Indriya Retreat Vipassana

Meditation centre offering silent 10-day and 21-day vipassana retreats Welcome to the Indriya Retreat Vipassana community!

We are a dedicated meditation center offering silent 7-day and 14-day Vipassana retreats throughout the year. Our programs are designed for both beginners and experienced meditators seeking a transformative experience in a peaceful environment. What's New for 2025:

Flexible Retreat Dates: Now offering more frequent start dates for 7-day and 14-day programs.
• Experienced Teachers: Guided sessions led by certified instructors with international expertise.
• Supportive Community: Connect with fellow meditators, share insights, and maintain your practice beyond the retreat.
• Comfortable eco-huts: Fully renovated in 2024, with double occupancy. Single occupancy available upon request.
• Easy Registration: Reserve your spot directly via updates in our Facebook group or on our website.
• Additional Spiritual Retreats & Workshops: Occasional workshops on mindfulness, yoga, and holistic wellness are included. Join us to experience deep silence, inner growth, and lasting peace. For updates, registration information, and support, stay tuned to this group.

02/03/2026

🌸 How the Couples Retreat “Laboratory of Intimacy” Unfolded at Indriya

Seven days on the island of rose quartz - and dozens of stories that became deeper, more honest, and more tender.

At our retreat center, the “Laboratory of Intimacy” with Igor Budnikov and Natasha Budnikova has come to a close - a space created for couples who are ready to grow together.

Ko Pha Ngan - the island of rose quartz. The island of love.
And this time, it truly became a place of healing for hearts. A pause from routine, warm tropical air, the quiet of the jungle - all of it formed a natural environment where partners could genuinely hear one another again.

Each day carried its own theme.
From honest dialogue and restoring emotional safety - to embodied intimacy and deep trust.
From accumulated grievances - to learning how to speak about feelings without blame.
From quantity - to quality.
To a quiet happiness that needs no proof.

Over these seven days, couples:

* experienced spiritual unity
* learned to speak about difficult things with softness
* discovered new dimensions of physical intimacy
* took home practices to integrate into everyday life

But most importantly, they remembered why they chose each other in the first place.

“Everything we do is an invitation to come home. To yourself. And to one another.”

We thank every couple for the courage to be real.
Until we meet again on the island of love 🤍🌿

28/02/2026

If you could ask Anthony one question - what would it be?

Sometimes a single, well-placed question can shift the direction of your entire practice.
About meditation. About doubt. About fear. About silence. About breakthrough.

Today, you have the opportunity to ask it.

Share your question for Anthony in the comments below ⬇️
The most thoughtful ones will be addressed in our interview with Anthony.

Your question might become the answer many others have been searching for.

27/02/2026

Myth: It takes a long time to change.

We often believe that inner transformation is a long, almost endless process. That it requires years, special conditions, or the “right moment.”

But the truth is that transformation does not happen in time. It happens in a moment.

Sometimes, one deep encounter with yourself is enough.
One truly honest look within.
One moment of clarity in which the old is seen as an illusion - and released.

Time does not change us.
Awareness does.

We can spend years repeating the same reactions, living through the same states. Or, within just a few days of silence, we can see the root of our habitual patterns - and something within gently shifts.

A retreat is not about “accelerating change.”
It is about creating a space where change becomes possible.

When the mind slows down, when attention becomes steady, when the usual noise fades, it becomes clear: change has always been available.
It happens now.

If you feel ready for an inner shift, perhaps it is not about time. Perhaps it is about the willingness to pause.

Sometimes one conscious step is enough for a new path to begin. 🌿

You can view all upcoming retreats on our website via the link in our bio, or simply leave a “+” in the comments.

26/02/2026

Quotes from Anthony Markwell’s book “True Understanding of the Buddha’s Teachings” 📖

Sometimes just a few lines can convey the essence of the practice more deeply than lengthy explanations. We are sharing key quotes about meditation and its true purpose.

💬 “The primary aim of meditation practice is to remove the sense of ‘self’ that continuously arises in the present moment.”

💬 “Everything we see, hear, smell, taste, feel, and think about — we identify with it.”

💬 “Over time, this constant process of identification solidifies into a sense of ‘I,’ into a self.”

💬 “Meditation practice is neither simple nor complex — yet it requires patience.”

💬 “Do not think that the practice ends when the bell rings. The real practice continues in daily life.”

💬 “Try to keep the mind in the present moment — not escaping into the past or the future.”

💬 “The goal of the Buddha’s meditation is not merely calmness, nor the development of supernatural abilities.”

💬 “The true purpose of meditation is the cessation of dukkha — the cessation of suffering.”

These words remind us that practice is not a search for special states, but a deep investigation into the nature of the mind and liberation from the illusion of ‘self.’

A list of upcoming retreats with Anthony Markwell is available on our website via the link in our bio. 🌿

25/02/2026

What truly happens to a person after a retreat? 🤔

This is a question many people ask when considering their first retreat. The best answer comes from the participants themselves - their words, their presence, and the silence they carry afterward.

In this reel, you’ll hear real reflections on what unfolds within when the mind slows down and awareness becomes clear.

Watch, listen, and notice what resonates with you.

If you feel called to experience this not through a screen, but firsthand - register for our retreats via the link in our bio and discover it for yourself 🌿

24/02/2026

✨ Vipassana Retreat with Anthony Markwell in April

From April 2–10, 2026, the final live retreat with Anthony this season will take place at the Indriya Retreat Center on Koh Phangan.

Why is it so important to attend a live retreat with a spiritual teacher?

🔹 Direct Presence
A teacher’s energy is not transmitted through a screen, but through silence, eye contact, and shared space. The deepest inner shifts happen in a live setting.

🔹 Total Immersion
A retreat is a step out of your usual environment, where it becomes easier to hear yourself and let go of what no longer serves you. This level of depth cannot be fully recreated online.

🔹 Personal Guidance
An opportunity to ask questions, receive individual guidance in your practice, and to be truly seen and heard.

🔹 The Power of Collective Field
Practicing in a circle of like-minded people amplifies the process many times over. Shared silence, shared discipline, and a shared path create a powerful space for transformation.

🔹 A True Pause
Nine days of silence is a rare opportunity to stop and genuinely meet yourself.

This retreat may become a profound turning point — a deep reset and inner shift.

Places are limited.

🔗 To reserve your place at the retreat, leave a “+” in the comments.

23/02/2026

Why a live retreat can transform more than months of online practice 🧘

In the carousel, we explain in detail why being present at a live retreat is so important.
Here, practice stops being a separate activity and becomes a state of being. The space, the silence, and continuous attention help the mind to calm, and the body and consciousness to experience clarity and inner balance.

A few days of deep immersion can reveal what’s hard to notice in everyday life and offer a level of self-understanding that is often missing in the daily rush.

You can find the list of upcoming retreats via the link in our profile.

If you have any questions, please feel free to send us a direct message.

22/02/2026

Quotes from the book “True Understanding of the Buddha’s Teachings” by Anthony Markwell

In the teachings of Gautama Buddha, two directions of meditation are often described: samadhi - the stability and collectedness of the mind, and vipassana - the clear seeing of reality.

But these are not two separate paths. They are one process.

💬“We bring them together like the two wings of a bird, so that the mind becomes steady. Only then can we see things as they truly are.”

The practice does not begin somewhere far away.
It begins here.

We learn to observe: sensations, thoughts, reactions.
Without control. Without suppression. Without identification.

💬 “The essence of satipatthana meditation is to study our own process of mind and body. We make the effort to maintain continuous awareness in the present moment.”

Remember these three simple anchors of practice:

💬 “Now. Inside. Continuously.”

Over time, the essential understanding emerges:

💬 “Vipassana means seeing things clearly.”

Clearly seeing impermanence.
Clearly seeing the nature of mind and body.
Clearly seeing that everything arises and passes away on its own.

This is the beginning of true freedom.

If you feel called to explore this practice more deeply, write “+” in the comments, and we will share information about the upcoming retreats with Anthony Markwell.

19/02/2026

Are you truly ready to go beyond the familiar - to the place where the mind falls silent and only clarity remains?

🚂 Retreat “Express to Nibbana” is not a vacation or a reset. It is an intensive immersion into practice for those who already have a foundation and feel it’s time to go deeper.

Three weeks of discipline, silence, and direct experience.
Clear guidance, teacher support, and a distraction-free space - to meet yourself honestly, without compromise.

A path toward what the Buddhist tradition calls Nibbana - freedom from suffering and the illusions of the mind.

📅 March 5–26, 2026
📍 Indriya Retreat Center, Koh Phangan

If you feel the call and are ready for the next step, comment “+” to receive details or reserve your place.