS-ANNIHILATING BREATHWORK IN A SERENE BEACH SETTING

Conde Nast

Paul Dallaghan is the yogis’ yogi, an internationally renowned teacher who’s more interested in scientific research than celebrity endorsement, so while other instructors busy themselves doing DVDs, he’s working on a PhD about the benefits of the ancient discipline....

Recharge Batteries and Find Yourself Again

Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung (Germany)

Eine Freundin prophezeite mir, dass ich dort mein Glück finden werde. In Form von Wohlbefinden, Selbstvertrauen und Achtsamkeit....

Samahita, yoga-core-cycle retreat in Koh Samui, Thailand

Pointus (France)

Vivants dans des sociétés urbanisées, en croissance et toujours plus dynamiques, le besoin de reconnexion à la nature et à l’essentiel est de plus en plus marqué....

Meghan Markle is a big fan of gong bathing, but what is this next big wellness holiday trend?

South China Morning Post

Duchess of Sussex has revealed her interest in the form of sound healing, where you relax while being ‘bathed’ in sound waves from gongs. How does it help and where can you try it out in luxury?...

Best Detox Retreats around the World

Food Matters

Would you like to lose a few kilos, increase your fitness, give your liver a break, de-stress or simply have some “me” time? Find out what we consider the best detox retreats around the world that pride themselves on amazing food, great results and personalized care....

SAMAHITA RETREAT KOH SAMUI: MY 3-DAY WELLNESS RETREAT IN THAILAND

This Girls Abroad

I’ll be honest – I had never really considered going on a retreat before. I’ve had friends who have done ones in various places throughout the world and they talked about juice cleanses and completely detoxifying their bodies (I’ll let you use your imagination there), and slightly bizarre treatments. Needless to say, they didn’t exactly sell it to me....

Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui: A Vacation Your Body And Mind Will Love

Josh Bender

If you’re already a hard-core yoga fan, a yoga retreat will probably sound like the perfect vacation. But what if you’ve never tried yoga? Or you’ve tried it, but just can’t commit to regular practice?...

Yoga Inspiration Series: Interview with Teacher & Samahita founder Paul Dallaghan

Soul Seed Travel & Media

Paul is one of the pioneering entrepreneurs in the wellness and well-being retreat world, having established Centered Yoga in 1999 in NYC and Samahita Retreat in 2003 in Thailand, leading the field in how yoga, fitness, body and mind hacks, detox, and meditation are all incorporated into the hospitality industry....

Reboot in Paradise

BestFit UK

BESTFIT headed to the Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui, to take part in their bespoke YogaCoreCycle programme. Leara Gabay visited the eco-friendly lodge to reboot her mind, body and soul...

Samahita Retreat Samui

South China Sea Magazine, Hong Kong

Samahita Retreat has chosen a sanctuary in the sand for its enlightening yoga and exercise classes. Opened in 2003 and nestled along the southern shores of Koh Samui island.....

Yoga in Samui

Fah Thai Magazine

Island of Repose Samahita Retreat guest Louise came here to take a break and take stock of her life…...

Headstand on the Beach

Angelika Taschen, text by Kristin Rübesamen

When in 2001, with modest savings, Paul and Jutima squinted at the light at the end of the Lincoln Tunnel, they were leaving not only New York and their former years in training as yoga teachers behind them. Their destination was Los Angeles, their next stop Bangkok, Jutima’s place of birth. Before they founded Samahita Retreat, they travelled to India in order to study in Mysore with their teacher Pattabhi Jois and his grandson Sharath....

Die coolsten Spots für Aktivurlaub in Thailand

Tourexpi.com

Weite Strände, viel Natur, jahrhundertealte Kultur, Gastfreundschaft und eine exotische Küche – Thailand ist bei Fernwehhungrigen beliebt und steht dank gelockerten Einreiseregeln* bei vielen für dieses Jahr wieder auf der Bucket List....

Thailand’s Leading Health, Fitness & Yoga Retreats – Samahita

Go Solo

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect?...

Detox, Cleanse and Yoga

Kim Inglis

Serious yoga aficionados should look no further than Samahita Retreat, a small “home from home” facility set in Samui’s deep south on the quietest beach on the island. Living the talk, instructor Tiana says that staff at Samahita Retreat keep things “honest, simple and sincere,” believing that yoga isn’t just about asanas: healthy clean living plays its part, so all food is organic vegetarian and sugar-free, yet delicious. Yoga retreats or training can be accompanied by a no-nonsense yet nurturing detox at the integral Samahita Wellness facility – and personalised regimes are available too. Architecture is functional rather than aesthetic, but, as to be expected, the ecoemphasis is high. The idea is to leave here rejuvenated and relaxed , but, more importantly, empowered on many levels....

Thailand’s Hidden Yoga Gem

Tiana Harilela

In my time I have been to many retreats around the globe with the yoga, health and wellness “theme” to it. But none seemed to quite hit the spot as Samahita Retreat in Koh Samui did. Perhaps this is one reason why I keep coming back. Unlike other wellness centres around Asia and globally for that matter, Samahita Retreat offers something the others don’t. SINCERITY. This teacher – owned, teacher – directed Hidden Gem is the genius of Paul and Jutima Dallaghan, who have instilled a sense of balance to this unique place on all levels. With a home away from home atmosphere, (but not lacking the comfort and chiq-ness we are used to) this niche 28 room retreat and wellness centre offers a proper understanding and teaching of yoga for beginners and non beginners a like. With a beautiful and...

Finding the inner I

Amir Mizroch

Take a deep breath when you reach the full stop at the end of this sentence. Now exhale. Again: deep inhale, feel the cool air as it moves through your nostrils, see your abdomen and chest expand; now exhale slowly through your nose, the same air coming back out warm, feel your face relax. Last time, and now don’t read on, just breathe. And smile. Plug your ears with your fingers and listen to yourself breathe....

Best Wellness Resorts and Retreats – Family Friendly Affordable Retreat in Asia

Little Step

The season of celebration has come to an end, and so has the feasting! For your 2020 resolution, maybe take some time to celebrate your body with a wellness retreat, go with or without the kiddos....

Samui Holiday Magazine: From the Subtle to the Sublime

Rob De Wet

Most spas seem to offer yoga as some kind of add-on. But Samahita Retreat, way down in the deep and unspoiled south of the island, comes at things from entirely the opposite direction. This is first and foremost a yoga centre, and it’s one of the best-known yoga teaching facilities in the world....

World’s Best Yoga Teacher Training BEST IN THAILAND: Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui

FindYoga

A tight-knit community of yogi’s in one of the most beautiful places in the world. The well-established Centered Yoga at Samahita retreat has been running trainings since 1999. Courses are fully inclusive of the training program, facilities, guest rooms, and food. If you’re looking for integrity it’s a fantastic place to do your teacher training....

My Retreat at Samahita

forever39

The Samahita is a famous and a well- established yoga resort on Koh Samui. This accommodation is placed in a quiet place in Koh Samui at a beautiful bay with white sand, a turquoise sea and rustling palm trees....

Detox in Thailand

Yoga Magazine Netherlands

Actrice, muzikant, schrijver en performer Ellen ten Damme is altijd in voor een uitdaging. Dus toen we haar vroegen een Brain Health Upgrade-programma uit te proberen, ging ze met gezonde spanning op weg naar een van de mooiste resorts van Koh Samui....

Interview with the founder of Samahita Retreat Paul Dallaghan

Health & Fitness Travel

Paul is the co-founder and CEO of Samahita Retreat, Thailand’s very first dedicated yoga retreat, operating now for 16 years on the tropical island of Koh Samui....

Travel to a gorgeous detox retreat and invest in yourself and your well-being!

Airline Staff Rates

When the daily grind becomes a bit too stressful, when there’s just not enough time to take care of body and mind, perhaps it’s time to fly away to beautiful Koh Samui in southern Thailand and check in at the island’s popular Samahita Retreat....

Namaste: 11 peaceful yoga retreats around the world

Momondo

If you’re after a tropical setting, warm weather and world-renowned teachers, Thailand is your new best friend. While tranquillity and serenity might not be synonymous with Koh Samui at first glance, look beyond the family-style resorts and crowded beaches, go off the beaten track and join the industry-leading Samahita Retreat....

Spa Review Ultimate Travel: Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui, Thailand

Guest Writer Gaye Gerard

Where Is It : On the south coast of Koh Samui, Thailand. Why Go: More than just a yoga retreat, it’s a holiday destination which also offers spa treatments, detox and weight loss programs, meditation and core cycle fitness classes. Best For: Groups of friends, or couples looking for a healthy holiday destination. Three Things We Loved: The evening meditation classes, the therapeutic spa massage treatments, the early morning yoga classes. The Ultimate Factor: It’s nestled on a stunning beach....

The Ultimate Traveller: Detox And Yoga At Samahita

Guest Writer Gaye Gerard

Thailand has become a popular destination for health and wellness holidays and retreats, with everything on offer from three-star eco-experiences to award winning luxury resorts. Nestled on a beach in Koh Samui, Samahita Retreat is one of the latter, as well as being the first retreats to offer a yoga core cycle and functional fitness program; for those who don’t know, that combines yoga, fitness, strength and cardio. Founded by Paul Dallaghan in 2003, it has become one of the best known and authentic yoga programs available....

Samui Holiday Magazine

Karan Ladd

Samahita Retreat is set right on the long, unspoilt and tranquil beach of Laem Sor, on the south coast of Koh Samui. It’s nestled in a quiet and secluded area, well away from any crowds, busy roads or hedonistic activity. Surrounded by coconut trees and tropical wildlife, it is still close to markets and cultural attractions such as waterfalls and temples, for you to discover at your leisure....

Detox Your Soul at Samahita Yoga Retreat

UMA Dubai

We all experience different things in life. Some of them are meant to be captured in photographs, a few others in only our memories. However, there are very few experiences that are captured by our mind, that remain etched on our soul for the rest of your lives; experiences that have indescribable healing effects and are capable of transforming one as an individual. I had the good fortune of experiencing the same at the Samahita Retreat in Koh Samui. Before I begin narrating my experience – just sit back, take a deep breath, relax your mind, calm yourself till you can hear your heartbeats, and come on a once in a lifetime journey with me. A journey of refreshing your mind, of renewing your thoughts and rejuvenating your soul. Samahita Retreat, I first heard of this place about a...

Have a Relationship with your Yoga Practice – A Dialogue with Paul Dallaghan and Tom Richter

Tom Richter of www.startteachingyoga.com

Have a Relationship with your Yoga Practice – An interview with Paul Dallaghan This summer I once again returned to Samahita Retreat on Koh Samui, Thailand to study with my teacher Paul Dallaghan. Paul has been a helpful guide and great source of inspiration on my path of practicing and teaching Yoga. So I thought it’s a great idea to sit down with Paul and ask him a couple of questions about the art of teaching Yoga. As Paul has been a practitioner, teacher and researcher of Yoga for 20 years now, I was curious to hear what his thoughts and advices are on teaching Yoga. Paul has been studying in a one-on-one capacity with Yoga master Tiwariji, head of the Kayvalyadhama Institute in India and a true master and teacher of Pranayama. As well, he studied closely with the late Sri...

Huffington Post UK / November 2012 | An Oasis For Your Mind, Body and Soul

Huffington Post UK

Imagine a place you can go, to spend some quality time with yourself. And by ‘self’ i actually mean your metaphysical or spiritual self. Samahita Retreat is an oasis unlike any I have seen or experienced before. Tucked away on the southern part of Koh Samui, in Thailand, it’s a sanctuary dedicated to yoga, wellness and a balanced lifestyle. I’m attending a month-long yoga teacher intensive here, led by the dynamic and inspiring Stephen Thomas. One week in, and I’m beginning to see why so many people, yogis and others alike, consider this place a home away from home. The schedule can be grueling: getting up at 6am every day, spending several hours in the morning doing breath work (pranayama) and yoga postures (asanas). Besides the physical activity, there’s much to think about too,...

The Magical Healing Power of Yoga

Claudia Azula Altucher

On March 31, 1986, my mother jumped out of the 7th floor window of her bedroom. On her way down she crashed onto a glass table in the backyard of the owners of the ground floor unit. She died that day. She was depressed and desperate. To me, that felt like I received two shots, a bullet to the head and a cannon ball to the stomach. I am not writing to tell you that story. This is about how healing a daily yoga practice can be. In 2000 on my first yoga class I realized that there was some relation between what I felt in my stomach and the pain of what happened when I was 18. Eight years later I learned I had a muscle called the “psoas” along with others deep within my stomach, which coincided with the time when I started doing drop backs onto the floor — from standing, dropping...

Condé Nast Traveller / August – September 2012 | Take a Yoga Retreat on Koh Samui

Condé Nast Traveller

Tucked away on Koh Samui’s unspoiled southern shore, Samahita Retreat combines the soulful tranquillity of a yoga ashram with the creature comforts of a boutique resort. Featured in the Taschen book, Great Yoga Retreats, the centre was founded in 2003 by New York yoga teacher Paul Dallaghan and his Thai- American wife Jutima, and boasts an enviable ocean-side location and meticulous ecoplanning (solar panels heat water; bathrooms are stocked with biodegradable toiletries). Alongside its yoga programmes, Samahita Retreat offers a range of supportive therapies such as ayurvedic and Thai massage, reiki and reflexology. Miami-based yoga teacher Kino MacGregor teaches a popular ashtanga yoga programme here and is effusive about the resort: “More than a yoga retreat, Samahita is a paradise...

Asia Spa magazine / May 2012 | Wellbeing

Asia Spa magazine

So you want to be a yoga teacher? Kerri Kelly experienced the power of yoga firsthand when she mourned the loss of her stepfather after the September 11, 2001 tragedy in New York. “I was in one of the many yoga classes I attended during this painful time, when I realised how my yoga practice gave me the space I needed to cry, to mourn my loss and eventually to heal.” That was the transformative ‘it’ moment for Kelly, who quit her corporate advertising job and moved out west with the intention of studying yoga more deeply and eventually teaching. Today, 10 years after taking her first yoga teacher training course, she is a well-regarded teacher in the San Francisco Bay area. Her dream of teaching yoga is a reality....

Financial Times: How to Spend It / May 2012 | Spa Junkie at Samahita Retreat

Financial Times

Yoga in Thailand : Samahita retreat The venue Samahita is on Koh Samui, but don’t panic – situated on Laem Sor beach on the south coast, it’s at a safe distance from the debauchery of Chawang. Eco-friendly buildings use natural lighting, rainwater harvesting and solar power. The vibe Yoga and fitness are taken very seriously here and the retreat is costly for a Thailand getaway. As such, guests tend to be extremely driven, with fixed goals of improving their practice, gaining yoga qualifications or learning about yoga philosophy. The yoga They specialise in Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, and one of the teachers was directly certified by Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois, who developed the style. Guest teachers are regularly brought in for focus retreats and workshops, teaching pre-natal yoga,...

Ontspannen op Koh Samui

Yoga Online, Netherlands

Geniet van prachtige natuur en kies uit een breed scala aan yogalessen op het Thaise eiland Koh Samui....

The Art of Thai Healing

Lois Crompton

Stepping out of the coolness of my air-conditioned car straight into a warm cocoon of peace at the Samahita Retreat, I feel my body instantly relax. The balmy evening air is laced with lingering spice and a hint of incense that lifts the weight of the world from my shoulders. Emerging from the smoggy heat and chaos of Bangkok to the island escape of Koh Samui, destined for a week intriguingly entitled ‘Yoga & the Art of Healing’, I’m eager with the promise of shedding my winter skin. Under the watchful eye of Claudia Jones, it doesn’t take long for me to surrender to a daily routine, all early rising, herbal tea, long breathing workshops and sandy beach Ashtanga yoga classes. Mouth-watering brunches give way to afternoons of slightly self-indulgent relaxation and contemplation,...

Asia’s Top Ten Burnout Retreats

Frances Frangenheim

Stress is something we all live with, right? Whether it’s the pressure of a punishing work schedule or a busy home life, it’s not unusual to feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. Some forms of stress are good for us and motivate us to achieve, but chronic stress – the kind of stress that seems inescapable and is ongoing – is a serious no-no and can cause illness and disease if left unchecked. Recent studies suggest that three in four people experience stress at troubling levels, the side effects of which are anxiety, depression, weight gain, heart disease and stroke, hair loss, diabetes, sexual dysfunction, infertility, low immunity, ulcers and cancer. That’s the bad news; the good news is that chronic stress can be avoided through wellness education. Here we look at some of...

Yoga, Sun, Beach and Ocean at Samahita Retreat

Romana Delberg

Über Koh Samui ist der Himmelblitzblau, der Flieger nähert sich der nahezu kreisrunden Insel, die wunderschön grün aus der türkisblauen Haut des Golfs von Thailand ragt. Man sieht sie immer häufiger am Flughafen von Samui, die reisenden Yogis mit ihren Mattentaschen. Hier gelandet, um ins Yoga, tropische Wetter, den Sand, das Meer und die köstliche Thailändische Interpretation einer sattvischen Küche einzutauchen…...

Samahita Retreat – The Perfect Detox Experience

Mark and Denise Duffield-Thomas

The Samahita Wellness Centre provides an authentic yoga retreat and impeccably managed detox programme against an inspiring tropical island backdrop. We were so thrilled to be invited to the first residential Samahita Yoga and Detox retreat on the beautiful tropical island of Koh Samui. The centre has always offered yoga residentials, but this is the first time the centre has run a dedicated detox stay....

Take up yoga in Thailand

Frances Hibbard

Miles from the thrum of Chaweng beach, with its tandooried Euro backpackers, designer fakes and pesky touts, is one of Koh Samui’s hidden gems: Samahita Retreat. Irishman Paul Dallaghan and his Thai wife, Jutima, established the yoga centre six years ago after relocating from Manhattan to raise their family. The result is a dedicated yoga retreat, a place where yogis aspiring or experienced can take up residence and immerse themselves in traditional ashtanga vinyasa yoga, the discipline responsible for 51-year-old Madonna’s rock-hard physique...

Samahita Retreat

Anna Dubrovsky

Koh Samui, Thailand www.samahitaretreat.com Paul and Jutima Dallaghan’s Ashtanga Yoga shala (school) and retreat center may be the only smoke- and alcohol-free getaway on the island of Koh Samui. The couple opened Samahita Retreat in 2003 after living and teaching in New York. This year, they’re relocating to the southern part of the island and reopening just in time for their annual Christmas and New Year’s Retreat. The new center can accommodate as many as 60 guests. Its eco-design features include rainwater harvesting and solar water heating. (Sep – Oct 2008. Yoga + Joyful Living – USA)...

Paul Dallaghan, Founder of Samahita Retreat and Centered Yoga Institute, Thailand

Louise Renwick

Paul has been teaching constantly since he arrived on Koh Samui in 2001 when only a small number of yoga studios existed there. He believes strongly that yoga’s spread can not be attributed directly to the influence of people, but will spread organically through the effect of yoga itself. (May 2008. Asia Spa)...

Asia’s top 10 wellness resorts

Chami Jotisalikorn, for CNN

Exotic locations, ancient healing traditions and outstanding personal service is Asia’s recipe for outstanding resorts Samahita Wellness Retreat (Koh Samui) Originally started as Yoga Thailand by a yoga teaching couple in 2003, this center evolved into Samahita Wellness Retreat in a few years. Located on a pristine beach in a tranquil bay, it has three yoga studios including a beachfront yoga pavilion. Samahita’s calendar offers regular teacher-training programs drawing students from around the world for international teacher certification and visiting yoga teachers. It offers a variety of yoga (but it’s best known for Ashtanga yoga), detox and wellness retreats and packages, daily, short- and long-term. The open-air beach dining room is intimate and laid-back. The poolside...

Podcast Interview with Paul Dallaghan and Claudia Azula Altucher

Azula Altucher of http://www.claudiayoga.com/

Paul Dallaghan has a yoga retreat that I can only describe as the Richard Branson’s Isand for yoga… Any yoga “real thing” you’d like is there, at his place in Ko Samui, Thailand (I’ve been to the place twice). For example: ayurvedic treatments, infrared saunas, pool, steaming showers, excellent food, exceptional yoga and pranayama instruction and amazingly beautiful guest rooms by the ocean… And he is one of the most humble people I know. Maybe that is why everything good comes his way… Although life is not always easy… I found out in a rather “brutal way” for podcast standards so to speak, that he is no longer with his wife… I went unconscious and said: “I’m sorry” To which he laughed and said: “Nothing to be sorry about, but yeah, go ahead” Just like comedian and...

Fah Thai Magazine / RICHARD AND MARY: YOGA DUO; ORGANIC THAI COOKING The two of us

Fah Thai Magazine

Fresh from a world tour, internationally renowned yoga-teaching couple Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor return to Koh Samui in March for their annual two- week course at Samahita Retreat. Richard has been a yogi since 1968 and is known for his unique, metaphorical teaching style, which incorporates Ashtanga Vinyasa and Iyengar yoga and philosophy. Mary also teaches yoga and writes cookbooks. The couple runs the highly regarded Yoga Workshop in Boulder, Colorado. samahitaretreat.com MARY “As a couple, we’re drawn to Samui because of its breath-taking beaches – like you’d see in photo-shopped photos of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Samui is mellow and welcoming. Working together, as a couple, is really pretty simple. We study together and always practice in the morning...

Travel, Change Your Life. Huffington Post (in German)

Sabine Ludwig

Reisen, die das Leben verändern Schöne Erlebisse sollte man erstmal sacken lassen. Sagt man zumindest. Und jetzt habe ich genügend Abstand, um von meiner Detox- und Destress-Woche im Samahita Retreat auf Kosamui zu erzählen. Ehrlich gesagt, ich möchte zurück, jetzt, sofort! Die Seele wiederfinden im Samahita Retreat auf Kosamui. Ich wusste nicht, was auf mich zukommt. Aber die sieben Tage haben ein Stückweit mein Leben und meine Ansichten verändert. Ich würde sagen, zum Guten hin, aber, nun ja, das muss jeder für sich selbst entscheiden, der sich auf so ein Experiment einlässt. Fangen wir mit Yoga an. Trotz einiger Kurse in Deutschland hat es mir nie so richtig Spaß gemacht. Das erste Mal, dass ich wirklich begeistert war, kam durch die Yoga-Lehrerinnen Summer und Tracy. Klar,...

Eat.Travel.Live | Amy Dennis Explores Samahita Yoga Retreat in Thailand

Amy Dennis

There are many fantastic reasons to come to the breathtaking Koh Samui island, off the east coast of Thailand’s peninsula, but the Samahita Retreat may well be the best. This wonderful yoga retreat in Thailand offers exercise-packed holidays with some of the finest yoga instructors around in spectacular scenery, Samahita is at the top of its class. As welcoming to mere beginners as to hardened yoga meisters, the open-plan dining area is where most guests mingle in between dips in the sea and yoga and meditation classes. When gurus such as Simon Low arrive, there is a certain buzz about the place, but generally a serene sense of calm casts over the cottage complex. The bedrooms that lead off the centralised garden, which is full of rainforest-esque wildlife, are white and...

Yoga und Ayurveda

Harald Sager

Vor wenigen Jahrzehnten waren Yoga und Ayurveda im Westen annähernd unbekannte Größen. Heute sind sie Mainstream, das eine als Alternative zu Sport, das andere als Vorbeuge- bzw. Komplementärmedizin. Worum geht es dabei? Ein Selbstversuch in zwei Etappen....

Time Out Singapore / May 2012 | Weekend escapes: Thailand

Time Out Singapore

Go on a yoga retreat in Koh Samui Though South-East Asia has plenty of yoga centres, there are few places with a larger concentration of retreats than Koh Samui, arguably the new yoga capital of the region (just beware: flights are a little pricier, as none of the budget airlines fly here). Two in particular offer a high quality of instructors and facilities, though you’ll pay for the privilege: the plush Samahita Retreat (www.samahitaretreat.com), which focuses on the yoga courses (EUR790/$1,287 per week), but where you can stay for a few nights if you email; and the even fancier Absolute Sanctuary...

Sawasdee

Clean Up Your Act Holidays aren’t just for relaxing any more. Going on a detox holiday is the new way to a fresh new you When it comes to food, I’m no angel. I’m blissfully happy indulging my palate with things that are bad for me. Succulent steaks, crispy bacon, mounds of pasta, fried checken wings, spongy cakes and creamy lattes are things i wouldn’t dream of saying no to; the cruellest way to torture me would be to separate me from my favourite foods. So, when I checked into the Samahita Retreat in Koh Samui for a one-week detox programme, I found myself staring at a very thick detox guidebook, a daily schedule of detox herbs, pills and colon cleansing sessions, and I heard my stomach howl in fear....

Thailand’s Yoga Resort “Samahita”

Thailand’s Yoga Resort “Samahita” Take time out to renew your mind, body and spirit by exploring new places while having wonderful experiences. The Samahita Yoga Retreat in Thailand will give you the best of both worlds, a vacation and wellness in one. Samahita Retreat was established in 2003 on the island of Koh Samui, and has been called by many a “hidden gem”. Owned and directed by yoga and lifestyle teacher, Paul Dallaghan, the Yoga retreat center has been a location for practice, learning and holiday for literally tens of thousands of guests from all walks of life over the years. Originally known as Yoga Thailand, the yoga retreat center has grown and developed over the years and now encompasses a wellness center as well as its traditional yoga offerings. Samahita translates from...

Financial Times: How to Spend It / May 2012 | Spa Junkie at Samahita Retreat

Financial Times

Spa Junkie’s week-long yoga programme at Samahita Retreat in Thailand is drawing to a close. DAY SIX, 7.30AM Morning practice. Things have improved remarkably since I tweaked the diet. There is a great deal to be said for a focused retreat versus my twice-weekly classes in London. The advancements in my practice are beyond my expectations, and I am now doing headstands unassisted. I hold the pose for so long, it feels as though all my blood is in my head when I come down. The middle of the days are ours to fritter away as we wish. Most spend time at the pool, but the resort also books boat and car excursions for those wanting to venture off premises. In the afternoon we do technique class as well. And in the evening, kirtan – call-and response chanting. Maria and Rod sit at the...

Thailand’s Wellness Gurus

Asia Spa Magazine

Paul Da llaghan, founder of Samahita Retreat, has been living in Koh Samui with his wife Jutima since 2001. They originally came to teach and study while in India but were called to offer more for others interested in yoga and health. “We genuinely felt a place with authentic practices and integrity was needed and could only be done by those who fully live it. Though the country is full on in modernity and materialism with its own typical tourist callings, it at the same time carries with it a legacy of spiritual practice through Buddhism and even yogic exposure. The forest monks here are real yogis.” With Samahita they have created an environment with the principles of an Indian ashram and the conveniences of the modern resort. “Though one can get caught up in the fun and games up north...

Tropical yoga immersion at Samahita Retreat

Lucia Cockcroft

The beautiful island of Koh Samui, off Thailand’s East coast, has become a hotbed of yoga in the last few years. Koh Samui and the yoga scene As well as detox and yoga resort The Absolute Sanctuary on the north coast, the 20km-wide island is also home to acclaimed holistic spa Kamalaya, and, ten minutes along a quiet road, nestling in the far south of the island, Samahita Retreat...

Extraordinary Retreats

Asia Spa Magazine

Holidays are conventionally all about being indulgent and treating yourself, but more often than not you return home needing an extra holiday to get over your holiday. Planning your time away around a health retreat may sound like it’s taking the fun out of your valuable time away from work and everyday routines, but in fact you will be treating your body and mind in a far better way and they’ll thank you for it with higher energy levels, a more positive outlook and possibly some inner demons that have been put to rest on your return. Thailand’s mix of natural beauty and spiritual culture makes it an obvious choice for a retreat, and there are several to choose from, whether you simply want to relax, tackle weight or serious health problems, or embark on a detox. “Some people come for...

20 Best Yoga Retreats in Beautiful Destinations Around the World

Travel & Leisure

Samahita Retreat has been offering yoga and wellness retreats in Thailand since 2003. Guests can attend an all-inclusive yoga retreat or create a customized stay incorporating yoga, meditation, breath work, and float therapy, among other wellness offerings....

Top 5 Koh Samui’s Wellness Spots to Revive During Your Holiday

North Penn Now

Who doesn’t want to escape the mundane and find sojourn in a place close to nature? That’s why over 28.15 million tourists visited Thailand last year. Reason?...

The Best Yoga Retreats in the World

Conde Nast Traveler

As wellness tourism continues to grow at a faster rate than holiday tourism, according to the industry’s benchmark, the Global Wellness Institute, the rise in immersive health-focused retreats in stunning locales continues....