14 Day One to One 200HR Hatha & Yin Yoga Alliance TTC, Thailand

ThaiLife Retreats teaches this 200-hour certification one to one — a single student with a single teacher — which is the whole reason it costs $4,029 against the $2,000-2,600 a group course on Koh Phangan charges. Whether that is worth roughly double depends entirely on how you learn. A private course means the syllabus bends to you: more hours on the postures you struggle with, adjustments watched every single time, and no waiting while nine other people find the shape.

The curriculum covers Hatha and Yin as the core, with Restorative, Kundalini and Tantra elements in the wider syllabus, and finishes with certification and registration through Yoga Alliance. Props are supplied — mats, blocks, straps and bolsters — along with the course manual and specialised workshops.

The setting is Phang Nga, the mainland province north of Phuket, which is a quieter base than the island retreat circuit and puts limestone-karst country on the doorstep. Airport pickup and drop-off are included, as is transport during the course, three meals a day, and water, tea and coffee throughout.

Watch out: One to one means there is no cohort. Group courses give you thirteen other people practising the same sequence badly at the same time, which is a real part of how most people get through a 200-hour month. If you want the shared-suffering version, this is the wrong format at twice the price.

Insider Tip: Ask which teacher you will be assigned and request a video call before paying. On a group course an instructor you do not click with is diluted across a faculty; on a one-to-one it is the entire fortnight.

Two weeks is a compressed timetable for 200 hours whatever the format, so expect long days rather than a retreat pace.