Yoga in Angkor Wat Temple

I spent the month of January 2016 teaching Yoga at Angkor Zen Gardens Retreat Centre whilst sitting out the Portuguese winter. In addition to teaching at the retreat centre, I had the opportunity to take groups for extra yoga and meditation to Angkor Wat and other close by temples.

We cycled from the centre into town for a healthy lunch at the Artillery Cafe, then cycled along the river to the temples. The first few times we went into a small temple by the moat in Angkor Wat temple where nobody seemed to visit. We rolled out our mats and then had a fantastic high energy class followed by pranayama and meditation. The atmopshere was electric and everyone felt so focused throughout the session. It was a magical moment that we couldn’t have created in a yoga shala alone. We then played around with some acro-yoga and took various yoga photos by the temple.

However after our fourth visit, the guards decided they didn’t want us coming anymore as the group had become quite big. So we went on adventures and found temples that were a bit further off the trail where we could practice in peace, and not draw too much attention to ourselves.

If you fancy doing yoga at the temples and I am not in town, I suggest going to Angkor Wat. Enter at the main entrance, cross the moat, turn left and walk around the path between the moat and the wall. Keep walking until you get to a small temple and roll out your mats inside that temple. Nobody really goes there and it is the best spot.

Angkor Zen Yoga Retreat Centre

Angkor Zen is a wonderful place to go, both for a short break when travelling, and for a short getaway. There are a few yoga classes a day, Pranayama and meditation classes, great vegetarian food, a sublime swimming pool, and a relaxed, laid back vibe. There are generally two teachers at any one time that split the teaching times, and a constant flow of travellers coming in. I loved the atmosphere there and have plans to go back and teach during the Portuguese winters whilst Keela is hibernating. The great thing about Angkor Zen is that it is so near to all of the temples. If you get a chance to do yoga at the temples, then you should definitely take it, or go and do it by yourself as you certainly won’t regret it.

Link to Angkor Zen: Click here