Wild Forest Retreat
Yoga, Nature & Art
Seven days retreat in a secluded land inside the wild forest of Pelion Mountain, in central Greece. Daily yoga practice and meditation, organic and home grown food, green accommodation, peaceful spots in the forest for self-practice and relaxation, tabla & indian music classes, reconnection with the natural rhythms and the beautiful world that surrounds us.
Join us at our remote forest land, enjoy the outdoors and wilderness, deepen your yoga practice, rest, meditate and get inspired in your art. Immerse in Nature, hike in the wild forest, swim in the beautiful Aegean sea, gaze the stars in a wild unspoiled environment with zero light, sound and air pollution. Live in a community, eat and explore together and find sufficient time and space to reconnect with yourself, meditate and dive into self-practice.
The place
Inside a wild old-growth forest, located in the south-east side of Pelion mountain, with a view at the Aegean sea from the altitude of 400m, lies our retreat forest land. The nearest village, Neohori, is 5km away on a dust road and the closest city, Volos, is at a distance of around 45km.
The houses inside the land are built with natural materials like wood, straw, cob and stones. The water comes from a forest spring and the electricity from solar panels. There is no wifi and the electricity supply is enough only for the basic small lights for the night and charging devices.
This is a unique place inside nature. It’s peaceful and isolated, with very basic amenities, ideal for outdoor yoga practice, detachment from city habits and for rejuvenation.
The daily schedule
During the retreat we will follow the cycle of the Sun, for waking up and going to sleep. Early waking up together with the beautiful singing of the birds and welcoming the day while gazing at the Sun as it rises from the horizon over the Sea.
– 6:00 to 8:30 Pranayama and Yoga asana (sunrise is around 6:30)
– 8:30 to 9:30 Breakfast
– 9:30 to 13:30 Free time to relax, practice or request any activity.
– 13:30 to 14:30 Lunch
– 14:30 to 17:00 Resting time
– 17:00 to 19:30 Meditation – Yoga asanas
– 19:30 to 20:30 Tea – light snack (early morning yoga practice requires an empty stomach so we offer a light snack for dinner and we suggest to go to bed early. Feel free to bring some snacks if you think you are going to need it in the evening. )
After breakfast on one of the days we have a planned trip to the sea for swimming, lunch and afternoon practice.
The specific times of arrival and departure days will be communicated to the participants ahead of time.
Nutrition
Breakfast, lunch and a light evening snack will be served at scheduled times. The food will be organic and vegan but with the option of cheese, yoghurt and milk for vegeterians. Most of the vegetables and fruits are local and either grow wild or come from our garden and a variety of herbs for infusions are available off the land. There are several fruit trees such as various varieties of plums, peaches and also grapes, blackberries, strawberries and gojiberries. Meals will be cooked in a sattvic way to promote concentration, detoxification and inner peace. Alcochol is not advised during the retreat.
Yoga info
The daily schedule, the nutrition and the simplicity of the environment are meant to detoxify our bodies, increase mindfulness and help us concentrate in our practice. The two yoga sessions are divided into a more dynamic session in the morning and a more meditative one in the afternoon.
Morning session : Pranayama (Kapalapati and Naudi Saudana)
Asanas (following the sequence of the 1st series of Ashtanga
vinyasa yoga in a lighter way with less vinyasa and more
focus on the breathing)
Afternoon session: Meditation (based on the ancient Buddhist technique called
Anapanasati or Mindfulness of breathing)
Asanas (Hatha yoga ~ following a less strict sequence of asanas in a slow and relaxing way)
Yoga teacher ~ Yannis Zannis
Yannis practices yoga since 2002, when he started learning Ashtanga vinyasa yoga and Buddhist meditation in Crete from a dedicated renunciate yogi. During the following years he received guidance from several Ashtanga teachers and practitioners in Greece and in India. Gradually he chose to surrender himself to the ascetic practice of yoga by living in the nature, following a daily self-practice routine, keeping a sattvic diet and studying the scriptures and the philosophy of yoga.
After that intense yoga practice for several years Yannis started teaching yoga in India, Israel and Greece and built the retreat place in the wild forest of Pelion mountain to persue yoga, music and organic gardening.
Accommodation
There are two options for accommodation: the shared forest houses and the tents.
The forest houses are self-built, made out of wood, straw and cob, with two rooms attached kitchen and bathroom, two single beds and one double bed. Also available are hot showers, bed sheets, blankets and basic electricity from a solar panel.
The amenities are very basic and simple. Each house can accommodate up to 3 persons and it’s a great choice for a company of friends to stay all together but also a nice opportunity to share the space with others who have same interests.
For the tents there are prepared spots with shadow under the various trees. The participants need to bring their own tent, and we are going to help them put it up. Outdoor common shower (without hot water) and toilet is available.
Activities in request
During the free time in between practice and meals, there will be options for extra activities for anybody who wishes.
Participants should contact us and arrange which activity they would like to attend. There will be an extra charge according to the activity and the days of attendance.
List of available activities:
~ Tabla classes for beginner and advanced students
(tabla set for the students will be provided)
~ Rhythm and basic singing classes
based on the Indian classical music tradition.
~ Practice classes with Tabla
(for musicians)
~ Forest trekking with a guide from our team.
Fees, Contact & Registration
Retreat dates 12 – 19 August 2021
The Fees :
500Euro ~ House accommodation (shared forest house)
350Euro ~ Tent accommodation (participants need to bring their own tent)
Price includes: accommodation for 7 nights, yoga classes, breakfast, lunch & evening snack for all the days, transportation to and from the village on the days of arrival and departure.
The retreat is limited to ten participants.
Info, registration and contact:
piliosangeet@gmail.com