6 Day Free Dive and Yoga Retreat
Join our Greek Summer Free Diving and Holistic Retreat on Aegina Island.
Free dive and Yoga Retreat in Greece.
During this retreat, you will immerse yourself in deep relaxation through the mindful combination of yoga and free diving practice. The free diving program is primarily aimed at beginners with no prior experience required. Good swimming skills are however recommended. Intermediate free divers are also more than welcome to join. Through the mindful practice of meditation, pranayama, and yoga with Stefanie, you will be able to perfectly prepare yourself for deep relaxation during your free diving sessions with Dimitri. The Holistic Retreat team is looking forward to welcoming you for an unforgettable Mediterranean summer on a Greek island!
Highlights.
Daily yoga classes
Daily free diving classes
Free diving and yoga philosophy workshops
A hike to discover a hidden treasure with olive trees
4 nights stay in a beautiful 17th-century mansion, 5 minutes walk from the sea
Beautiful natural surroundings and pristine waters
Opportunity to relax and explore the area
2 daily meals - authentic Mediterranean cuisine with vegan and/or vegetarian options
Breathe and reconnect with nature.
Free diving
Freediving is not an extreme, adrenaline-fueled sport as most people tend to think. In fact, freediving is quite the opposite, its practice generates a gentle and very soothing mental state that helps one to reconnect with her/his body in a very intuitive way.
Much like meditation, freediving is about relaxation and control. It helps clear the mind by focusing on one thing at a time in a truly unique environment that favors mindfulness. Some would argue it is an even simpler form of meditation as our deep-buried mammalian reflexes are slowly being awakened when submerged for an extended period of time. This is a natural phenomenon in all mammals, where the body optimizes respiration, slows the heart rate, and redirects oxygen to the vital organs and as a result, relaxation requires much less mental effort.
Much like yoga, concentrating on slowing down your heart rate and holding your breath results in lower levels of stress and anxiety. A smooth sensation of peacefulness and blissfulness will accompany you throughout the day, even when out of the water and not actively freediving. Moreover, people who practice a lot of deep-dive training have a similar blood composition to those that live at high altitudes. Their bodies become more efficient at using oxygen and live a much healthier life as a result.
Sample daily schedule
06:45 - 07:00 Sunrise meditation (optional)
07:00 - 08:30 Pranayama and activating Vinyasa yoga - Group 2
07:00 - 07:30 Breathing preparation & stretching – Group 1
07:45 Freediving class for beginners (daily) – Group 1
11:30 - 13:00 Brunch (Vegan and vegetarian options available)
Optional on day one 14:00 - 16:30 Fundamentals of Freediving workshop
Optional on day two 14:00 - 16:30 Yoga Philosophy
Optional on day three 14:00 - 16:30 Advanced asanas
Optional on day four 14:00 - 16:30 Hike to Ancient Olive Grove
17:00 - 17:30 Breathing preparation & stretching – Group 2
17:45 – 19:00 Freediving class for beginners (daily) – Group 2
19:00 - 20:00 Restorative yoga (optional)
20:30 - 22:00 Dinner (vegan and vegetarian options available)
22:00 - 22:30 Meditation
Yogas chitta vrtti nirodhah
Yoga is to control the fluctuations of the mind.
- Patañjali's Second Yoga Sutra
Hiking to the Ancient Olive Grove
Discover a hidden treasure with olive trees dating back to antiquity! In the area south of Pachia Rachi lies a secluded valley, a wildlife refuge, with the old olive trees that were part of Aegina's ancient olive grove, standing like natural monuments.
Some locals claim that these very olive trees date back to antiquity. According to the Institute of Materials Evaluation and the Archaeometry Lab of “Demokritos” (the National Centre for Scientific Research) their age is estimated to be 400 years. Οne of the largest trees measures 13 m around its trunk, with an internal cavity 2.5 m in diameter.
The hike goes through a unique landscape of pristine nature untouched by human activities and traverses a picturesque village that has retained its authentic charm. It takes approximately 2 hours to do this loop trail.
Meet Your Teachers
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world.
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Yoga InstructorStefanie is a certified Vinyasa Flow and Hatha yoga teacher who focuses on pranayama and Yin. Yoga is where she finds her balance between real estate investments and her passion for agriculture.
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Free Dive instructorDimitri is French and Greek and is a certified freediver. He has been practicing freediving on a regular basis since 2014 and has been a safety diver for international free diving competitions in 2019 and in 2022. He strongly believes in the healing properties of apnea and its benefits on both physical and mental health. His approach to free diving aims to bring harmony with the water element along with self-awareness. Working with the breath and breath hold allows to quiet the senses and create a perfect environment for underwater meditation.
Location
On the island of Aegina, only an hour by boat from Athens, there is a beautiful mansion from the 19th century, surrounded by a huge garden close to the sea. It has been restored to provide an atmosphere of peace and inspiration, an oasis on the soul's journeys. Oikia hosts and organizes workshops, retreats, training, art residencies, and all kinds of events aiming at a happier, more conscious life on Earth.
Oikia is above all a house with a soul. Somehow the essence of a house, surrounded by an enchanted garden. Nothing here is formal, nothing is standardized. It is not a hotel, nor a seminar factory. Oikia is a real house. Simple, spacious, poetic, refined. A place where guests often tell us that they feel as if they have finally arrived home.
"Oikia" (pronounced ee-kee-ah), means "residence" in greek and is at the root of such words as ecosystem and ecology.
Food
A poll with different options to choose from will be run and a menu that will reflect the wishes of the group will be created based on that.
The following meals are included:
Brunch
Dinner
Drinks
The following drinks are included:
Water
Tea
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
Vegetarian
Vegan
*If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
More details
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5 nights accommodation
Daily brunch and dinner (vegan and vegetarian options available)
All meditation, yoga, and freediving classes
2 workshops
1 hike
Masks and snorkels during the free diving sessions
Free diving buoys, ropes and weights
Yoga mats
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Flights
Public transport
Ferry
Lunch (available on request)
Airport transfer to Piraeus port (60 EUR)
Free diving equipment such as wetsuits (highly recommended for deeper relaxation underwater) and fins (available on request)
Towels at the accommodation (bring your own is recommended)
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Recommended Airports
ATH - Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos Airport)
Transfer available for additional € 60 per person
Arrival by ferry
Your travel from the airport to the port will approximately take 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the medium of transportation, time of arrival, and traffic. You'll find tickets for public transportation at a little kiosk outside the airport building.
When you arrive in Piraeus, you can book your ferry tickets from Piraeus port to Aegina island in advance online or at the counter directly at the port. You can either go with the regular ferry (1 hour and 10 minutes) or with a high-speed catamaran (40 minutes). The costs for one way vary between 12-19 EUR per person.
Please let the Holistic Retreat team know in advance when you will arrive in Aegina, so they can arrange for a pick you up at the port and drive you to the lovely retreat location (7-minute drive). Please feel free to contact them any time, if you need help with your arrival.
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Safety precautions
PCR test available on location (at additional costs)
Cleaning
Uses cleaning chemicals that are effective against coronavirus.
Linens, towels and laundry washed in line with local authority guidelines.
Guest accommodation is disinfected between stays.
The accommodation partner we work with follows the guidelines of local authorities.
Equipment for activities is disinfected before and/or after use.
Physical distancing
Activities take place outside where possible.
Safety features
Staff follow all safety protocols as directed by the local government.
Hand sanitizer available in guest rooms and key areas.
Process in place to check the health of guests.
First aid kit available.
A room is available to isolate suspected or infected COVID-19 patients.
Protective masks are available for all staff.
Protective masks available for clients.
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Spa Treatment
Fascia therapy is available for 50 EUR per session.
Other
You can rent bikes and E-bikes at Aegina's port (6 minute's drive or 30-minute walk from the house) or rent a car or motorbike at Aegina's port.