Retreats

What will be offered?

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Take a deep dive and immerse yourself in your yoga practice with Karen & Alex for a week. Whether you are new to yoga or have been practicing for some time this retreat will be suitable for you. Alongside daily yoga there will also be plenty of time to be in nature, to relax and recharge, to hike, to swim, to take a bike ride, to dance, to draw, to read, to journal, to sleep, to nourish your Self and to rest deeply.

Throughout this week, we will look at practises and ways in which to support the body and mind as it transitions into the darker and more introspective months of autumn and winter.

Autumn is the time when the body naturally wants to slow down, to turn inwards, to nourish and restore its energy, to reflect on what has been and to let go of what is no longer of use, to see what we need more of moving forwards. We will explore this process through our yoga, pranayama, meditation, and movement practices. We will also see, with the advice of our herbalist Aris, how the use of herbs can assist us at this time, and through the guidance of our chef Pedros, how our nutritional choices can further support our well-being.

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At this time of the year Lefkada is cooler in the evenings but the days can still be very sunny and warm, although we do sometimes get a good rain shower to nourish the land after the heat of the summer months it tends to be refreshing and short lived. Lefkada is full of herbs and autumnal flowers are scattered throughout the lush scenery, the smells from both delight the senses after the rains. It really is the perfect time to visit for taking time for you, on a quieter level. The sea is beautifully warm, and the climate is well suited for taking a leisurely walk in the valley or hiking in the nearby hillsides,  cycling or of course relaxing in and around the comfort of your villa.

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The daily schedule. The mornings will consist of a substantial morning flow yoga practice with meditation and pranayama. We will then have a big brunch. After this the time is your own to relax, explore or perhaps receive your massage or read that book you have been wanting to get to for months. After a light afternoon snack, you then have the option to join a workshop-based yoga class where we will look at a theme or element from that day's classes in more detail. This will then be followed directly by a restorative practice and yoga nidra. We will then all come together for dinner in our unique dining area for a delicious 2-course meal.

Two of the days we will take an excursion, on those days there will not be the afternoon workshop, but the evening restorative practice will be offered. One of the days we will travel into the centre of the Island to the mountains to meet Aris, a local traditional herbalist, who will take us on an informative walk explaining the medicinal, mythological, and cooking purposes of the plants, flowers, and herbs. We will then stop at a unique local taverna for an amazing traditional lunch cooked by the local celebrity that is Maria.

Our second excursion will be a private boat trip to the stunning nearby Island of Meganissi where we will stop at a couple of beautiful snorkel and swim sites, some famous caves, and the beautiful fishing village of Vathi for lunch.

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On two further days there will be the option to participate in an activity. To take a guided e-bike ride and also a hike to the local beauty spot of Agios Filis beach. So, there will be plenty to do but there will be no pressure to do any of it. You can drop in and out as you like and feel on a day-to-day basis, and don't forget you have a one-hour massage included to help you on that day when you just want to take things a bit easier or feel the need for it. More massages can also be booked locally should you wish.

The villas are beautiful, and each is unique. Each has two bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and dining space and its own pool. Wifi and air-conditioning are standard in each space. They are set amongst nature with sea views and are approximately a 20-minute walk to the local beach and are very accessible for hiking or cycling around the nearby olive groves (bikes are available to hire locally).

The yoga platform and dining space are both outdoors, a hop, skip and a jump from your villa. This space can be fully covered should we experience the autumnal rains, and it also has an overhead ceiling to keep us cool on the, hopefully many, days where the sun is shining. The dining space also has a log burner for the evenings so we can stay warm and cosy.

Our food will be vegetarian and vegan and cooked by our wonderful professional chef Pedros who is from Argentina. He has also offered to teach us some Salsa dancing on a couple of evenings should the group feel that they would like too, which may well be fun and a great way to move some energy from our yoga practises.

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