A yoga teacher in white standing on the beach below palm trees

Experiences

Yoga & Meditation

Morning practice on the beach, the same stretch of Edava sand the surf lessons run on, an hour earlier while it's still cool.

Sessions are open to guests and non-guests. Mats provided. Most mornings run just after sunrise, before the first surf session, so you can do both.

How it runs

Fitting yoga into a surf week

Best hours: Two windows work on this coast: early, before the surf, and late afternoon as the heat goes out of the day. Midday is too hot for anything useful, so keep it for shade and a nap.
Before a lesson: Keep it short and gentle, enough to wake up the shoulders and hips without tiring them. Save long holds and hip openers for the afternoon, and skip a hard, sweaty class right before you paddle out.
Who it suits: No experience needed, and regulars are welcome too: every pose comes with a gentler and a harder option. If something is injured, say so at the start.
When it is windy: The mats move up to the rooftop when the beach is too windy or the sun is already up.
On a camp or retreat: A camp week has three sessions, at 5pm on Days 2, 4 and 5; on Day 5 it follows the 3pm video feedback. The sample retreat week also has three, at the same hour.
Going deeper: The cliff has plenty of yoga schools and drop-in classes, from gentle hatha to teacher trainings. For Ayurveda, the monsoon is the traditional season, Karkidakam in July or August above all, and Kerala Tourism lists the centres it accredits.
How to ask: Mention it at the house or on WhatsApp the night before.

A man with curly hair sitting cross-legged in meditation on the sand, eyes closed, in front of dark boulders — Stillness on the sand, before the first surf of the day.

Stiff surfers welcome

Yoga on Varkala beach, for bodies that paddle

Surfing is hard on a short list of body parts. Shoulders from paddling, the lower back from arching up off the board, and hips from getting your feet under you in one move.

Yoga on Varkala beach is the slow version of that same work. Same sand, no wave coming, and done before the first surf session.

Why it helps in the water

The shapes surfing asks you for

A pop-up is a push, a fold and a landing, all done faster than you would like.

Yoga makes each part less of a surprise. Open shoulders help the push. Loose hips help the fold. Balance and a steady breath are the landing.

Meditation earns its place too. Most beginners' falls start in the head: rushing the pop-up, looking down, bracing for the wave. A few quiet minutes before the session is practice for the calm you want on the board.

Beyond the beach

Sand in the morning, the roof when it suits

The beach is not the only place the mats go down. There is yoga on the rooftop as well, and yoga is built into the retreats.

If you want to go deeper than a morning session, Varkala has plenty of yoga beyond our sand. Ask us before you pick one. We will tell you honestly which are worth it.