Ommmm, shanti shanti shanti.” Is Siem-Reap travel, the next southeast Asian yoga destination, with Bali is losing steam and Chiang-mai becoming saturated?
If you stroll the internet in search of a place to stay in Siem Reap/Cambodia, you’ll come across a confusing variety of boutique hotels or guest houses and the usual well-groomed luxury hotels, but there are no places like Blue Indigo with its unique concept of downtown Yoga Cottage Retreat.
Per the owner Jan “millions of travelers visit Siem Reap to immerse in the magnificence of Angkor temples, and enjoy the food and drink variety downtown restaurants have to offer, but we meet more and more travelers with the desire to supplement the cultural aspect of their visit with the practice Yoga and Meditation to reconstruct themselves after many years of stressful urban life, or just to get back in physical and emotional shape.” and Blue Indigo is made just for that: a peaceful environment conducive to relaxation and being with like-minded yoga practitioners.
Not falling into the traditional trap of “we do it all”, there are only 7 wooden cottages and 2 salas, a garden restaurant serving home-made Cambodian/fusion dishes, and more importantly a daily schedule of yoga and meditation coached by resident and guest certified instructors. No TV (but good internet), no travel agency, as little distractions as possible, yet all the comfort needed to disconnect or reconnect, and this a few minutes from the bustling pub-street. “This is not about learning and repeating yoga postures, it’s about understanding how to breath, quiet the mind, focus on the present moment” Say Krishna, the resident holistic yoga coach “only then you can unite mind and body, regain or increase balance necessary these days in such stressful environment, avoiding self-inflicted injuries” and for those who like to reshape “.
“When I teach the more advanced Pranayama breathing with, and how to train the physical body in motion by finding the quiet inside.
The discipline of mind synchronized with the movement of life and breath hoping for a comfortable posture with a constant stress on the inside felt that become “controlled” with proper breathing ..” say Elodie , master teacher at Blue Indigo Yoga.
meditation, shavasana, Pranayama, ect….
So as you plan your travel to the legendary Angkor Wat temples, consider staying in a downtown yoga cottage, undergo a personal transformation, and return home with inner peace and a larger greener smile on your face!