What is this?
We’ve written this mainly as an accompaniment to our 2020 yoga retreat giveaway to explain why we are doing what we do there. It’s a quick insight that we’d love to expand quite a lot. Hopefully though it can give a feel for us for those who don’t know us well.
What do we believe? Who are we?
Strong libertarian and egalitarian beliefs from a young age to some extent have informed the running of the retreat. Friends coming to help – making the retreat more of a model of how we can live as much as possible helping each other in a happy vibe. A place where the modern boundaries of work and play can be blurred and fun celebrated and sought for its own sake.
As a teenager I had an close to overwhelming desire to reshape the world into fairer, freer place. At the base of this desire was a lot of anger (as well as resistance to control that I still happily harbour 😉). Some anger simply as the world was an unjust, unfair place – some as I was full of internal anger and was looking for a place or thing to be angry about. Hopefully in life, with the help of Yoga, I’m learning understand my internal anger, where possible transforming towards love. The will to change the world can then come from a space of love for everyone, animals, everything rather than a anger towards things that don’t conform to my view of the world. It’s a process but I feel that I moving in the right direction. Working like this we can connect better and support better. The wish to transform things from this loving perspective gives it so much more power, less chance of creating divisiveness – an us and them mentality which serves to sow seeds for future conflict. It’s not always easy when confronted with a situation where the earth or people are being wilfully and deliberately disregarded for quick personally motivated gain…
Why is a yoga retreat promoting social aims?
The more we get connected to yoga the more we get connected us to others, our environment, something deeper than our own egos and the more we also can feel the wish to help beyond our immediate boundaries. To helping other people, animals and the earth itself. Maybe these feelings are more strongly felt with the current environmental problems as well as widening social inequality and me first attitudes. We could live solely in our little bubble on the South coast of Crete – and our local bubble is where most focus must be. However we also feel the pull to use the small platform we have to do good beyond the individuals who pass through the retreat, or those that come into contact with us locally.
We are of course a yoga retreat and our primary focus is on providing an incredible space and experience for guests when they are here. This way folk joining us can anything from a great holiday to a transformative experience and hopefully re-join life happier, more vibrant and better positioned to spread some joy around those in their circles.
Big Love to all.