One of the Board members, Honi, wrote about her experience of participating in a retreat with Marios anSophie Argiros in Crete, Greece....
I feel a bit sheepish writing this because I have been lucky enough to go on yet another yoga
retreat! But, as I found it such a nourishing and inspiring experience, I think it’s worth writing about.
In early July I packed my bags (very small as I didn’t need very much!) for a flight to the beautiful
southern greek island of Crete. Sadly it is now under fire-watch - as we hear on the news - but I
was lucky enough to be there before the European heatwave.
This was not my first visit, but my fourth, having been introduced to it by my EIYC teacher Catero
Hawkins. What a gift!
Marios and Sophie Argiros run a series of yoga retreats at the little family-run taverna of Leonidas
on Kissimos Bay throughout each summer. Sophie does all the amazing administration -
organising your taxis, providing great detailed info on places to see, things to do, food to eat and
sorting all accommodation - while Marios teaches all the yoga classes.
Marios Argiros
Marios, as many of you will know, is a senior level 3 teacher with years of experience. Crete has
been a second home to him and his family for over 30 years and he has developed a very close
and strong relationship with the sweet family who run the Taverna. His teaching and practice is
very dedicated and profound. Every class is - surprisingly - fun and full of humour and good-nature
- but it is also demanding. You know you must listen, concentrate, be aware and do your best at all
times.
Rarely do any of us get the chance to explore how our bodies are working and how they might be
willing to move and grow in strength with time and concentration for such an intense period and
without distraction. Working with breath and patience, hope and understanding and perhaps
above all, with humility and honesty our group of 20 students - mostly teachers themselves -
gained such knowledge of how we practice, how we teach, how we accept and work with being
taught. At the end of each practice, after savasana with just the sound of cicadas and the lapping
of the waves on the pebble beach, there was such a quietness and a peacefulness in each of us
and at the same time such a glow of energy that was mutually felt as we walked quietly from the
yoga studio to sit on the beach, to swim as the sun set, to return to our simple cool white-washed
rooms bordered with pink geraniums.
Not only did we work hard on our yoga practice but the swimming was blissful in the clear Agaean
Sea, the local greek yogurt, bowls of fresh ripe fruit, Cretan honey, hard brown bread, sweet
cheese pancakes and mountain tea made breakfasts a long lovely mid-day ritual on long tables all
together and the afternoons were wonderfully quiet siesta times for all to rest and prepare for the
evening class .…or for reading and ice cream times beside the sea!