You have been putting yourself last for a long while, long enough that you have stopped noticing you are doing it. A typical week away will not fix that on its own. A week built around practice, and rest, and a table of fifteen people who are doing the same thing, is a different proposition entirely.
Most retreats bolt a yoga class onto a packed holiday and send you home as tired as you arrived. Another year of that is another year of mistaking a change of scenery for actual rest. Rest is not something you book. It is something you practice.
May in Greece
All-levels vigorous yoga and pranayama each morning with the sea in view. Restorative practice, yin, or nidra as the light softens in the late afternoon. Two meals a day at a long table, cooked by a chef from Athens. Everything between those hours belongs to you.
Fifteen guests, one private estate, seven nights. The island is small enough to cross on foot, and most people have never heard of it.
Koufonisia, Greece
These are from the estate we are returning to, and the beaches a short walk from its gate.
Your guides
We have both had years where the calendar was full and none of it was ours. This is the week we built to interrupt that, and we host it ourselves rather than hand it to a tour company.
You are not joining an itinerary. You are joining our table.
Rachel Cieslewicz · Co-FounderRachel holds the practices and the energy of the week. Eric helps you create ease with your ferries, other transfers, and everything else you would otherwise be managing yourself.
How to join us
Tell us where you are in your practice, or simply that you are curious. We read every one.
Write to usCheckout holds your perfect space within this special estate. If a payment plan would help, ask and we will arrange one.
Our beautiful staff meets you at the dock on May 29. From there your only task is to be there.
Seven nights, all in
Choose your room
Hold your room with $500, or choose a room below and pay in full.
Comes off your room price. Rachel or Eric will confirm your room personally within a day.
Your own bed, two or three to a room. Most solo travelers choose this, and it is how the friendships tend to start.
A private ensuite room for two. $6,158 for the pair. Both of you complete checkout, or write to us and we will coordinate it.
Single occupancy, your own ensuite space for the whole week. For those who know that solitude is part of how they rest.
The $500 deposit holds your room and comes off your room price. It is not refundable, because your room comes off the list the moment you book. If we cancel the retreat, you get everything back. The balance is due 90 days before the retreat begins.
Secure checkout through Stripe. Checkout takes card, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, Cash App Pay, bank transfer, or Klarna if you would rather pay over time. Payment plans are available, please just ask. A separate $500 fee applies if you need to transfer your reservation.
Fly into Athens (ATH). From the port of Piraeus, Blue Star Ferries sails to Koufonisia in about 7 to 9 hours, and SeaJets high-speed boats take about 4 to 5.5 hours. Or fly from Athens to Naxos (JNX), about 45 minutes, and go on by boat: about 35 to 60 minutes by high-speed ferry, or about 2.5 hours on the local Express Skopelitis. Eric can help you pick sailings that fit your flights.
Usually warm and sunny. Daytime highs typically run about 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C), evenings about 62 to 70°F, and the sea is about 66 to 72°F (19 to 22°C). The northerly meltemi wind can pick up this time of year, which can make a crossing choppy or delay a sailing.
Light clothes and one warm layer for breezy evenings, swimwear, a sun hat and sunscreen, sandals plus shoes for rocky paths, and a reusable water bottle.
Greece uses the euro, so bring some cash for small purchases and gratuities. Sockets are type C and F at 230 volts, so pack a plug adapter; most phone and laptop chargers handle the voltage.
We recommend buying travel insurance soon after you book, with trip cancellation and interruption cover as well as medical care abroad. Ferry and flight delays happen, and a good policy takes the worry out of them.
US citizens do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days. Your passport should be valid for at least three months beyond the date you leave the Schengen Area. On your first arrival, passport control takes your fingerprints and photo for the EU’s Entry/Exit System. ETIAS, a short online travel authorization, is not required yet. The EU will announce its start date several months ahead, so check its status before you fly.
Most people do. The retreat is small enough that nobody stays a stranger past the second evening, and if you would like a shared room we will match you with someone compatible. If you would rather bring your own people, we also plan private retreats for groups.
All levels are welcome. Mornings are vigorous and all-levels, and Rachel is skilled at offering modifications. The evening practice is gentle by design.
Fly into Athens, Naxos or Santorini, then take a ferry. Arrive in Greece the day before and plan for a morning ferry on May 29. Someone will meet you at the dock.
A private traditional hillside estate with open terraces, a pool, a hot tub and a sauna. The yoga space looks over the water and the beaches are a short walk from the gate. Not a hotel, and not a resort.
Two family-style meals a day from our chef who travels from Athens. Vegetarian and vegan throughout, with locally caught fish several times in the week. Tell us about any dietary needs beforehand.
Many people do. Our Meteora hiking and meditation retreat ends five days before this one begins, which leaves room to explore in between and makes one long Greek stretch from late May into early June easy to arrange. Ask us and we will help you plan it.
Who you become
You fly home quieter than you have been in a long time, with a handful of people who feel as though they have known you for years. Your practice has room in your life again because you gifted it to yourself. And you know now, from the inside rather than in theory, what a week of actual rest does to a person.
From guests
I am so grateful to Rachel and the safe, nurturing space she created for us all. Rachel embodies humility, grace, and immense strength.
“Retreats with Eric and Rachel have taught me so much about the importance of taking time out for me. My life changed for the better.”
“I’ve been on retreats before. This one was different. There was nowhere to hide from yourself, in the best possible way.”
“My husband and I almost did not book because it felt indulgent. By day two we were wondering why we had waited so long. We are already looking at coming back.”
Also at YogaSoul
Rachel has trained teachers for twenty-five years. Two certification levels, small by design.
Bespoke experiences for families, teams and close groups, anywhere in the world.
May 29 to June 5, 2027. Fifteen places. You stop finding reasons to wait once you understand what the waiting has been costing.
Secure checkout through Stripe, or choose a room and pay in full. If you would rather ask something first, write to Rachel & Eric.