7 Reasons Why You Should Attend a Yoga Retreat in Sri Lanka
Experience what this tropical island has to offer and immerse yourself in a Yoga holiday in Sri Lanka.
Picture yourself practicing Yoga with like-minded yoga lovers, the wind in your hair and the beach just a few steps away.
Traveling and taking part in a Yoga retreat is a wonderful way to fill your cup and enhance wellness, explore new parts of the world, be a part of the international Yoga community and most importantly: immerse yourself in Yoga.
Yoga retreats provide an outlet to truly integrate the various limbs of Yoga into your daily life and routine: did you know that poses (asanas) are only one aspect of Yoga?
If you are planning your next yoga-focused getaway, it’s time to start looking into a one destination you might not have thought of yet – read on for a few reasons why Sri Lanka is one of the best Yoga destinations in the world!
Headed to Sri Lanka? click here for more Sri Lanka travel tips and destination guides!
1. Go somewhere new and exciting!
So you probably have friends who have been to yoga retreats in Bali, Thailand, Mexico or Costa Rica: but how many people can say that they’ve explored and practiced Yoga in Sri Lanka?
Although Yoga is certainly not new to the region (it’s just a stone’s throw away from India), more and more Yoga centers and retreats are being established across the island in Sri Lanka which makes it a perfect Yoga destination to deepen your practice.
There are many places along Sri Lanka’s south coast that offer daily drop-in classes such as Talalla Retreat, Dot’s Workshop, Salt House and Sri Yoga Shala, or practice in the scenic mountains at Rukgala Retreat near Kandy. Check out these yoga retreats in Sri Lanka – you can filter by location, duration, arrival date, price and more! You can also sign up to my mailing list to find out about any of my upcoming retreats on the island.
2. Check out Sri Lanka before it gets too crowded
While Sri Lanka has been “up-and-coming” for a few years, this beautiful island has been thrust into the spotlight and recently made it onto tons of “Top Travel Destinations” lists – this means that it is going to become increasingly popular and more and more crowded. Many people are now looking to Sri Lanka as a less-crowded alternative to the popular beach destinations in Asia such as Bali and Thailand.
Since the end of the civil war in 2009, tourist arrival numbers have multiplied several-fold each year and the country continues to work hard towards improving the infrastructure to accommodate the influx of visitors.
Why not beat the crowds and get a whole stretch of beach to yourself? It’s the perfect place to indulge in a little peace and solitude to clear your mind.
Click here for 12 things you should know before visiting Sri Lanka!
3. Learn to surf
Surfing and Yoga go together like peanut butter and jelly. Yoga benefits surfers in a multitude of ways, and conversely surfing is a great sport to complement an active Yoga practice. While there are a multitude of great yoga destinations around the world, not all of them offer the ideal surfing conditions!
If you’ve never tried surfing before, Sri Lanka is the best place to learn: the waves are gentle, the surf is uncrowded and the water is warm! I took up surfing in early 2015 and am now working on turning on the open face of a wave – I’m telling you, it’s an exhilarating experience!
There are plenty of surf and yoga retreats that you can check out – I recommend Talalla Surf, a surf camp and yoga retreat in southern Sri Lanka that runs weeklong programs led by experienced and qualified coaches.
4. Stunning surroundings
There’s nothing better than practicing with a cool ocean breeze and being surrounded by Mother Nature. Sri Lanka is wonderfully lush and offers blissful sunshine all year round: love drinking straight out of a coconut and hanging out on pristine beaches? Sri Lanka is the perfect place to calm the soul and immerse yourself in what nature has to offer!
Alternatively, perhaps you find yourself drawn to the misty mountains in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. Take your yoga practice high up in the hills in open-air shalas surrounded by the jungle and mountain ranges – I recommend checking out this yoga retreat at Rukgala near Kandy, where you can stay in a beautiful guesthouse in the hills with all meals, twice-daily yoga and excursions included.
After a calming yoga practice head out on a cultural exploration to one of the UNESCO-listed heritage sites around the island of Sri Lanka. You may also want to check out these yoga retreats at Ulpotha, one of the top retreat centres in Sri Lanka. The possibilities are endless in Sri Lanka for anyone looking for variety and options.
5. Assortment of Accommodation Options
There are rooms for every type of traveler and for every type of budget – Sri Lanka has it sorted. There are not only beautiful five-star hotels like the Anantara Tangalle Peace Haven Hotel, Shangri-La’s Hambantota Resort, Anantara Kalutara and Cape Weligama, but also boutique hotels, converted colonial houses, eco-lodges and luxury tents for “glamping” (like Madulkelle Tea & Eco Lodge) – basically, anything your heart desires.
Many places offer drop-in Yoga classes and also host multi-day Yoga retreats throughout the year, and traveling yoga teachers often visit Sri Lanka for an extended period of time to host trainings, workshops and retreats. You could easily hop between drop-in classes along the coast in south Sri Lanka, or get settled in one place for a few days at a time.
Planning a trip to Sri Lanka? Click here for more accommodation options and head on over here to check out upcoming yoga retreats in Sri Lanka!
6. The opportunity to experience the ancient art of Ayurveda
Ayurveda and Yoga are two peas in a pod and share many philosophies and practices; if you’ve always been interested in learning more about the art of Ayurveda, Sri Lanka is one of the top countries in the world to experience the ancient practice. Many therapists complete years of training to obtain a Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine degree from university, before going on to treat patients at Ayurveda centres and clinics.
Take the opportunity to find out your combination of doshas, experience a shirodhara treatment and blissful head massage, and find out which types of food complement your constitution.
If you’re interested in learning more about Ayurveda while practicing Yoga, check out Jetwing Ayurveda Pavilions in a little seaside town called Negombo, or consult with the in-house Ayurvedic doctor at Anantara Kalutara.
7. Ease of travel
Sri Lanka has a well-run international airport with direct flights to Colombo from a dozen countries around the world. There are also flights to Colombo from most major layover hub airports including Hong Kong, Dubai, Qatar, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, so getting there is a piece of cake.
Once you arrive in Sri Lanka, in-country transportation is also cheap, reliable and safe with a sprawling train network (read on for why train travel in Sri Lanka is a must-do), tuk tuks galore, brand new highways connecting cities and towns as well as a domestic air taxi services from coast to coast.
Most visitors will need to apply for a visa (except for nationals of Singapore, Maldives and Seychelles) but this is easily done online.
Not convinced? Check out this post for 10 reasons why you need to visit Sri Lanka now or click here for more Sri Lanka travel tips and destination guides!
Ready to plan your Sri Lanka yoga getaway? Click here to explore upcoming yoga retreats in Sri Lanka and filter by arrival, location, style of yoga, length of retreat and more. Have you visited Sri Lanka before? Tell me about your experience in the comments section below!
You may also like:
- 10 Amazing Yoga Destinations Around the World
- Make the most of your yoga retreat experience with these top tips
- Rukgala Retreat is one of the best yoga retreats in Sri Lanka. Read more about my time there
- Need some help planning a trip to Sri Lanka? Here are all of my insider Sri Lanka guides
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Sri Lanka looks so beautiful. I don’t really do Yoga but would love to go for the peace and serenity.
There are lots of different aspects to Yoga so we all do yoga in some way! 🙂 Hope you make it to Sri Lanka soon, Mike!
really nice pictures! seems that from now Sri Lanka is added to my future travel list and yoga lesson as well!
Thanks so much for checking this out!
I’ve been wanting to try yoga and I’ve been thinking of traveling to Sri Lanka so I loved reading this!
Let me know if you make it to Sri Lanka soon, Aubrie!
This sounds so similar to Kerala in India. I didn’t know Sri Lanka is such a favorite for yoga retreat. I will plan one definitely when I happen to visit here.
It’s starting to become a popular yoga destination 🙂
Sri Lanka is undoubtedly on my bucket list and when I will go there I have to consider some class of yoga with you as teacher!! Anyway I am considering many different countries to visit this year, it will be on November, 1 full month and I have to choose just 1 country of 5 of my special list!! I let you know 😀 thanks for sharing
Hope you make it to Sri Lanka soon Davide!
Sold! Sri Lanka is so tempting. Do you think a yoga retreat is a good intro to yoga for newbies? Is it worth it or should you learn at home before a special retreat?
Great question! Retreats are run differently so it’s worth reaching out to the organizer ahead of time to ask if it is appropriate for beginners. The one I am hosting in March is suitable for anyone and modifications will be offered.
Such a lovely write-up. We do agree Sri Lanka is getting a lot of attention of late and is bound to get very touristy. We were there in Sri Lanka in the year 2013 and had a great time at Negombo. Lovely beaches and food. It’s a great place to spend some quality time.
Hope you guys make it back! The southern coast is wonderful.
I have Sri Lanka at the top of my list and this seems to be the perfect opportunity to relax and also enjoy the beauty of the country!
I hope you make it to Sri Lanka soon Claudia!
This was such an informative post. My friend has been wanting to visit Sri Lanka so we have been looking at airfares and they are quite high from the United States. However, we will make it there eventually. Love that you conduct the Yoga retreats and will certainly bookmark this for future reference.
Definitely look into Qatar Airways! They have some great flight deals via Doha 🙂
To be honest I’m not a big person for Yoga, but this all sounds wonderfully relaxing!
It’s a great place to experience some of the other limbs of yoga 🙂
This looks so peaceful! And love the photos of the Sri Lanka scenery 🙂
Thanks for checking this out, Melissa!
Love this. Sri Lanka has been on my list for quite some time now – it looks like such a beautiful destination. I had no idea tourism had grown that much in recent years, cool stat to know!
Such a wonderful country – let me know if you ever make it over!
Such a beautiful place, it looks so relaxing! I never thought about yoga and surfing going together before, but certainly makes sense! Great post, thanks for sharing!
There are some poses that are so good for the shoulders and hip opening – both very necessary for surfing!
Thanks for posting Flo! Would you recommend a residential course for a complete beginner? I can’t make yours in March ?
Hey Katie! Lots of places have drop-in classes and they would be suitable for beginners. Just let the teacher know at the beginning of class that you are new to the physical practice and they should provide some guidance and modifications!
Ah! I wish wish wish I could join you on this yoga retreat! I’ve always wanted to go to one, and Sri Lanka also sounds like an amazing place to explore!
Next time! 🙂
I’ve heard so much about Sri Lanka lately I really want to go! I bet yoga retreat would be a really relaxing way to enjoy the island. It looks so beautiful!
It’s a massive island with tons of places to explore – I’d recommend doing a retreat for a few days and then heading north to tea country/Sigiriya!
these are great reasons to try yoga! and never thought about the complimentary surfing aspect but it makes perfect sense given the necessary balance. and you knowwww I share your passion for Sri Lanka. sounds like the retreat will be UH-MAZING
Thanks so much for your support, Ro! Wish you could join 🙂
This sounds idyllic, my son visited Sri Lanka last year and his photo’s had us hooked, I hope we get to go one day!
I hope you get to visit one day, Alex! It’s such a spectacular country 🙂
I have never been to Sri Lanka before, but when I will, I’ll definitely consider attending a yoga retreat or at least a yoga class!
Sounds great, Marie! Let me know if you make it over as I have plenty of suggestions on what to do/where to go!
Hello! Where do you suggest going to practise yoga daily and to possibly a yoga ttc in Sri Lanka? Thank you!
Hi Marie, Talalla Retreat hosts twice daily classes. There is also a yoga shala on the southwest coast called Sri Yoga Shala that you can check out. Unfortunately I do not have any recommendations for a TTC in Sri Lanka.
This is beautiful. I’ve been trying to get into yoga again so hopefully when I go to Sri Lanka later this year I’ll get a chance to. If not I might just enjoy the wine and travel 😉
Wine and travel are great too! Hope you enjoy your time in Sri Lanka!