+61 434 462 252
Skillful MIND · Thailand

THAILAND INNER GROWTH
RETREAT

Sunday 15 – Saturday 21 August 2027
Mala Dhara Eco Resort & Organic Farm · Chiang Mai, Thailand
Six nights, all meals and unlimited massage included, from $1,950
Reserve Your Place

Personal development, meditation and yoga — in one week, in the hills above Chiang Mai

Six nights on an organic farm in northern Thailand. Adobe villas, rice fields, two yoga shalas, a saltwater pool, and as much massage as you want.

Peter Radcliffe introduces the Inner Growth retreat

An experience you look back on and say “my life changed there”

Did you ever wish you could take control of your life once and for all? Would you like a week away, focused on yourself, somewhere beautiful?

Peter has been helping people break through personal limitations for over 15 years. He has been running Inner Growth retreats since 2014, and this is the first one in Thailand.

On this six-night retreat, Peter combines personal development and coaching with meditation and yoga. You will be empowered to reach out and build a life that actually fits you.

Going on an Inner Growth retreat was a turning point for our participants. Hear from Mia, Jack and Ellie, and from twenty-eight others further down the page.

Mia Handshin, executive coach, on the Inner Growth retreat
Mia HandshinExecutive coach · 2018 retreat
Jack on the Inner Growth retreat
Jack2025 retreat
Ellie on the 2025 Inner Growth retreat
Ellie2025 retreat
Reserve Your Place See the Rooms

There are only 14 rooms

Places are limited and the room you want is first in, first served.

Email or call 0434 462 252

Why a retreat?

A retreat lets you focus on the teaching and work through internal shifts in a supportive environment, free from day-to-day distractions, with like-minded people around you. In that atmosphere people commonly progress much faster than they do on their own.

Who will be my guide?

Skillful MIND’s founder Peter Radcliffe will be your guide and teacher. He has travelled the world experiencing meditation in many forms and is a highly qualified coach and NLP trainer. His teaching is practical and down to earth, which is what previous students say they valued most.

Where you will be staying

Mala Dhara is an eco-resort and organic farm at Doi Saket, about 40 minutes from Chiang Mai and ten minutes from the Sippa hot springs. The villas are earthen adobe brick, hand-moulded on site. Some of them do not have a corner anywhere.

There are two yoga shalas. The Rice Paddy Shala is large and open-air with a high ceiling, looking out over the paddies to the mountains, which is where we sit at sunrise. The Poolside Shala is screened, with fans, power and mounted speakers, so it works in any weather.

There is a saltwater pool, an on-site plant-based restaurant that cooks from the farm, and a spa.

A Mala Dhara villa standing in the rice fields The saltwater pool at Mala Dhara, edged with rock and tropical planting
A cacao and kirtan ceremony in the open-air shala at Mala Dhara

Unlimited massage

ALL WEEK

Traditional Thai massage, as often as you like, for the whole stay. Not one welcome massage. Not a set number. Book one every day, book two, book none — it is included either way.

Oil massage available as an upgrade if you prefer it. Herbal steam and fire body scrub nights are included too, with no time limit.

The accommodation

Seven kinds of room, from a dorm bed to the two-storey teak house. Every price includes all your meals, unlimited massage, both yoga shalas and the full activity programme.

Inside the adobe dorm at Mala Dhara — single beds beneath a woven domed ceiling

Dorm bed

Shared adobe dorm · 4–6 beds · fan or aircon

Bathrooms and showers, views over the farm to the mountains. The cheapest way to join us, and only a handful of beds.

Per person$1,950
A small adobe bungalow at Mala Dhara — single bed, curved earthen walls and a round window onto the fields

Small Adobe bungalow

Single bed · ensuite · aircon · wifi · three available

Your own private bungalow at the lowest price we offer. Rice-field views, decorated in the Mala Dhara style.

Sole use$2,600
Twin shareSingle bed — not available
Inside the wooden bungalow at Mala Dhara — a bed on a timber floor with doors open to the garden

Wooden bungalow

Single bed · ensuite · one only

A small wooden bungalow set on its own. Same price as the small adobe, different character.

Sole use$2,600
Twin shareSingle bed — not available
The medium adobe bungalow at Mala Dhara — a double bed under arched windows

Medium Adobe bungalow

Double bed · ensuite · aircon · one only

A double bed to yourself, rice-field view, the newest of the adobe bungalows.

Sole use$2,850
Inside one of the Mala villas at Mala Dhara — twin beds, arched windows and a tiled floor

Standard room

Double, queen or twin beds · ensuite · aircon · five available

Seva and Makam in the main house, Jai Dee villa with its sweeping mountain views, and Mala A and B — two private villas that share two outdoor bathrooms, good for friends travelling together.

Sole use$3,150
Twin share, each$2,900
Raindrop Villa — three white domes with circular windows Hobbit Villa — a round wooden door with ironwork Dhara Villa — arched wooden door with ironwork

Deluxe villa

Twin or double · ensuite · aircon · fridge · three available

Dhara and Hobbit have twin beds, hand-crafted doorways, brass fixtures and a wooden bathtub. Raindrop is the one people photograph — a three-raindrop dome, completely circular, without a corner anywhere. Even the windows are round.

Sole use$3,350
Twin share, each$3,050
The teak house bedroom at Mala Dhara — a bed under a mosquito net, timber walls and windows onto the fields

Teak House

Two storeys · double bed · living room · outdoor bathtub · one only

Mala Dhara’s newest and best. Unimpeded views across the rice fields to the mountains, a living room of your own and an outdoor bathtub.

Sole use$3,750
Twin share, each$3,250
Three sharing, each$3,050

All prices in Australian dollars, including GST. Airfares not included. Sharing a room saves you $250 to $500 each, so bring someone.

What’s included

Six nights’ accommodationThe room you choose, from the list above.
All your mealsThree a day, plant-based, cooked from the organic farm and served in the Kin Dee restaurant.
Unlimited Thai massageAs often as you like, all week.
Both yoga shalasFull access to the open-air Rice Paddy Shala and the all-weather Poolside Shala.
Teaching and coachingThe full Inner Growth programme with Peter, morning and evening.
Daily tea and fruit breakCoffee, tea, fruit and snacks each afternoon.
Two herbal steam nightsHerbal steam and fire body scrub, no time limit.
Two ice bathsFor those who want them.
Sound healingA group session in the shala.
Sippa hot springsTransport and entry included.
Caves and ridge-top hikeTransport and entry included.
Bicycles and the poolSix bikes and the saltwater pool, whenever you like.
The herbal steam dome at Mala Dhara, set among the rice fields
Herbal steam and fire body scrub — two nights, no time limit.
An ice bath set out in the rice fields at Mala Dhara
Ice baths in the paddies, twice, for those who want them.
Plant-based dishes served at the Kin Dee restaurant at Mala Dhara
Three plant-based meals a day, grown on the farm.

Not included: airfares, travel insurance, visa, and anything you buy at the bar or spa beyond the Thai massage.

What will I do on retreat?

Mornings start early in the Rice Paddy Shala as the sun comes up over the paddies. There is teaching and coaching through the day, meditation and yoga, and space to rest. Afternoons are yours — another massage, the pool, a bike ride through the rice fields, or nothing at all.

A mat and singing bowl laid out in the open-air Rice Paddy Shala, looking over the paddies to the mountains

Hear from people who have been

Thirty-one people, from retreats going back to 2014.

More pictures of Mala Dhara

Photographs from Mala Dhara. Click any one to see it larger.

How much does it cost?

Your place starts at $1,950 for a dorm bed, or $2,600 for a private bungalow of your own. Most people pay between $2,600 and $3,350 depending on the room. All prices include GST and everything listed above. Airfares are not included.

That is less than our Bali retreats have cost, and massage is unlimited rather than one on arrival.

Getting there

Chiang Mai has its own international airport, so this is a straightforward trip. One connection through Bangkok and you are there. No ferries and no long transfers.

There is no direct flight from Adelaide. The easiest route is Adelaide to Sydney, then the direct Sydney–Bangkok service, then a short hop to Chiang Mai. Return fares from Adelaide typically run $900 to $1,100. Book early and shop around.

We recommend flying in at least a day before the retreat starts. Chiang Mai is a good city to spend a day or two in either side.

Questions people ask

What is the weather like in August?
August is the green season in northern Thailand, and it is also Buddhist Lent. Mala Dhara describe Chiang Mai at that time as soft, lush, green and generally quieter, with a gentle atmosphere that suits a meditation retreat. Showers are localised and brief rather than all-day rain. It is not the smoky burning season, which runs February to April and we have deliberately avoided. The Poolside Shala is screened and covered, so the programme runs whatever the weather.
Do I need to be experienced at meditation?
No. Peter teaches from wherever you are. People come with no experience at all and people come having sat for years.
I am travelling on my own. Will that be awkward?
Most people come on their own. That is the norm on these retreats, not the exception, and there are five rooms designed for one person.
Can I share with a friend or partner?
Yes, and it saves you both money. Twin share is $250 to $500 less each than sole use. The Teak House also takes a third person.
What about food if I have dietary needs?
The kitchen is plant-based and cooks from the farm. Tell us what you need when you book — the kitchen needs final numbers two weeks before we arrive.
Unlimited massage — really?
Yes. Traditional Thai massage is included for the whole stay, as often as you would like it. The therapists come in by appointment rather than living on site, so you book your slot the day before rather than turning up, and we hold the schedule for the whole group. Oil massage is available as a paid upgrade.
How do I pay?
Bank transfer or credit card. You can hold your room with a deposit and pay the balance later. Ask us about our booking policies.

Count me in — how do I sign up?

Call Peter on 0434 462 252 or email

Only 14 rooms. Hold yours with a deposit.

I’ve got more questions

Not a problem. Call Peter direct on 0434 462 252 or email him at .

Take the time and invest in your own wellbeing.

Telephone0434 462 252
Email
VenueMala Dhara, Doi Saket,
Chiang Mai, Thailand