The Island, the Monk, and a Moment of Magic

2025 Yin & Nidra Thailand

Some moments stay with you.

Not because they were loud, or grand, or wrapped in fanfare, but because something in them stilled you, softened you, and quietly opened a place inside that you didn’t realise had been waiting.

One of those moments found us in Thailand, during our recent Yin & Nidra training. We had taken our group to a sacred place off the coast of Khanom: Koh Nui Nok, known as the Island of the Monk. From a distance, it looked like a small, unassuming rise from the turquoise water, easy to pass by if you didn’t know its story. But this island is steeped in reverence and myth.

It is said that centuries ago, the monk Luang Por Tuad saved a stranded boat crew who were on the verge of despair. The sea surrounded them, their lips were parched, and hope was slipping away. The monk struck the earth and fresh water welled up from beneath the salt. A miracle, and a reminder: what you need may be closer than you think.

Our own journey began in a small boat, cutting across the glassy surface of Khanom Bay. The coastline unfolded beside us, green hills tumbling into the sea, while the wind teased at our hair and the sun warmed our shoulders. We spotted long-tailed macaques scrambling in the treetops, monitor lizards sunning themselves, wild pigs foraging along the shore, and even the elusive pink dolphins surfacing like flashes of magic.

When we reached the island, we clambered barefoot up its rock-hewn steps, the warm stone smooth beneath our feet. Our guide led us into a small open air shrine. There was no grandeur here, just weathered statues, fluttering flags, and the unmistakable feeling that this was a place where the air held memory.

We closed our eyes.

We bowed our heads.

We brought our palms together in prayer.

Our guide invited us to ask the monk for guidance.

In that suspended moment, a soft breeze stirred through the heat. The silence broke with the delicate sound of bells, as if the island itself had heard and answered. Time seemed to dissolve. Each of us stood there holding something personal, a question, a longing, a prayer, and somehow, we felt held in return.

These are the kinds of moments we live for.

The ones that can’t be scheduled or scripted.

The ones that arise when you leave space, when you soften, when you listen.

Our Yin & Nidra training was full of such moments: deep rest, sacred stillness, story and ceremony, threaded through with the vibrant spirit of Thailand. We came for the learning, for the practices, for the community, but we left with something more.

This little island, with its story of transformation and fresh water in the salt sea, reminded us of what’s possible when we surrender. When we trust. When we believe that somewhere, just beyond the horizon of our knowing, life is ready to surprise us with exactly what we need.