ashtanga yoga retreat with barbara & kwon
8-day long retreat
Daily Mysore practice, meditation, chanting, pranayama, and talks.
All level of students are welcome
Join us in a beautiful and tranquil setting surrounded by nature for an Ashtanga week. Paros is one of the most stunning islands in Greece. Best known for its beaches, traditional villages and incredible landscapes. October is a great season to visit Greece. Is not only low season which means no crowds but still you will be able to enjoy warm and sunny days together with a nice autumn light. We are teaching in English, Spanish and German.
When
Friday afternoon 16 October – Saturday morning 24 October 2020
Check in: 3 pm Friday 16 October – Check out: 12.00 noon Saturday 24 October
Program
Every morning we are offering Pranayama followed by an Ashtanga Mysore-style Practice, where you receive individual guidance and adjustments. All level of students are welcome. Those new to the practice will be introduced to Mysore Style Self Practice, while more experienced practitioners will develop their personal practice. The Asana practice will be followed by a break that allows you to relax and explore the surroundings of the island. In the afternoons we continue with mindful practices and talks. Through this week we will revise different aspects of the Ashtanga system, such as breath, bandhas, Drishti, and the vinyasa system, as well as going through the philosophical aspects of the practice. Finishing the retreat on Saturday with a traditional counted guided class to review all the fundamentals of the practice. During this retreat we would like to cultivate an understanding of yoga as a whole practice that involves mind, breath, body and way of living. (Yamas – niyamas)
Location
Okreblue is located at Filizi beach, an area of exceptional natural beauty, with sand dunes, aged cedar forests, “secret” coves, and next to the long sandy beach of Santa Maria bay. It offers tranquility, wonderful food, beautiful beaches with crystal clear waters and of course, nature. Situated amongst cedar trees and lovely thyme aromas.
The place has an environmental friendly philosophy. That helps us to connect even more with nature. The lack of electricity use avail us to observe the moon and the stars with more intensity. Plus the experience of the deep silence that is rare to experience in the cities.
The Shala is a half open space that allows us to still hear the sound of nature and bamboos that surrounds it. Receiving the morning light as we practice.
Click here for a video presentation of the place and facilities
Food
Suresh, the Indian chef is cooking healthy fusion Mediterranean Indian cuisine using organic ingredients, the majority of which are picked up daily fresh from Okreblue’s organic garden. The Menu includes rich breakfast, salads, cold plates, smoothies with super foods, raw vegetarian & vegan sweet delights, herbal teas and more…. All meals are vegan/vegetarian. Regarding any special dietary requirements, we offer vegan, gluten free and dairy free meals. If you are in any specific diet make sure to let us know in advance. The restaurant is open all day long.
Accommodation
The retreat offers apartments which comfortably accommodate up to 4 guests as well as rooms and studios; some of which are equipped with a kitchenette. Free WiFi through the retreat is available.
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PRICES
Single room €1060
Double room €900
Triple room €860
Price includes 8 nights of accommodation, 6 days of practice, pranayama and meditation, brunch and dinner. If you are traveling with children 0-3 years old there's no charge; kids 3-9 years old are charged 50%. You can reserve your place by paying a 30% non refundable deposit. The rest you may pay with 1 month prior to the retreat.
In case of a lockdown situation (no flights, closed borders in Greece) due to corona we will refund the booking fully. The retreat will take place another date in this case and you re welcome to book for new dates.
Further information and booking: barbara-mysore@yogaschoolberlin.de
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How to get there
BY PLANE
Flying to Athens is the closest option. Aegean Air is the company that is flying from Athens to Paros so far. Make sure you book your tickets well in advance because it’s difficult to find availability during the summer months.
For information, visit: http://en.aegeanair.com/
Another option is a charter flight to Mykonos island and then a 45-minute boat ride to Paros.
BY BOAT
There are two options from Athens: Pireaus port and Rafina port. 1) Rafina port is closer to the airport and you can get there either by taxi or bus. By bus will take you about 45 minutes and it costs 3 Euros. By taxi it will take you less time but more money. 2) Pireaus port is further from airport than Rafina, and you can get there by bus, metro or taxi. The metro and bus are both very convenient because they will leave you just a few meters from where you get the boat to Paros. Both the bus and the metro take about one hour (the bus a little longer maybe depends on the traffic) to get to Pireaus and cost 10 Euros. The 2 companies that sail to Paros are Blue Star Ferries and Hellenic Seaways. BlueStar ferries takes about 4:30 hours and runs twice a day with tickets starting at 33 euros Hellenic Seaways takes about 2:45 hours with tickets starting at 45-50 euros. When you are in Paros, you can either catch the bus from Parikia (port of Paros) to Naousa and then a taxi to Okreblue, or a taxi straight to Okreblue. We can always arrange a taxi transfer (a taxi to be waiting for you at the port or airport).
https://www.ferryhopper.com/en/ferry-routes/direct/athens-piraeus-to-paros
The teachers
→ Bárbara Macías has been a daily Ashtanga practitioner since 2008. She runs a Mysore program in Yoga School Berlin
→ Kwon Kim has been a daily practitioner since 2013. He will be guiding the pranayama and meditation sessions. He is also a teacher at Yoga School Berlin.
