Vikasa is located by the ocean side on the ring road between Lamai and Chaweng Noi beaches. Right next is Samui Cliff View Hotel, and opposite there’s a Muay Thai boxing school and Sky Gym. We are 20 minutes drive away from Koh Samui International airport, and 35 minutes drive from both Nathon and Lipa Noi ferry terminals.
Yoga mats and other supplies are available on the spot. Unless your yoga mat is really wicked with a Batman logo on it there’s no need to bring it along 🙂 We use Manduka mats at Vikasa. Daily fresh towels are also provided both in your rooms and in yoga spaces.
This course is suitable for all dedicated students, aspiring yoga teachers, and current teachers seeking certification. This program is quite demanding, both emotionally and physically. Commitment, determination and good health are basic requisites. Students must be prepared to make personal sacrifices in order to achieve 100% course attendance.
Students seeking teacher certification must:
• Have a minimum of one year of yoga practice experience, any style (recommended)
• Have a passion to learn and to explore the deeper dimensions of yoga
• Be free of major injuries (please inform of minor but recurring injuries in advance)
• Be fully committed to 100% attendance
• Be able to forgot most of their personal and professional commitments during the course.
You can get to Koh Samui international airport via .
Koh Samui climate is tropical and high in both temperature and humidity. Most people find it pleasant. The average temperature is about 30 degrees Celsius, or 86 degrees Fahrenheit. When it is getting too hot, just enter an air conditioned room and you will “recharge your batteries”. A dip in a pool can also be very refreshing. Remember to drink a lot of water so you don’t become dehydrated. You will experience “summer temperatures” here year round. On some days you might find yourself in a refreshing tropical shower for a moment. The rain showers are often short and as island’s water supplies are finite, the rain is needed and important.
Let’s start with what you don’t need to bring first. There will be towels available in each room including one beach towel. We also provide with a set of shampoos and soaps that are refilled regularly. We might not have your favourite brand though! Please bring your required set of personal hygiene items but don’t worry in case you forget something. There are plenty of shops you can buy practically anything on Koh Samui. Please note that there are no hairdryers in the rooms so please bring one if necessary. A lot of comfortable clothes that is easy to wash and dry will come handy for your daily yoga practice. Otherwise you won’t actually need a lot of garment other than t-shirts and shorts, light dresses, and of course flip flops. The temperature rarely drops below 24 Celsius, or 75 Fahrenheit, even at night, so no sweaters or jackets please. Don’t forget about sunblock and bikinis!
Vikasa premises are sprayed against mosquitos once a week so you shouldn’t expect to be bothered by it. Just remember to close your room door during sunrise and sunset hours when the mosquitos are usually active. If anything mosquito repellants are available in any pharmacy which are many on the island.
Download all the vikasa yoga videos and classes to prepare yourself for the course: www.vimeo.com/vikasayoga
Accommodation is also provided, but is charged separately at a special discounted rate for the entire duration of the course. Price varies from $700 up to $1,400 depending on room type. Click here to view available room types.
08:00 – 10:20 Asana and Pranayama practice
10:30 – 11:30 Healthy brunch buffet at Vikasa Life Café
11:30 – 13:00 Group Dynamics / Self-inquiry
15:00 – 17:00 Theory / Methodology
17:00 – 19:15 Yoga practice
07:15 – 08:15 Healthy dinner buffet at Vikasa Life Café
* this is a sample schedule, it may vary from day to day.
Standard tourist visa upon arrival is normally valid for 30 days upon arrival to Thailand without prior application for the most of passport holders. Please consult a Thai embassy representative in your home country just to double-check. To extend your visa duration you have several options:
• 30 day extension of stay. You can apply at the local Samui Immigration office for a 1 week extension. This normally takes a few hours at the office and cots 1.900 Baht.
• Overstay and pay fine at departure. You can just pay a small fee of 500 Baht / per day of overstay when you are leaving the country. This procedure is pretty straightforward, and only requires a small amount of cash on hand. There is a special counter for that in every airport as it is a very common practice, so do not worry about it at all. Just save enough and have the cash ready at airport for the amount of days you have overstayed.• Apply for 90 day visa prior your departure. If you want to be totally flexible and stay longer the best option is to apply for this type of visa in your home country before you leave. Cost and processing times vary so please check in advance and follow procedures of your local Thai embassy.
• Fly out, Fly in. Arrange a flight out of Thailand and return, you will be granted another standard visa upon arrival valid for 30 days. Please note that flights form Samui can be expensive if booked last minute so for this option check and book well in advance.
Local currency in Thailand is Thai Baht. You don’t need to bring a lot of cash with you. Banking infrastructure is well-developed on Koh Samui. There are save and reliable ATMs on very corner that accept all types of cards, VISA and Masercard preferred. You can also exchange your home currency at any bank easily.
Prices on your typical groceries including tropical fruits are most likely to be lot cheaper than back home. There are 7/11s and Family Marts that are open 24 hours on every corner in Koh Samui. Sometimes 2 or 3 on one corner! There’s also an awesome open-air shopping mall Central Festival where you can buy anything from beach clothes to electronics and cameras. It is located 15 minutes drive from Vikasa. Not to mention plenty of cute little shops along Chaweng and Lamai beaches, which are the two most busiest areas in Koh Samui just 10 minutes drive from Vikasa. Finally each Friday there’s a laid back night market in Fisherman’s Village that is an absolute must-visit.
Absolutely. Koh Samui is a safe place in general, and Vikasa in particular. This is a very popular upscale tourist destination, and also an island, so you do not need to worry about safety away from home. Vikasa will be like home, the staff are very helpful and warm, and also students become like a family.
You can easily acquire prepaid local SIM card at any 7-11 or Family mart. We recommend AIS One- Two-Call or DTAC Happy. All SIM cards are 3G ready allowing you to browse Internet at very reasonable speed and rates. Don’t forget that there’s a free WiFi throughout Vikasa resort.
Laundry service is outsourced with a next day delivery in most of the cases. Rates for doing laundry are very cheap so don’t worry about maintaining your hygiene requirements. However as we are using outside service providers please try to avoid bringing expensive clothes just to be on a safe side.
