Cyclical Femininity: A Women's Yoga retreat with Eugenia and Julie
Come join us on a week of deep relaxation and joy, self discovery and sharing. Eugenia and Julie will be sharing their experience in and love for women’s work through Iyengar Yoga tailored to the needs of women and Women’s Circles. They started collaborating at YogaOnCrete in 2015 and have since supported each other in their journeys as women through participating in each other's work, sharing and holding space for each other as friends, and celebrating the smaller and larger joys of life as sisters. They will be sharing their own experience of how leading a yoga lifestyle, practicing the teachings of this ancient art, and becoming more aware of and tapping into the power that lies dormant in each woman's feminine cycle, has supported them in leading happier, more aligned with their values and essense as women, and more fulfilling lives. During the retreat, you will also have the chance to swim daily in the cool, turquoise Mediterranean waters at quiet beaches, explore the idyllic unspoilt surroundings of the area of Chora Sfakion, and be nourished by wholesome local food cooked with love by our wonderful cook Maria!
Each day at the retreat includes a meditation and Women's yoga practice based on the Iyengar yoga tradition in the morning to open your heart and body, and connect with the sourse of vitality from within, and a Women's Circle in the late afternoon. There will also be the possibilty for authentic greek cuising cooking classes on three of the afternoons.
The retreat will awaken your deep knowing and intuition, so that you will find your path and walk it, supported by like-minded women from across the world. You'll experience a deep sense of relaxation and alignment with your body, your womb, your calling, your past, your future, your lineage, your pleasure.
“The retreat was one of the best experiences of my life. I'm incredibly glad I signed up for it. I am a stronger, happier, more positive person now that I learned so much about myself and life. Thank you!” Mouna, France
This powerful retreat will give you:
- A playful and safe environment of maximum 14 women to explore and connect deeply with your self and your femininity through yoga postures, breathing and meditation, creative movement, art and life coaching techniques
- Techniques and self-care practices to take away and apply back home
- A chance to soak up the magical Mediterranean
Our aim is to support each woman to tap into the authentic strength and joy that lies within the softness, tenderness, nurturing, intuition, playfulness, wisdom, sensuality, wilderness and rage of our feminine nature. We’ll find a deep holistic trust in our own potential and life. And we’ll celebrate the gift of this life we have been given!
‘’I loved the retreat! I feel reborn and I have experienced a radical shift of perspective. I am going along my days with mindfulness and the results are astonishing. My friends are amazed’’ Katarina, Germany
Course Highligts
- Morning meditation
- Daily Iyengar yoga class focusing on women's needs
- Afternoon Women's Circle
- Possibility for private life coaching or menstrual therapy sessions with Julie
- Professional and experienced yoga instructor and life coach
- 7 nights' accommodation in traditional guesthouse located near beach
- 7 breakfasts and 5 dinners included
- A round trip to the beautiful Sweet Water beach
- Linen and towels provided
Course Program
Each week begins with an opening circle and introductory Women's Circle at 6.00 p.m. on the day of arrival, followed by dinner. All other days will begin at 8 a.m. with a 30 minute meditation, followed by the 1.5 hour Iyengar yoga class focusing on women's needs. After breakfast guests are free to relax and enjoy the beach and sunshine, receive a massage treatment or private session with Julie, or explore the village and region. In the late afternoon is the two hour Women's Circle, and the day's programme closes with dinner.
The fourth day of the week is a rest day from classes; guests can join in an optional excursion, including a guided hike through the magnificent Aradaina gorge (approx. €25 depending on number of participants). All breakasts and 5 dinners are offered at the house, while on two of the nights guests are free to dine out in the village restaurants (not included in the course cost; approx. €15 for a full meal including drinks). Individual excursions (e.g., hikes, boat trips) can also be arranged at an extra cost. On the last day, departure can be arranged after morning class and breakfast.
The number of women participating is limited to 10, to create a warm and friendly atmosphere, to ascertain that individual attention is given in the sessions and to create a safe and supportive group dynamic.
Women's yoga
The morning practice with Eugenia, Iyengar Yoga teacher and YogaOnCrete hostess and owner, will start with a 20-30 minute meditation and end with a long relaxation. We will use the prescious elements of alignment and focus on detail of the Iyengar yoga style to approach asana practice, and will look at how the body can feel free and open, when allowed to experiment, flow, and be breathed into.
Through the practice we create a more bright, centred, spacious awareness of our being so we enter everyday life more confident, true to oneself, and happy. We will uncover the vitality and joy that is present in the body when we slow down, listen to its needs and make space to receive its wisdom, while we will also look at the body's natural potential for physical and emotional healing.
For women in particular leg-work is important to ground and connect to mother earth, and set the base for a dynamic pelvic floor, which is an essential condition for the spine to unfold, extend and grow, symbolically also creating the ground for this unfolding and growth to happen in less tangible parts of our lives. Another area we will be focusing on is the wonderful potential of an alive belly (the centre of our womb, our life-force and energy), where the forces of earth and sky meet and can be balanced. Eugenia will also offer particular practices for the four phases of the hormonal and/or moon cycle (follicular/waxing moon; ovulation/full moon; luteal/waning moon; menstruation/new moon), for menstruation and menopause to balance and contain hormonal and emotional fluctuations.
Women’s Circles
Each afternoon we will gather for a women’s circle (2hrs) exploring deep connection to yourself, other women and our cyclical nature. Julie, life coach, menstrual and creative movement therapist, as well as Awakening Women Circle facilitator, will hold space for us to dive deep into exploring the feminine cycle through movement, art and rituals. The sessions will start with a womb relaxation, then enter into a healing journey and we will complete with massage and sharing. In each circle, we'll experience initiation into another phase of womanhood, another way of entering pleasure and creating oxytocin (the love hormone!), another phase of our cycle, of the moon, of the sun:
** Inner Girl: Finding Peace and safety for our little girls (maiden/follicular/pre-ovulation/spring/waxing moon phase)**
** Alchemical Woman: Fully embracing our sexuality and sensuality (priestess/luteal/pre-menstruation/autumn/waning moon phase) **
** Creative Woman: Healing our mother-daughter wounds (empress/ovulation/summer/full moon phase) **
** Lineage Woman: Taking our place in our ancestral lineage (wise woman/menstruation/winter/new moon phase) **
Whether you have a menstrual cycle or have passed menopause, these phases apply to the subtle energies that affect a woman and her creative potential throughout life. If you're experiencing (pre-)menstrual pain, menopausal, fertility or sexuality issues, you're likely to find release, opening and a way forward.
Women's circles are a beautiful safe and supportive space to share, practice listening with compassion, allow yourself to follow your heart and be held by a group of like-minded women. When we drop our guard and allow our vulnerabilities to show, we experience how we all share the same basic needs and longings, masked by tensions, insecurities, and fears. This simple act of sharing creates an amazing connection and sense of freedom from our suffering.
Cooking Classes
On some afternoons before the Women’s Circle you can join authentic Greek cuisine cooking classes with our excellent, intuitive and super creative cook Maria, another powerful woman of the YogaOnCrete team. Her warm nature and dedication to her spiritual practice, shines through her wonderful dishes (every week there is at least one guest who wants to take Maria back home with them!!). In combination with fresh, pure ingredients (many from organic local farms), her food is happy food, even for persons who are not accustomed to a vegetarian cuisine. During the cooking classes, which will as a whole be a practice of awareness, rather than learning recipes, you will have the opportunity to practice sourcing wonders from your own intuition and creativity.
The classes will depend on participation, so if interested please ask for details!Facilitators
Eugenia Sivitou
Eugenia initially studied Psychology in Athens and went on to receive an MSc in Sport Psychology in Wales. She then began practicing yoga in 2004, while studying Contemporary Dance in Scotland.
She gained a Yoga Teacher qualification from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres in Spain in 2005 and in 2012 received her Iyengar yoga teaching certification. She attends workshops with teachers who continue to inspire her, namely Constantinos Giannetakis, Donna Farhi, and Angela Farmer. She is currently living with her husband, Nikos, between Crete during the retreat season and Rhodes during winter.
Her classes strive to create a safe and nurturing environment. The focus on the breath, as a powerful tool for developing awareness of the body and quieting the mind, is integral in her teaching, also incorporating elements of her Vipassana meditation practice.
Ultimately, her interest lies in integrating an analytical/psychological approach, emotional expression through movement and voice, and the development of awareness and connection with our spiritual essence through yoga and meditation, in light of a holistic approach to well being.Julie Mosmuller
In 2012 Julie decided to make a drastic change and re-align her life to her values. She left her strategy consulting career in London to study yoga in India and become a certified co-active life coach. Her life purpose is to be the heart beat that attunes you to your inner frequency. Julie combines her extensive coaching, yoga, dance and business consulting experience to help clients find their calling and unique voice. She specialises in ikigai (life purpose) and feminine empowerment coaching. Having recently settled on Crete, she spent the last six years travelling and giving workshops and sessions across India and Europe, and going deep into spiritual practise in her spiritual home Auroville in South India. She is certified as a Unesco creative movement therapist, an Awakening Women’s Temple leader and is a Madretierra menstrual therapist in training. Julie coaches a wide variety of clients internationally, online and face to face. In addition to (online and live) 1:1 sessions, she facilitates retreats, workshops and coaching training as well as monthly online gatherings and women’s circles. Her own experience has given her a keen understanding of what it takes to switch careers successfully. Transitioning from academia to corporate life to starting her own coaching and dance therapy practice taught her the importance of loving what you do and being authentic. Julie loves her work which gives her the freedom to combine personal, professional and spiritual growth. A common theme in client feedback is that Julie´s style is natural, warm and impactful. It is a natural extension of what she enjoys doing – creating a safe space, creating clarity and transformation. She loves her dance, yoga, art and meditation practice, and is passionate about conscious femininity and spreading cyclical awareness which she shares about on her Facebook group and Instagram account New Moon Sisters.Find out more on www.maitreecoaching.com.
Testimonials
“You have changed my life and given me the confidence to open up and live with joy and ease. You’re an amazing coach who opens people’s hearts. Thank you!"“"A most refreshing and inspiring experience to be reminded of the things that make me feel truly joyful and empowered. There were times when my usual negative mental/emotional patterns emerged, and it was extremely helpful to have the tools there and then at hand to work with these patterns with awareness and love :-)”
"Julie taught me to acknowledge my values in my decision making which has made such a difference to my life. She is a joy to work with and I would recommend her to anyone.”
“Julie helped me a lot to accept myself the way I am right now. She has such a good energy and a very gentle and good soul. Her wisdom has a special grace that has an immediate effect when she speaks.”Prices
- (all inclusive) per person per week
- €570 shared accommodation in twin non-ensuite room (with use of communal bathroom).
- €660 shared en suite accommodation (3 in a room) or single non-ensuite (with use of communal bathroom).
- €710 shared en suite twin or double room.
- €900 single en suite accommodation (please note that single room availability is limited).
- €490 non-participating partner sharing a room.
- €560 work-exchange option (only one place per week): about 2-3 hours’ help per day with light household tasks (e.g., washing dishes, cleaning yoga studio) that does not interfere with the attendance of all classes. Accommodation in triple room.
