The Joy of Being
22 September – 1 October 2023
A nomadic retreat to remember ourselves and the sacred fun of life.
Are you looking for something more? Would you like to remember your joy as an innate state of effortless being? Do you want to have some authentic fun?
Everyone has the joy of being within- It’s something that’s already yours- let us support you to remember it.
About the Joy of Being
This is part retreat part pilgrimage. Visiting natural beauty and ancient sites of Crete and mainland Greece. It is a pilgrimage to remember ourselves and remember our innate connection. To reveal something that is already in us- that has got covered over by busyness, achieving, parenting, and demands of ‘everyday life’.
This is an opportunity to give a gift to yourself the permission to enjoy and to find a sense of ease, not only for the duration of the trip but for this to come home again with you as a knowing of who you really are.
About the Journey
For the first three days we will land, with each other and in our bodies, in a beautiful location in the welcoming bosom of Crete. We will gently guide you to let the layers drop away and return to yourself, aided by the soft power of the Cretan nature and delicious food.
Then we will begin excursions to carefully chosen magical spots on the island. Places where we have felt in our bodies a sense of power and communion- that we wish to share and support you to experience.
Our journey will then take us to mainland Greece where we will visit the famous Delphi and reach the climax of our trip at a very special lesser known site, then completing in Athens at the Acropolis.
This promises to be a much richer and more joyful experience of these sites than visiting on your own or as a regular tourist.
Who This Retreat Is For
People of all ages, genders and walks of life who are feeling the call to step into the innate and effortless joy of their being. It is for people who are ready to thrive and claim their birthright of easeful embodied enjoyment of their one precious life.
What You Will Enjoy
- An opportunity to connect with yourself
- New friendships
- Joyful embodiment practices- that can become a doorway for your desired transformation once you are back home
- Connecting to and awakening the singing voice
- Time and space to unwind and relax
- Beautiful nature
- Four unique facilitators- with a passion in common for awakening and embodying consciousness and the joy of life and supporting others to do the same.
- Delicious healthy food
- Sacred sites
- A sense of knowing your innate connection
Who We Are
Between us we hold many years of experience of embodiment, dance, music making and voice connection. We will guide you to easily and gently find these ways to connect with yourself, the group, the environment and your unique relationship to Source- so that you can access the guidance you need in your life.
Daphne Kourkounaki
Daphne Kourkounaki was born and grew up in Crete, Greece.
She facilitates people’s life path renewal using various modalities including coaching, astrology, medative movement and nature connection. She runs a retreat venue in Crete and her passion is to support people to live a deeply satisfying life.
At 18 years old she moved to England where she obtained a Masters’ degree in Electrical Engineering followed by a postgraduate Masters’ in Environmental and Energy Studies.
Her earlier career paths involved engineering, sustainability consultancy and career coaching.
She then found herself being called to embodiment to ‘look outside the box’ for new pathways for personal transformation and finding inner harmony. She has since dedicated the last ten years of her life to her soul awakening and the reclaiming and sharing of her authentic essence.
Emma Sampson
Emma Sampson is an English singer, artist and facilitator of spaces for us to remember our innate connection- to our own nature and the big Nature.
She has worked with sound vibration as a healing modality for over twenty years, composes her own songs, has held a community choir and trained in Collaborative Vocal Improvisation. She is passionate about the transformational power of sound and singing- having journeyed herself from extreme shyness and vocal block to performer.
She is a student to the wisdom of plants, stewards land and grows medicinal herbs to share with other people as a way of then meeting themselves.
She also uses her artwork, embodiment practices and rebirthing breathwork to support individuals and groups to remember who they really are beyond their conditioning.
Joan Condal
Joan Condal a musician of the heart and a raiser of consciousness.
Fascinated by the human experience and the process of spiritual evolution, he studied psychology and social and cultural anthropology at University. This curiosity, and passion for embracing life in all its manifestations, then led him to develop his music career as a vehicle for connection, communion and celebration. This included music therapy and sound healing. His speciality is the mantras and the opening of the heart through the sacred songs, offering an experience of connection with the ‘true essence’. He has performed extensively all over the world, and recorded four personal albums and one with the Mahavishnu group. He has a versatility of styles including mantra, world music, chill out, reggae, pop, but always with a focus on raising consciousness.
Since 2010 Joan bas been also teaching courses of spirituality and personal growth in different countries, facilitating the awakening and the flourishing of the heart from those seekers who commit themselves with their inner transformation and freedom.
Elisabeth Serra
Elisabeth Serra is a dancer, awakener and visionary with a gift for empowering people to remember their essential nature and freedom. She sees herself as ‘a bridge between opposites’ and has supported many people to find their unique gifts and offer them to the world. She is also a Mother, runs a retreat centre and has a great love for performing in co-creative and solo theatre pieces.
She trained and graduated with a masters in psychosynthesis therapy and held a private practice as a therapist using psychosynthesis and other embodied modalities for 15 years in England. Together with her former partner, Mark Josephs, she co-founded a movement called social alchemy and over twenty years offered various programs to hundreds of participants in Europe and the US.
In all her work she brings a deep seeing of and reverence for all of the human experience, and a childlike playfulness that is contagious and inspiring. She is led by the wisdom of the body, the heart and a profound intimacy with her intuitive connection.
Watch a video of the Joy of Being facilitators speaking about the retreat
The Details
Dates
Friday 22 of September afternoon until Sunday 1 October afternoon
Locations
We start our journey in Chania, Crete (22nd of September), and then we will take a flight to Athens (27th of September). From there, we will go straight to Delphi. On the 30th of September, we will head to Athens, which will include an experience at the Acropolis before we say goodbye on the 1st of October.
Transfers to Athens and Delphi are included in the price.
Food
We will have a wonderful chef to make us healthy and delicious meals.
There will be a few opportunities to eat out in restaurants- this will be at your own expense.
Accommodation
We will be staying in beautiful villas.
Most rooms will be shared with one other person.
Please get in touch with us if you have a need for a single room (at a supplementary cost), or have any other special needs.
Cost
£2696 / €3050
£450 (€500) deposit to secure your place
Includes facilitated experiences and sessions, shared accommodation, most meals, transportation and entrance to sites, transfers from Crete to Athens
Early Bird price : £2,320 / €2,600 if booked before the 15th of May
Not included:
Flights to Chania and from Athens not included (flight from Chania to Athens during the trip is included)
Travel from Chania airport to the retreat venue is not included- we can provide you with details of taxi services.
Travel insurance.
Cancellation Policy
Two weeks before start date: no refund
2 months before: refund minus the cost of flight to Athens
Before 2 months: refund in full minus administration fee of 100
