5 Reasons to Visit Sri Lanka with the Santosha Society
By Kori Hahn // Santosha Society Founder, Yoga Teacher & Worldly Wanderer
Photos by Nick Green
1. Surf, surf, surf, surf, surf and…more surf!
Sri Lanka is home to a coastline full of palm trees, long sand beaches and a plethora of surf break options. To be honest, the surfing is super fun here in Sri Lanka. There are waves for all abilities. There are reef breaks, point breaks, and beach breaks. There are longboard waves, intermediate fun waves and proper barrels for the more advanced surfers.
Load the surfboards onto of the tuk tuk and go for a ride. Its fairly easy to find an empty wave, especially in the shoulder season when we run our retreats. Our villa is directly in front of my personal favorite wave. With a mellow right hand break perfect for logging and speedy hollow left just a stones throw away, I always come to Sri Lanka with my shortboard and my longboard. With a slower, fatter right and a quick and sucky little left, I chose my wave depending on the swell and my mood.
Also, many of the retreats we have an “inspirational surfer.” This is someone that is familiar with the ocean and surfing. We bring along girls who are stoked about surfing and even more stoked to share the love and help you improve either through private lessons, fun surf sessions together, and dinner table discussions.
Something we surfers are more than aware of is that we can’t control the oceans and the swells it sends. So even if you come during a flat period, the beaches are the most beautiful in the world. I am not saying that. They seriously are.
2. Cultural Experiences
As soon as you land at Colombo International Airport in Sri lanka you know you are somewhere that is like nowhere else on earth. That musty smells of tropical Asia and the high pitched horns of the three wheeled tuk tuks greet you the second you step off the plane. Expect to blow your mind in a culture completely exotic. With less time spent on negotiating taxis and tuk tuks, finding the nicest villa and trying random restaurants. We take the hassle out of it all, picking you up, offering you an incredible villa and feed you the countries most beautiful curries and salads all prepared by local chefs. This gives you more time to spend on the things you came here for.
From the temples to tea plantation, ayurvedic spa treatments to isolated little coconut shacks on deserted beaches, there is so much to explore in Sri Lanka. It is hard to chose where to begin. Go on a safari to see elephants or jump on a boat to spend a day with whales and dolphins. Travel by tuk tuk or on the world famous railway. Most of the time journey to where you are going is just as fun as the destination. On arrival the guests receive an “adventure booklet” of all my favorite spots, after a year living in Sri Lanka, you can find all of my favorite highlights that will not be found in a guide book.
3. Delicious Cuisine
Our local chefs are absolutely amazing. Do you know how many types of rice and curry there are in Sri Lanka? I can’t even tell you. Just know there are a lot. Everytime I return to Sri Lanka I am happily introduced to a new twist on an old favorite.
With a table overflowing with cashew nut curries, beet root curries, colorful salads, chickpeas and roasted garlic, and papadans and rottis on the side, there is no shortage of color and spice on the dinner table. Then deserts like carmalized bananas with ice cream, coconut creams, and fruity sweets guarantee going to bed dreaming of breakfast.
And breakfast is much the same. With an array of tropical fruit, ayurvedic porridges, local staples such as wandu, gotu kola, and buffalo curd. I assure you, the food is absolutely amazing. At the end of the week, most guests agree that dinner time is perhaps their favorite time of the day.
4. A Moment of Zen
Located between our two villas in a spacious lawn full of towering palm trees with a view of the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, you will find a beautiful little open aired yoga pavilion. Wake up meditation and carefully planned yoga session tailor made for the poses and areas requested by the group. In the early afternoon we take an hour to dive into restorative and yin yoga as well as an evening of yoga nidra.
Using an assortment of yoga styles, ashtanga, hatha, vinyasa, and anusara, Santosha Society aims to give everyone a taste of many different styles, offering many different themes, so that you can take with you something new, no matter how new or advanced you are to the world of yoga. It is important to take time out from our grand adventure to nurture ourselves. Its easy to run around exploring and adventuring, but it is the time spent here in this pavillion that leaves all of our guest with a calm, zen feeling.
5. Friendship and Inspiration
I am not really what I have done to create this, but I am most proud of the type of person we attract to our retreats. Inspiring, passionate, creative, happy, wholesome humans who make dinner time a real treat. Leaving Sri Lanka is hard enough, but leaving 10 new friends that have brought me so much laughter, inspiration and memories is certainly the hardest. In a country where women typically stay at home cooking and cleaning, the time that I spent here alone was just that, lonely. Although there are ample opportunities to lay by the pool and read a book in this quiet serene paradise, there are also other modern day gypsies waiting to explore the area with you as well.
For one week lady surfers, yoginis and world travelers come together to this same place at the same time all to do one thing, have a good time. Whether you are going surfing, stretching, eating, or adventuring, there is someone around to go with you if you want. Otherwise you can go alone and return to the warmth of your friends. One thing I am sure of it that paradise is way more fun when you have nice people to share it with.
Click HERE to learn more about the Santosha Society! You can follow all of their adventures on Instagram!